Occupational therapy jobs are undertaken by individuals who are willing to engage their skills in helping others with various disorders. They are involved in helping the mentally and physically disabled due to developmental causes or injury to adapt to their living environments. Emotionally disabled patients are also assisted to recover and lead normal lives including work life.

Therapists engage their clients in a number of activities. Each therapist is specialized to handle specific conditions. Physical therapists assist patients with physical exercises to help increase muscle and bone strength. Clients with visual disorders are assisted to improve their visual abilities and to differentiate patterns. Some therapists use computer programs to sharpen their client's aptitude skills. Patients with severe limitations are helped to use computer-aided equipments to improve their communication abilities.

Most occupational therapists are based in hospitals from where they offer their services. Others operate from offices or clinics of other health practitioners or are based in social institutions such as schools and community health centers. A masters degree or higher in occupational therapy is required as a base qualification for people joining this occupation. A practice license is required before one can set out as an occupational therapist. Therapists can work with a general population or a specific segment of the population such as the children or the elderly.

Travel nurses are a group of occupational therapists who work on short term engagements and are mobile. They work at particular locations for a period of time before moving on to another location under a different assignment as required by the medical facilities they work for. Hospitals and physician clinics engage travel nurses to fill in as temporary staff for permanent employee absences or peak seasons. The engagement periods vary depending on the employers need and the time the nurse is available.

Travel nursing is most suitable to individuals who are not bound by individual or family obligations. It is an ideal start point for those who want to get experience of working in diverse work settings. It is also a flexible type of employment since one can control the number of assignments to take at a particular time. Though dependent on the amount of experience, travel nursing jobs fairly match the permanent nurse positions in earnings. Travel nurse job placements are handled mainly by agencies that assist nurses sign up for assignments.

Another option for occupational therapists is nurse practitioners. This is a higher qualified and practicing nurse who is allowed more medical independence and authority than the normal nurse. A nurse practitioner can carry out diagnosis and administer treatment just like a qualified physician. They are also allowed to charge consultation fees and treatment costs for the services they offer though at a lesser rate than physicians.

The law regulates the operation of nurse practitioners. In some states, practitioners are allowed to carry out full treatment and prescriptions without the help of a physician. Other states have laws that restrict practitioners to only work under a practicing physician.

A Bachelor's degree in nursing is the base minimum for a career as a nurse practitioner after which one takes medical specialization on a specific disease or population. Qualifications for occupational therapy jobs in nursing must be obtained from accredited nursing schools.