OT Month Highlight: Addressing Montana OT Workforce Gap

Occupational Therapy Month is celebrated during the month of April. The University of Montana Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program celebrates OT month by sharing about occupational therapy and all the great that it does and celebrating our students and practitioners.

There are approximately 350 licensed occupational therapy practitioners practicing in the state of Montana, which ranks 43rd nationally, according to HealthTal. This means that there are approximately 31 occupational therapists per 100,000 people, which is below the average of approximately 45–50, and of the fifty-six counties in Montana, thirteen counties do not have licensed occupational therapists registered in their county. Occupational therapy can help individuals get back to doing what they enjoy and love, and with a shortage of occupational therapists in Montana, there’s a need to add to the workforce. The University of Montana is the first state-run occupational therapy doctorate program in the state of Montana, and UM OT is committed to helping address the workforce shortage by educating the next generation of occupational therapists.