BOT (Bachelor of Occupational Therapy)

What is Bachelor of Occupational Therapy?

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT Degree) is an allied health profession, associated with the study of subjects and therapies for assessment and intervention to maintain the meaningful activities of individuals with any injury or disease. Occupational therapists often work with people with mental health problems, disabilities, injuries, or impairments by providing them support in the form of rehabilitation. BOT degree is an undergraduate program of 4.5 years with 4 years of college coursework and 6 months of field internship experience. Students of BOT studies basic medicine subjects like Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, General Medicine and Surgery, Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry. The work of occupational therapists deals primarily with improving the life, condition and rehabilitation of handicapped and limited people through different modes of treatments such as counselling sessions, exercises, functional training, aiding devices and equipment, ergonomic training and environmental restructuring and adaptation.

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Overview

Types of BOT

Bachelor in Occupational Therapy course is offered in regular mode by all the institutes. Students have to take admission in the desired institute and attend regular classes, practicals and project work for the completion of study. BOT courses are not offered in distance education or online mode of study by institutes.

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Eligibility

Students seeking admission in BOT degree courses in occupational therapy need to fulfill some minimum eligibility conditions. The conditions are although largely college dependent, some basic requirements for Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) are as follows

• Candidates need to have passed class 12 or its equivalent examination with Physics,Chemistry and Biology

• There might be criteria of minimum age set by institutes but generally there is no minimum age required for admission in a BOT course.

• Certain colleges also have restrictions on the minimum percentage of marks in class 12 ranging from 50 per cent to 60 per cent to pursue BOT Degree.

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Admissions

The process of admission in BOT course is the entrance examination taken by the institute. There is no common entrance examination for admission in institutes but students have to apply to the desired institute and appear for the test. Some institutes also offer admission in Bachelor of Occupational Therapy degree courses on the basis of class 12 marks. Students have to visit the official website of the desired institute and check the process of admission and minimum eligibility criteria for BOT course admission.

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Specializations

Students studying the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy or BOT program are required to to select a major course of specialization. The specializations are from various fields of study which requires the work done by an occupational therapist. A list of major specializations in Bachelor of Occupational Therapy or BOT course is listed below

Pediatric specialization: It is a course of specialization in BOT where therapists learn to help children with injury or disease borne inability, do their daily activities.

Geriatric: Geriatric centres or old age centres are the place where homeless, older people live. Occupational therapists with this specialisation are trained in helping old age peoples in carrying out their daily activities, keeping them happy by indulging in various activities of interests.

Industrial specialization: Therapists with industrial specialization are the candidates specialised in helping working professionals do their job efficiently after any work related injury, loss or relocation.

Special child needs: Children with special needs require trained persons for helping them carry their day-to-day activities. In this type of specialisation, therapists are trained to help children with intellectual disabilities, locomotive, neurological or behavioral issues.

Adult rehabilitation: In Bachelor of Occupational Therapy or BOT specialisations, therapists are trained to tackle the issues related with growing adults which may include drug addictions, alcoholism, mood swings, depression or career related issues.

Neurological: Therapists with BOT degree specialisation in neurological disorders are trained to help people with epilepsy, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, cerebrovascular diseases including stroke, Parkinson's disease, traumatic disorders.

Psychiatric: BOT course with specialisation in Psychiatry helps people facing intellectual disorders including substance use disorders. Psychiatric therapists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological problems.

Sports Injury: Therapists with specialisation in sports related rehabilitation are qualified to help persons with sports injury including the physical and mental aspect of it. Therapists may also perform tasks performed by physiotherapists in making sportspersons carry their activities efficiently.

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Courses

Students can check here the complete list of BOT subjects which they would be studying in their undergraduate occupational therapy course. The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy course work is divided into four years with 8-10 subjects every year, including that of projects.

BOT Subjects

Institutes offering Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Course in India

There are many institutes across the country which offer courses in occupational therapy some of which are provided here.

1. Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi

2. All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mumbai

3. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi

4. Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal

5. SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai

6. National Institute of Health Education and Research, Patna

7. Amity University, Noida

8. NIMS College of Physiotherapy, Jaipur

9. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities, New Delhi

10. ISIC Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, New Delhi

11. Dr DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai

Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Salary in India

Bachelor of Occupational therapists earn a varied salary depending upon the type of job they are in. OTs who are personal therapists can earn anything around Rs. 50,000 to 1,00,000 per month. Professionals working in rehabilitation centres are also paid well. Occupation therapists in de-addiction centres or medical facilities are recruited at a very high compensation package of around 10-12 lakhs per annum.

Occupational therapists who choose to go in the educational field by becoming teachers are also paid well. Special schools hire occupational therapists for inclusive teaching, care and counsellings of children with mental and physical disabilities. Institutes of higher education also offer high pay jobs to educators ranging from 12 to 15 lakhs or even more. Occupational therapy is more a profession by choice, who are inclined for social service by helping disabled people live a meaningful life.

BOT Salary for Various Position

Scope of Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists are people in demand in the current global health scenario. The work of OTs is such a noble profession that many choose it as a means of social service. What could be more good than helping a person in need, a mentally retarded or physically challenged person. There are many job options for an Occupational Therapists listed here -

Rehabilitation centres: Occupational therapists working in rehabilitation centres work for different kinds of peoples ranging from, psychiatric, orthopaedic or neurological disorders and even paediatric needs. The OTs use different methods of treatments for different issues, the basics of which include behavioral healing, psychological counselling and support services for psychiatric issues. Educational gatherings and group settings are adopted for pediatric needs and Medication Assisted Treatment are used for orthopaedic needs. Cognitive behavioral therapy and motivation enhancement therapy is provided in almost all kinds of disability treatment.

There are both government and private rehabilitation centres in the country. Occupational therapists are hired by these institutions on very good compensation packages. Government drug de-addiction centres is one such rehabilitation centre where occupational therapists work in de-addicting the peoples.

Special schools: Special schools are for children with special needs ranging from neurological disorders, locomotive disorders, dyslexia or intellectual disability. Occupational therapists role in special schools is to assist these students in studying by providing support of various kinds. The government’s model of inclusive teaching is supported by occupational therapists which provides methods of teaching normal students and students with disabilities in a common classroom environment.

Industrial Medical Facilities: Occupational therapists are required in Industries to improve the work proficiency of employees after an accident, injury or relocation. OTs perform various kinds of assessment, therapies and workplace adjustments for employees to determine whether an employee is able to perform job functions effectively. Occupational therapists are paid really well in industrial roles with attractive perks.

De-addiction Centres: Occupational therapists at de-addiction centres play a very crucial role by helping addicted individuals get out of the situations. They perform behavioral healing, psychological counselling and support services for psychiatric issues as well as medical assisted treatments. Occupational therapists get handsome salaries in de-addiction centres with personalised care.

Educational Institutions: Institutes of higher education require occupational therapists as educators to teach new generations of OTs. The role of occupational therapist in educational institutions is to teach and assist students in their studies, plan internships in various fields and project work.

Geriatric Centres: Geriatric centres or old age centres are the place where homeless, older people live. Occupational therapists help them in carrying out their daily activities, keeping them happy by indulging in various activities of interests. Senior citizens face several issues as they grow old which include immobility, instability, incontinence, impaired intellect/memory, Impaired vision and hearing loss or may be some chronic problems. Occupational therapists perform various duties such as motivational interviewing, helping them in daily activities.

Private Practice: Many occupational therapists also work personally for individuals with accidental injury, psychiatric or mental issues. Private practises by OTs are very helpful in making people come out of situations arising out of injury or any kind of addiction.

Careers Opportunities after BOT

There are several opportunities after pursuing a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy for occupational therapists outside India as well. OTs can go for any medical facilities or sports franchise. Many universities abroad offer scholarships for higher studies based on the service performance of candidates. Occupational therapists can also go for teaching in special schools of higher education institutes which offer very high compensation packages.