Occupational Therapist Job Description Templates
Free occupational therapist job description templates for clinics and private practices: hospital, outpatient, pediatric, home health, SNF, and lead. DOCX.
Occupational Therapist Job Description Templates
6 free templates by setting. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
For a small occupational therapy clinic, a pediatric practice, or a rehab business, an OT hire is a major decision. The therapist becomes central to patient care and to your revenue, carries clinical and legal responsibility for their plan of care, and cannot treat a single patient until licensing and credentialing are confirmed. The job description that brings them in does more than list duties. It sets the setting and scope, names the license the role legally requires, and signals that you understand the profession well enough to attract good candidates.
At FirstHR, we build for small businesses and practices that hire without a dedicated HR department, where the owner or clinic director writes the posting. The six templates below cover the most common settings: hospital, outpatient and private practice, pediatric, home health, SNF, and lead. Each is ready to use. Fill in the bracketed fields, adjust to match your practice, and post. For the general principles behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
What Is an Occupational Therapist?
An occupational therapist (OT) helps people who have injuries, illnesses, or disabilities perform the daily living and work activities that matter to them and live more independently. The profession takes a holistic approach, addressing physical, cognitive, and developmental needs. The American Occupational Therapy Association describes occupational therapy as helping people across the lifespan participate in the activities they want and need to do.
An OT job description is a document that explains the role's purpose, responsibilities, credentials, and compensation so you can post a position and attract qualified candidates. The SHRM job description tools describe a job description as a plain-language tool that explains the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a position. For an OT, the document carries extra weight because this is a licensed clinical role, and because the setting changes the work so much that the most important job of the description is to make the setting and scope unmistakable. If you are filling adjacent rehab roles, the physical therapist job description templates cover the PT side of the practice.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template that matches your setting. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one emphasizes the responsibilities, documentation, and language that fit a specific kind of OT role. Use this guide to choose.
6 Free Occupational Therapist Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each one follows the same structure: job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: Hospital / Acute Care OT
For an acute care team. Emphasizes evaluation and treatment planning, discharge planning, and interdisciplinary collaboration with physicians and nurses.
Template 2: Outpatient Clinic / Private Practice OT
For a small clinic or private practice, written for the owner who hires directly. Focuses on caseload management, ADL and IADL goals, documentation, and productivity.
Template 3: Pediatric / School-Based OT
For pediatric or school settings. Adds sensory integration, fine and gross motor skills, IEP and 504 support, and collaboration with families and educators.
Template 4: Home Health OT
For in-home care. Adds home visits, a Medicare plan of care, adaptive equipment, a driver's license requirement, and a high degree of autonomy.
Template 5: Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) OT
For an SNF or long-term care setting. Adds ADL and IADL retraining, transfer training, fall prevention, MDS contribution, and productivity requirements.
Template 6: Senior / Lead Occupational Therapist
For an experienced OT who leads a team. Adds supervision of OT assistants, program management, mentorship, audits, and clinical operations support.
Occupational Therapist Duties and Responsibilities
OT duties fall into four categories. A good job description picks the specific duties from each category that apply to your setting rather than listing every possible task. These are the responsibilities most often expected of the role.
The exact mix shifts by setting: a pediatric OT emphasizes sensory and motor development, an SNF OT emphasizes ADL retraining and productivity, and a home health OT emphasizes autonomy and Medicare documentation. To scope the role precisely before you write the posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through a simple process.
Qualifications and Licensure
OT qualifications are non-negotiable because this is a licensed clinical profession. Every posting must state the education, certification, and licensure requirements clearly, and the hire cannot treat patients until they are verified.
List the must-have credentials first: an ACOTE-accredited degree, NBCOT certification, active state license, and usually BLS or CPR certification. Setting-specific experience belongs in the preferred list. For the full duty and skill profile of the role, the O*NET occupation summary is a useful reference.
