Vermont is a great place to work as an occupational therapist. Despite of very less population, this state offers many job opportunities for the occupational therapy professionals. Thus, it is one of the most favorite choices of the aspirants to pursue their career as occupational therapy aides, assistants and therapists. According to the BLS, the average annual and hourly income of occupational therapy professionals, in Vermont was $72,840 and $35.02 (in May 2015), respectively. All the formalities and procedure that are required to become a licensed occupational therapist in the state is governed by the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation. You have to allow the board for at least 6 weeks for the issuance of the license.

Occupational therapy schools in Vermont are for the all round development of the students as they offer programs that comprise both the theoretical as well as practical knowledge about the field. The courses are bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate’s, associates’ and dual degree. If you are already working as a registered occupational therapist with a bachelor’s degree and want to do post graduation, you can gain the master’s degree of occupational therapy in 1 or 2 years. But, if you are a graduate in some other stream, it will take you 2 or 3 years to gain the same degree. For those who want to obtain both the degrees simultaneously in just 5 years, dual degree program is the best option. While enrolling for a course in any of the occupational therapy schools of Vermont, you need to be aware of certain things. First of all, it should be Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) approved school. Secondly, it should have a good past reputation and thirdly, enquire about the number of admissions in it in the last 5 years.

To know more about the schools, procedure to become an OT and the salary figures in different cities of the state of Vermont, read below:

Approved Occupational Therapy Schools in Vermont

There is no information about any accreditated occupational therapy schools in Vermont. Candidates have to find places close to Vermont for the approved institutes of occupational therapy and can pursue their career in the field.

Procedure to Become an Occupational Therapist in Vermont

According to the data of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 220 employed and licensed occupational therapists in Vermont in May 2015. There is a different licensing body for every state in the United States of America that provide licensure for distinct positions related to the occupational therapy. In this state, the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation takes the responsibility of providing license to the applicants. The board offers licensure at two levels; one is for occupational therapy assistants and other for occupational therapists. If you are waiting to sit for a permanent license exam, you can apply for a temporary license and practice at either of the two levels. In order to gain the license, it is compulsory for the candidates to work under the supervision of a licensed OT who has at least one year of licensure with the state.

If you want to practice as a registered occupational therapist in the state of Vermont, follow the procedure given below:

Step 1 – Graduation from an Approved School of Occupational Therapy

Graduation is not the only pre-requisite to get license as an occupational therapist, but it is also quite essential for the all round development of the students. To be an occupational therapist, you need to be a graduate with a bachelor’s, masters or dual degree course in the field, from an ACOTE or AOTA approved school, college or university. This state doesn’t have any accredited school that offer courses required to become a licensed occupational therapy. You can search such institutes in the nearby areas.

Step 2 – Complete the Internship or Practicum

Field program is very important for students to understand and experience the real life situations and problems while dealing with the physically, mentally and emotionally disabled people. Thus, it is compulsory to get a license as an occupational therapist in the state. To be a registered occupational therapist in Vermont, it is required that the candidate must have a 24 weeks of internship or practicum under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist in a clinical setting.

Step 3 – Qualify for the National Certification Exam

License seekers need to pass the national certification exam for occupational therapists. This exam is named as Occupational Therapists Registered (OTR) exam and is offered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). To achieve your target, you have to score at least in the 70th percentile in this exam.

Step 4 – Submit Application for the State License

After passing the national certification exam, you are all set to apply for the license to the board. For this, you have to submit an application form with a check or money order of $100 as license fee. In addition to this, you also have to submit the transcripts from all the past schools you have attended so far, verification of certification from the NBCOT and verification of licensure from all the past states where you have practiced till date, to the assigned authorities.

Step 5 – Maintenance of the Licensure

Maintenance of the licensure is equally important as to get it from the licensing body. In order to renew it in Vermont, you need to complete 20 continuing competency education contact hours by the expiration of your licensure period. After the license renewal, you can continue working as a registered occupational therapist without any disturbance from the board.

Payscale of Occupational Therapists in Vermont

As per indeed.com, the salary of an occupational therapist in Vermont was $76,000 as of May 25, 2016.

Average Salary of Professionals with Similar Job Titles

Occupational Therapist Psych$76,000
Occupational Therapist Occupational Therapy$76,000
OT Occupational Therapist Therapy$90,000
Occupational Therapist Hand$82,000
Outpatient Occupational Therapist$84,000
OT Occupational Therapy$91,000
Occupational Therapist Rehab$76,000
Occupational Therapist Pediatric$76,000
Occupational Therapist Skilled$76,000
Occupational Therapist School$76,000
Occupational Therapist Home Health$84,000
Occupational Therapist Acute$76,000
Occupational Therapist Pediatric Outpatient$76,000
Occupational Therapist Rotation$45,000
Occupational Therapist Outpatient$76,000

Information Source: indeed.com

On the analysis of the table above, we can find out that the wage of OT Occupational Therapy is highest among all the related jobs titles of occupational therapy in Vermont at $91,000, while the lowest is of Occupational Therapy Rotation at $45,000.

Annual Median Salaries of OTs in Different Cities of Vermont

Name of the CityAnnual Median Salary
Burlington$75,370
Colchester$75,370
Essex$75,370
Rutland$75,370
South Burlington$75,370

Information Source: salary.com

From the table above, we can conclude that wage of an occupational therapist is same in all the cities of Vermont i.e. $75,370 as on April 26, 2016.