Pro Tip
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Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions is a degree category that consists of the following common degrees:
- Read more about Music Therapy
Music therapists use music as a therapy to support health and well-being and treat and rehabilitate patients with physical, mental, or emotional illnesses or disabilities. Their goal is to help the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. Depending on individual cases, they may be focused on helping a patient express emotion, express creativity, experience less pain and anxiety, be more relaxed and sleep better, or simply make their hospital stay more positive.
Students who enter a music therapy degree program typically develop their skills as a musician on a primary instrument of their choice. They also learn at least basic skills in piano, guitar, percussion, and voice.
This degree is of particular interest to individuals who have an interest in and appreciation for the art of music, the science of healthcare and rehabilitation, and the psychology that connects them. Education programs in the field, therefore, combine all of these elements in courses that cover:
- Fundamentals and Principles of Music Therapy
- Biology / Human Growth and Development
- Assessment – Determining Patient Needs
- Designing Individualized Music Therapy Programs
- Special Needs Care Techniques
- Psychology
- Communications
- Read more about Occupational Therapy
Do you have an innate desire to help others? Are you a compassionate and nurturing person? Then getting a degree in occupational therapy may be something you’d like to consider.
An occupational therapist enables people to become more productive and overcome obstacles when experiencing difficulties attempting to do everyday activities. They do this by helping patients with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working. A lot of effort and dedication goes into getting the appropriate education to become an occupational therapist, but for those that wish to help individuals live productive and satisfying lives, it’s definitely worth it.
As the large baby boomer population continues to age and people remain more active as they get older, occupational therapists are and will continue to be in high demand, as they also play a very important part in helping older adults keep their independence. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of occupational therapists will grow 29% and create 32,800 new jobs before 2022!
An occupational therapy degree can prepare students for a variety of careers (other than occupational therapist), such as clinic director, health specialties faculty instructor, rehabilitation manager, pediatric occupational therapist, sports therapist, and ergonomist.
- Read more about Orthotics and Prosthetics
Orthotic devices or orthoses are supportive braces and inserts. Prosthetic devices or prostheses are artificial limbs or other body parts. Degree programs in orthotics and prosthetics (O & P) prepare students to work as orthotists and prosthetists – the healthcare professionals who design, create, fit, and repair these devices which support weakened body parts, correct body defects, or replace amputated limbs.
Orthotics and prosthetics blends healthcare with art, science, and engineering. Programs in the field span the clinical, behavioral, human movement, and materials sciences, as well as the technologies that sustain them.