OT vs OTA
The two most commonly confused roles in occupational therapy are the OT and the OTA. Getting the distinction right ensures you hire at the correct level and set accurate supervision, billing, and pay. This table shows how they differ.
| Responsibility | OT | OTA |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluates clients and creates plans | ||
| Delivers therapy interventions | ||
| Directs the plan of care | ||
| Works under supervision | ||
| Master's or doctoral degree | ||
| Associate degree (COTA) |
An OT evaluates, plans, and directs care and holds clinical and legal responsibility for the plan; an OTA delivers therapy under the OT's supervision. They require different education and certification and carry different pay. Decide which you need before you post, since the supervision and billing rules depend on it. The lead OT template above includes supervising OTAs.
What to Include in an OT Job Description
Every strong OT job description includes the same core sections. The templates above are built around them, but it helps to know how to make the duties concrete.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Provide therapy | Evaluate clients and deliver ADL and IADL retraining |
| Make plans | Develop individualized, goal-based treatment plans |
| Do paperwork | Document evaluations and progress in the EHR for billing |
| Work with kids | Deliver sensory integration and fine motor therapy and support IEP goals |
| Be licensed | ACOTE-accredited degree, NBCOT certification, and active state license required |
Specific, setting-appropriate duties attract therapists who can do the work and signal a practice that understands the profession. Keep the language neutral and inclusive too, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics.
How to Write an Occupational Therapist Job Description
A strong OT job description takes about 30 minutes to write if you follow a clear structure. Here is the process the templates are built around. If this is a key hire for your practice, the small business hiring guide covers the steps around the posting itself.
Before you post, confirm the role reports to a named person, usually an owner or clinic director, and that the duties match your setting. The guide to conducting interviews covers a structured process for evaluating clinical candidates once they apply.
Occupational Therapist Salary
Set your salary range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for setting, experience, and location. Pay varies meaningfully by setting, and senior or lead roles command more.
Pay also varies by setting. According to BLS data, median wages run highest in skilled nursing facilities and home health, with hospitals and outpatient offices in the middle and educational services lower.
| Setting | Median annual wage (BLS, May 2024) |
|---|---|
| Nursing care facilities (SNF) | $103,210 |
| Home healthcare services | $103,010 |
| Hospitals | $100,770 |
| Offices of PT, OT, and speech therapists | $96,380 |
| Educational services | $83,890 |
Position your range against your setting and the local market. Always publish a range. It is now legally required in many states and it attracts more qualified applicants in a high-demand field.
Hiring an Occupational Therapist for a Small Clinic
Large health systems have credentialing departments, recruiters, and HR teams to manage a clinical hire. A small outpatient clinic, pediatric practice, or rehab business has none of that, and the owner or clinic director runs the whole process. The reality of hiring an OT at that scale is different, and the job description should reflect it. Here is how to write the posting for a small-practice reality.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the foundation for the offer letter and the onboarding plan. An OT needs careful onboarding because licensing, credentialing, and documentation systems must be in place before they treat patients, and they handle protected health information from day one.
Verify the state license and NBCOT certification, complete any payer credentialing, set up EHR access, and review documentation and compliance procedures in the first weeks. Healthcare onboarding carries extra compliance steps, which the guide to healthcare employee onboarding covers in detail. The job description is often attached as an exhibit to the employment contract so the OT signs off on the exact scope, and the onboarding documents guide covers what else to collect. Once you have your offer ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new OT a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, paperwork, e-signature, and onboarding workflow in one place so a small clinic can manage the whole process without a dedicated HR department.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an occupational therapist do?
An occupational therapist evaluates and treats people who have injuries, illnesses, or disabilities to help them perform daily living and work activities and live more independently. Core duties include evaluating a client's needs, developing individualized treatment plans, delivering therapy to restore daily living and functional skills, recommending adaptive equipment, and documenting progress. The exact scope depends on the setting. A pediatric OT focuses on sensory and motor development, a home health OT works in clients' homes under a Medicare plan of care, and an SNF OT focuses on ADL retraining and fall prevention. A clear job description matters because it sets the setting, scope, and credentials the role requires.
