Certified occupational therapist assistant vs staff occupational therapist

The differences between certified occupational therapist assistants and staff occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified occupational therapist assistant and a staff occupational therapist. Additionally, a staff occupational therapist has an average salary of $73,477, which is higher than the $53,296 average annual salary of a certified occupational therapist assistant.

The top three skills for a certified occupational therapist assistant include patients, home health and patient care. The most important skills for a staff occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and physical therapy.

Certified occupational therapist assistant vs staff occupational therapist overview

	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$53,296	$73,477
Hourly rate	$25.62	$35.33
Growth rate	25%	14%
Number of jobs	105,405	138,949
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	12	12

Certified occupational therapist assistant vs staff occupational therapist salary

Certified occupational therapist assistants and staff occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$53,296	$73,477
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $70,000	Between $56,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Napa, CA	Pacifica, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	Constellation Health Services	New York University
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between certified occupational therapist assistant and staff occupational therapist education

There are a few differences between a certified occupational therapist assistant and a staff occupational therapist in terms of educational background:

	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Occupational Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Certified occupational therapist assistant vs staff occupational therapist demographics

Here are the differences between certified occupational therapist assistants' and staff occupational therapists' demographics:

	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	14%

Differences between certified occupational therapist assistant and staff occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Certified occupational therapist assistant example responsibilities.

Manage wheelchair room and walkers; recommend and implement improvements to organization and ease of use.
Provide occupational therapy services to rehabilitation, acute care, and outpatients in a hospital setting.
Provide patient and family education concerning energy conservation techniques, precautions, and proper use of adaptive equipment.
Educate patient on energy conservation techniques and adaptive equipment use.
Provide patient with different types of splints.
Train residents and health care provider in applying orthotics and prosthetics.

Staff occupational therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
Implement ADL techniques and fabricate adaptive equipment for increase modified independence.
Provide accurate assessments/evaluation on rehabilitation patients.
Work contingent for Beaumont home care and at SNF's.
Perform screens & evaluations for upper & lower extremity splints.
Fabricate and modify a variety of hand and elbow splints.

Certified occupational therapist assistant vs staff occupational therapist skills

Common certified occupational therapist assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Home Health, 12%
Patient Care, 10%
Rehabilitation, 9%
Acute Care, 6%
Quality Care, 5%

Common staff occupational therapist skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Physical Therapy, 10%
Occupational Therapy, 7%
COTA, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant vs Staff Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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