Meaning & use
occupational therapist
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A health professional who helps people regain or develop the skills they need for everyday activities, such as dressing, cooking or working.
Grammar: Countable: an occupational therapist; often abbreviated OT.
Patterns
- see an occupational therapist
- work as an occupational therapist
After her stroke, an occupational therapist showed her how to dress with one hand.
The occupational therapist visited his home to suggest changes that would make it safer.
She trained for four years to become an occupational therapist.
Word forms
| plural | occupational therapists |
|---|
Common combinations
- see an occupational therapist
- The doctor advised him to see an occupational therapist.
- qualified occupational therapist
- A qualified occupational therapist designed the exercises.
- paediatric occupational therapist
- A pediatric occupational therapist works with children.
- refer to an occupational therapist
- Her nurse referred her to an occupational therapist.
- work with an occupational therapist
- He worked with an occupational therapist to return to his job.
Synonyms and how they differ
- OT
- OT is the short everyday form, used in speech and among colleagues.
- physical therapist
- A physical therapist focuses on movement and strength, whereas an occupational therapist focuses on doing daily tasks.
- rehabilitation specialist
- Rehabilitation specialist is a broader term and can include many kinds of health workers.
Word family
- occupational therapy noun
- the treatment given by this professional
- therapist noun
- a person trained to give therapy
- occupation noun
- a job, or a way of spending time
- therapy noun
- treatment to help recovery
Commonly confused: occupational therapist or physiotherapist?
occupational therapist vs physiotherapist
A physiotherapist treats movement problems with exercise and manual therapy. An occupational therapist helps people manage daily activities and adapt their surroundings.
Practice
After the accident, a(n) ___ helped him relearn how to cook and dress himself.
Choose one answer.
An occupational therapist helps with daily living skills. A career counselor gives job advice and a pharmacist handles medicines.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “occupational therapist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.