How To Become A Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a licensed occupational therapy assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Nicole Scheiman DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE

The average licensed occupational therapy assistant salary is $51,958. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an occupational therapy major. It usually takes 6-12 months of experience to become a licensed occupational therapy assistant. Licensed occupational therapy assistants with a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 25% and produce 11,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a licensed occupational therapy assistant?

Nicole Scheiman DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE

Department Chair/Program Director/ Professor, Huntington University

Likes: 1. Impactful Work, 2. Holistic Approach, 3. Diverse Opportunities, 4. Client-Centered Care, 5. Creative Interventions. Dislikes: 1. Administrative Burden, 2. Limited Resources, 3. High Stress Environments, 4. Complex Cases, 5. Scope of Practice.

ScoreLicensed Occupational Therapy AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $51,958

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.9

Growth rate 25%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.76%

Asian 5.20%

Black or African American 8.87%

Hispanic or Latino 8.56%

Unknown 5.81%

White 70.80%

Gender

female 85.00%

male 15.00%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

7.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.2

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a licensed occupational therapy assistant

Explore licensed occupational therapy assistant education requirements

Most common licensed occupational therapy assistant degrees

Associate

71.9 %

Master's

12.3 %

Bachelor's

12.3 %

Start to develop specific licensed occupational therapy assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	27.60%
Patient Care	18.54%
Rehabilitation	13.95%
Patient Safety	10.81%
Joint Replacements	5.19%

Complete relevant licensed occupational therapy assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New licensed occupational therapy assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a licensed occupational therapy assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real licensed occupational therapy assistant resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed licensed occupational therapy assistant usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed licensed occupational therapy assistant in most of states. 37 states require licensed occupational therapy assistants to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Licensed Occupational Therapist Assistant
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Occupational Therapy Assistant

Research licensed occupational therapy assistant duties and responsibilities

Carry out the treatment plan formulate by the OTR with interventions utilize in occupational therapy and rehabilitation.
Identify and recommend complex adaptive and assistive devices and durable medical equipment.
Provide occupational therapy treatment to patients in their homes in collaboration in with the occupational therapist
Focuse on sensory integration, ADL plan, functionality within the home for children with disabilities.

Prepare your licensed occupational therapy assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your licensed occupational therapy assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a licensed occupational therapy assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable licensed occupational therapy assistant resume templates

Build a professional licensed occupational therapy assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your licensed occupational therapy assistant resume.

Apply for licensed occupational therapy assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a licensed occupational therapy assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do licensed occupational therapy assistants rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Licensed occupational therapy assistant reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

I absolutely loved working with the elderly and veteran populations in skilled nursing facilities and at the VA hospital. I thoroughly enjoy empowering people to live their best lives and I'm heart broken that I will no longer be able to find employment in this field.

Cons

I absolutely loved working as a COTA these past seven years but it has been filled with ups and downs. Working at skilled nursing facilities is difficult due to high productivity demands impacting therapist ability to give patient centered care. Now with the new patient driven payment model change to medicare laws, therapists are being laid off left and right. These therapists, like myself, will have the impossible task of trying to find work in the Seattle area - which has been flooded with newly graduated COTAs due to several OTA schools opening in this area. The jobs in pediatrics and at hospitals that are left will see in increase in competition as the displaces/laid off COTAs rush to those jobs.