Being an occupational therapist can be a tough job sometimes but also a very rewarding career. Some days may be tougher than others depending on your schedule. 

You are likely very busy daily, however, it’s not an excuse to not want to find ways to do better. You want to avoid getting stuck in one place for too long and going about with business as usual. Take the time to learn about four ways to improve your occupational therapy practice.

1. Be A Good Listener

You are in the business of making people feel better. Therefore, you want to make sure you find ways to stay motivated to enhance the patient experience. One way to do so is to be a more active listener. Don’t make assumptions about the needs and wants of your clients. Instead, let them tell you how they are feeling and what goals they want to work towards. Being a good listener will help you come up with a better treatment plan for your clients that they can follow. Your attentiveness will allow them to feel better in no time.

2. Use Technology to Your Advantage

You likely have a lot of paperwork to take care of as an occupational therapist. You can streamline your business and save time by taking advantage of technology. For example, you may want to look into occupational therapy software solutions. This way you can automate mundane tasks and save yourself time and headaches from not having to sift through a bunch of paperwork. You can ensure there are fewer manual errors made this way and bring tasks online so you can run a better business. 

3. Send Appointment Reminders

You want to avoid your patients having long wait times when they show up to use your services. Therefore, one idea is to send out automatic appointment reminders through text or email This way each patient can be reminded of their appointment and confirm if they will be attending. This will help you avoid your clients having to wait a long time in the waiting room and you can avoid the annoyance of no-shows. You will have a better idea of who you are seeing when and can get more organized regarding your schedule. 

4. Create A Comfortable Space & Environment

You want your clients to feel at ease when they step into your business. Therefore, you are going to want to create a comfortable space and environment for your clients to enter. Take the time to decorate and paint and include some elements you find in nature such as plants and greenery. You should also think about what type of background music you want to play. Ideally, you should pick something that is soothing and calming. Make sure you have comfortable furniture in your waiting room area and hang some artwork on the walls. 

Conclusion

Being an occupational therapist isn’t always an easy job. Be glad to know there are steps you can take to improve your work days. These are some suggestions that can help you get started on the right track to improving your occupational therapy practice.