World Occupational Therapy Day Date in the current year: October 27, 2024

Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession that involves the improvement of mental and physical performance of injured or disabled patients. According to the definition provided by the American Occupational Therapy Association, occupational therapists are people who help patients to participate in the things they need and/or want through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations).

Occupational therapists contribute to rehabilitation after physical injuries and psychological trauma; train patients in life skills, meaningful and purposeful activities, and assistive device technology; help disabled children to participate in school and social situations; advocate for patient health; help their patients to participate in any activity that they engage in to occupy their time, be it self-care activities, education, work, leisure, social activities, etc.

Occupational therapists can work in a wide range of professional settings, including hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities, outpatient facilities, mental health facilities, academia, and other. Nearly half of all occupational therapists and OT assistants work in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Occupational therapists usually work closely with other health professionals, including physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, nutritionists, etc.

World Occupational Therapy Day was launched in 2010 by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), an umbrella organization that unites more than a hundred occupational therapy professional organizations from across the globe. The main goal of this awareness day is to raise global visibility of the profession.

Every year, the WFOT chooses a new theme for World Occupational Therapy Day for participating organizations to focus on while planning their events. Past themes have included “Inform, Inspire, Influence”, “Celebrating Our Global Community”, “Improving World Health & Wellbeing”, “Reimagine Doing”, “Belong. Be You”, and “Opportunity + Choice = Justice”.

On the occasion of World Occupational Therapy Day, WFOT organizes its annual Occupational Therapy Global Day of Service (OTGDS). It is a global volunteer campaign, in which occupational therapists, OT assistants and OT students provide free professional, creative and organizational services to organizations and individuals. These services may include mentoring, safety checks in senior housing settings, participating in awareness and educational events, and more.

You can observe World Occupational Therapy Day by learning more about occupational therapy, congratulating occupational therapists you know and thanking them for the work they do, and spreading awareness on social media with the hashtag #WorldOccupationalTherapyDay.