Looking for a funny occupational therapy joke to help celebrate occupational therapy month? Look no further, we’ve got you covered when it comes to funny
Needing occupational therapy (OT) is no joke. It is tough to be dependent on someone else, or below average in skill development. April is OT month, a time to advocate for the profession and let people know what we can do.
If you love these jokes, you’ll also love these occupational therapy memes with informative graphics that describe the OT profession, and these occupational therapy quotes. All three blog posts are stock full of material that perfect for promoting the profession during OT month (and all year round!)
Occupational Therapy Jokes
Occupational therapy jokes are good for the soul. As busy therapy providers, we know it’s important to laugh. And, that therapeutic use of self is important for our clients as well as using with our co-workers. A sense of humor is an important tool to have in our therapy bags!
Let’s get on with the funny stuff!
We all know the power of therapeutic use of self. It’s a huge component in the OT profession. Similarly, the therapeutic use of humor in occupational therapy has been found by researchers to serve a purpose in client outcomes. Another research review found that humor use in occupational therapy can and should be used in moderation effective educational humor needs to be integrated into the topic and used in moderation, and when used appropriately, humor has many purposes:
- Humor can be used therapeutically to gain attention
- Humor can facilitate creative thinking and memory
- Humor can motivate students to attend class, and promote learning outcomes
Humor and funny time in therapy can serve so many purposes to help clients thrive!
And, when we put a therapeutic use of self and a humor spin on promoting the progression, Wow…Winner winner, chicken dinner!
That being said, a day of therapy without humor is incomplete. If you can not laugh about the funny things kids say, the mishaps, mistakes, and near misses, you will burn out quicker than a match. To alleviate the pressure of ‘fixing” everyone, I have compiled a few occupational therapy jokes and puns to entertain you.
What is occupational therapy anyway?
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); “Your life is made up of occupations—meaningful everyday activities. These occupations can include many roles, such as being a parent, a friend, a spouse, a tennis player, an artist, a cook, or a musician. We generally don’t think about our daily occupations until we have trouble doing them.”
“Everyone has occupations— from the toddler whose occupations are play and learning to develop important skills, to the older adult whose occupations are engaging with family and friends and managing his or her home. If you are recovering from an accident or injury, your valued occupations may be disrupted. Occupational therapy incorporates your valued occupations into the rehabilitation process.”
Not so funny occupational therapy jokes
I am sure all of you have heard people say they know what Occupational therapy is (wink, wink…this is not what occupational therapy is!)
- Just like PT
- A therapy to help you figure out how to get a job
- Fixing your job
- Helping kids with things
- I’m getting fat, I think I need one of those sensory diets
Insert eye-roll…but if you roll with it, you’ve got yourself a funny OT meme or two, and a great opportunity to promote the profession!
As a pediatric occupational therapist, it would be easy to get caught up in the sadness, unfairness, and struggle our kiddos face. Without laughter and fun, this profession would weigh us down on a daily basis. I take time to ride the tricycles, play in the ball pit, make arts and crafts, and ride on a swing once in a while. Occupational therapy jokes are a way to lighten the situation.
OT jokes in my case are; kids say and do the funniest things.”
- Who was the first president of the United States? Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Close but not exactly correct.
- While a young girl was seated at a table she yelled “HELP, I’m stuck in a tree!!!” Her word finding skills were not quite there yet.
- A little boy was doing an alphabet puzzle, and exclaimed, “I am putting this right in the A hole!”
- Then there was the little girl who left her underwear in the bathroom. She was wearing a dress and I happened to look up onto the playground and notice. That was a first.
- I asked a boy why he wanted to drink out of the toilet. The water is so COLD was his reply!
What funny things have your clients said to you?
Jokes only an OT would understand:
If you are an OT you probably chuckled at those occupational therapy jokes (memes).
The T-Rex holding reachers is an unstoppable OT joke. Perfect for recreating in the outpatient or hospital setting to bring a smile to a client’s face!
What are some of the mishaps and near misses you have faced during your career?
- There was this time I saw a little girl jump on a therapy ball and fly across the room
- The time I thought getting kids all hyped up during 8pm evening sessions was the right thing to do!
- One little boy who ate a huge bite of shaving cream, thinking it was whipped topping, before I realized what was happening
- Dozens of kids that have been covered head to toe in shaving cream during my sessions
- Kids trying to work on dressing skills, stuffing both legs into the same pant hole. Here comes the mermaid look!
- Cooking errors like using salt instead of sugar, a cup of oil instead of a teaspoon, or egg shells in the batter. The teen who repeatedly did this just loved her cooking!
If you can’t laugh at yourself sometimes, right??
The level 2 jokes…Oh, we have to laugh at ourselves right? I can think of an “intervention” or two that were…interesting!
How about the fact that we never really get away from our profession? There are Occupational therapy memes and jokes about the fact that we are always wearing our OT hat!
Who hasn’t done this on vacation? I have to literally close my eyes when I go to the beach.
Tell me you haven’t analyzed this task while dining at Cracker Barrel!
OT’s even have pick up lines!!
How about some occupational therapy jokes only an OT would understand?
Check out this website for cute Occupational Therapy Joke stickers! It has sayings like:
- No I’m not the physical therapist
- OT, I thought you said Oh, tea
- I’m nacho PT, I’m your OT
- Nacho average occupational therapist
- Yes I’m an occupational therapist, no I can not help you find a job
- Occupational therapist, because FREAKING MIRACLE WORKER is not an official job title
- No thanks, I’m on a sensory diet
Believe it or not, the internet is FULL of jokes only occupational therapists will understand!
The OT Toolbox has some past posts full of Occupational Therapy jokes and quotes. Check it out.
A tribute to Occupational Therapy Month
A final thought as we celebrate, educate, advocate, commiserate, and tolerate (bad jokes) the occupational therapists in our lives:
Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.