What should an occupational therapist job description include?
A strong occupational therapist job description includes a short summary, 8 to 10 specific responsibilities, required qualifications, the setting, the caseload and productivity expectations, a salary range, and how to apply. Because OT is a licensed profession, the qualifications section must state the ACOTE-accredited degree, NBCOT certification, and active state license clearly. Responsibilities should be concrete and setting-specific, such as deliver ADL and IADL retraining or support IEP and 504 goals, rather than vague phrases like provide therapy. For a small clinic, also state the caseload and documentation expectations honestly, since these are top concerns for OTs evaluating a role.
What qualifications and licensure does an occupational therapist need?
An occupational therapist needs a master's or doctoral degree from a program accredited by ACOTE, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, and must pass the NBCOT certification exam to become a registered occupational therapist (OTR). All states require occupational therapists to be licensed, and most also require BLS or CPR certification. Specific requirements vary by state. In your posting, state the accredited degree, NBCOT certification, and active state license as required, and list setting-specific experience as preferred. These credentials are legal prerequisites to practicing, so naming them clearly filters out applicants who are not eligible to work at your practice.
What is the difference between an OT and an OTA?
An occupational therapist (OT) evaluates clients, develops treatment plans, and directs care, and holds a master's or doctoral degree with NBCOT certification as a registered OT. An occupational therapy assistant (OTA) delivers therapy under the supervision of an OT, holds an associate degree, and is certified as a COTA. The OT carries clinical and legal responsibility for the plan of care, while the OTA implements it. The pay and education differ accordingly. Decide which role you need before you post, since hiring an OTA when you need an OT, or the reverse, creates supervision, billing, and scope problems. The lead OT template includes supervising OTAs.
What salary range should I list for an occupational therapist?
Set your range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for setting, experience, and location. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for occupational therapists was about $98,340 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $67,090 and the highest over $129,830. Pay varies by setting: skilled nursing facilities and home health tend to pay higher medians, while educational services pay lower. Senior and lead roles command more. Always include a range in your posting, since many states now require pay transparency and a clear, competitive range matters in a high-demand field where qualified OTs have multiple options.
How do I hire an occupational therapist for a small clinic or private practice?
Start by deciding the setting and level: outpatient, pediatric, home health, SNF, or a lead role. Write a posting that states the setting, the caseload and productivity expectations, the required license and certification, and the compensation honestly, since OTs weigh caseload and documentation load as heavily as pay. Verify the ACOTE degree, NBCOT certification, and state license before the start date. Small clinics and private practices hire OTs directly, and a clear, setting-specific job description does much of the screening. The outpatient, pediatric, and lead templates here are written specifically for small clinics and practices hiring without a dedicated HR department.
How is occupational therapy different from physical therapy?
Both are rehabilitation professions, but they focus on different goals. Occupational therapy helps people perform daily living and work activities, such as dressing, eating, writing, or returning to a job, often using adaptive strategies and equipment. Physical therapy focuses more on movement, strength, mobility, and managing pain. The two often work together on a care team but require different licenses and training. When you write a posting, be clear which profession you are hiring, since OTs and PTs are not interchangeable. If you are hiring both, the physical therapist job description templates cover the PT side of a rehab practice.
What happens after I hire an occupational therapist?
Once a candidate accepts, the job description becomes the basis for the offer letter and the onboarding plan. An OT needs structured onboarding because licensing, credentialing, and documentation systems must be set up before they treat patients, and they handle protected health information from day one. Verify the state license and NBCOT certification, complete any payer credentialing, set up EHR access, and review documentation and compliance procedures. Healthcare onboarding carries extra compliance steps that a generic process can miss. FirstHR handles the offer letter, document collection, e-signature, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small clinic can move a new OT from hire to treating patients without a dedicated HR department.