OT Scope of Practice?

Oh Man! Do I get questions about my scope of practice! It is so often that I hear something along the lines of…well my last OT only did handwriting, oh well my friends an OT and she says OT don’t do sensory work, my son’s old OT said that OTs don’t work with emotional control. Oh, how these phrases hurt me inside!

Occupational therapy (OT) is an expansive practice that has SO many items that we can address. But Holly, how come you can do all these things and other OTs can’t. Well, sometimes the setting an OT is in restricts their practice. Sometimes, other OTs aren’t ready to use their documentation to fight for why insurance should pay for them. Sometimes, OTs get complacent and stuck in their ways refusing to change or expand. This is disappointing for my field sometimes, but this is a rant that I’m going to avoid for this post!

So, what is covered under OT scope of practice? Well, I’m about to share that with you. From our practice framework called the OTPF there are MANY areas we can address with your child, teen, or young adult. Here is a non-exhaustive list of those areas;

• Bathing, Showering

• Toileting & Hygiene

• Dressing

• Swallowing/Eating/Feeding

• Functional Mobility

• Personal Device Care (think help with hearing aids, glasses, adaptive equipment)

• Personal Hygiene & Grooming

• Care of others/pets/children

• Communication Management

• Driving & Community Mobility

• Financial Management

• Health Management & Maintenance

• Home Establishment & Management

• Meal Prep & Cleanup

• Religious Activity Participation & Expression

• Safety & Emergency Maintenance

• Shopping

• Rest

• Sleep Preparation

• Sleep Participation

• Employment Interests/Pursuits/Seeking/Participation

• Retirement Prep/Adjustment

• Volunteer Exploration/Participation

• Play Exploration/Participation

• Leisure Exploration/Participation

• Social Participation with the community/family/friends

• Formal Education Preparation

• Informal Personal Education Needs/Participation

Did you know OTs like me could work on all of these items?!?! Well, now you do, and next time an OT you know says well they don’t do that. Maybe you could reference this post and ask, “How come you cannot work on this? I noticed it was in your scope of practice listed in the OTPF.” Sometimes it’s a matter of training in a specific area, sometimes it’s because insurance is restrictive, sometimes some OTs just don’t want to, etc.

For me personally, I try very hard to practice in many areas because I want to use as much of my scope as possible! Now, within each of these categories there are MORE activities and occupations listed that OTs can work on. So, if you’re ever curious as to what we can do, shoot me an email in a contact submission form. I am happy to help educate and teach everyone about what OTs can do! - Holly Ross MOT/OTRL/WSI