Departments within hospitals or freestanding clinics operated by hospitals or hospital systems that are designed for the diagnosis and treatment of people with health problems who do not currently require a bed or admission for overnight care. Outpatient departments offer a wide range of treatment services, diagnostic tests and minor surgical procedures.

Programs that evaluate the task performance skills of individuals who may be having difficulty engaging in self-care, work, play or leisure time activities and help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Occupational therapy services typically include an individualized evaluation, during which the individual/family and occupational therapist agree on the person's goals; customized intervention to improve the person's ability to perform daily activities and reach their goals; and an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met. Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.

Programs that evaluate joint motion, muscle strength and endurance, heart and lung function and the ability of people to perform activities of daily living; and utilize the therapeutic properties of exercise, heat, cold, electricity, ultraviolet, water, manipulation and massage to improve circulation, strengthen muscles, reduce pain and restore mobility to people who have been disabled by a stroke, arthritis, back or spinal cord injuries or other debilitating conditions. Physical therapists practice in a variety of settings including hospitals, private offices, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation centers, developmental centers, home health agencies, schools and pediatric centers.

Programs that offer individual or group therapy sessions which focus on the remediation of specific articulation problems in which speech sounds are omitted, replaced by substitute sounds or distorted; voice problems in which pitch, loudness or quality of voice is affected; or stuttering.

Programs that are staffed by specialists who seek to maximize the functioning and development of infants, children and adolescents who require intensive rehabilitation. Pediatric patients include individuals diagnosed with brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple trauma, orthopedic conditions, amputations, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, failure to thrive and cardiopulmonary conditions.

Individuals who are generally between the ages of 18 and 25 depending on the ages that specific programs use for qualification.