Career setting profile

Hospitals occupational therapy careers

Students and clinicians who want acute medical complexity, interdisciplinary learning, and strong resume portability. Compare BLS wage signals with The OT Index fit scores for autonomy, schedule quality, documentation intensity, and career upside.

OT rank #3OTA rank #4$100,770 OT median2024

Setting snapshot

Pay and fit signals in one view

The profile separates official BLS wage data from fit signals that should be discussed in interviews, offer reviews, and career planning.

OT median wage$100,770BLS OOH setting row, salary rank #3.

OTA median wage$65,280BLS OOH OTA setting row, salary rank #4.

Autonomy score68Moderate relative fit signal.

Schedule score56Moderate schedule-quality signal.

Role	Salary rank	Median annual wage	Wage signal	Autonomy	Schedule	Documentation	Career upside
OT Broad experience, weekend rotations, faster pace	3	$100,770	96/100 wage percentile signal	68/100	56/100	58/100	84/100
OTA Training depth, shift mix	4	$65,280	85/100 wage percentile signal	61/100	58/100	58/100	75/100

Fit scorecard

Where this setting is strong and where to pressure-test it

A high wage is useful only if the daily operating model supports good work. Use these signals as interview prompts, not as a substitute for offer-specific details.

Wage signal96/100

Very strong. BLS wage strength relative to the other major published OT and OTA settings.

Autonomy68/100

Moderate. How much control clinicians typically have over daily flow, judgment, and patient management.

Schedule quality56/100

Moderate. Predictability, commute burden, calendar quality, weekend demand, and visit-routing stability.

Documentation intensity58/100

Moderate. The amount of documentation and payer/compliance work that can shape the real workload.

Career upside84/100

Strong. Skill growth, specialization potential, portability, and longer-term career optionality.

Interview questions

Questions to ask before choosing this setting

The most important setting differences usually appear after the first salary number: productivity, documentation, support, caseload design, and local employer quality.

Which service lines do OTs cover, and how often do clinicians rotate?

What are the weekend, holiday, and on-call expectations?

How are productivity and missed visits evaluated during census swings?

What mentorship exists for ICU, neuro, ortho, burns, oncology, or cardiac care?

Keep comparing

Other OT career setting profiles

Compare this setting with nearby alternatives before treating one rank or one wage number as the whole decision.

Rank #1