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What is an occupational therapist assistants and how to become one
If you like to work in the medical field, being an Occupational Therapist is one choice. As an Occupational Therapist, you will be working with patients who are recovering from disabilities or certain illnesses. You will help with their treatment in order for them to overcome their difficulties.
As an Occupational Therapist, you will examine the medical history of the patient and perform a different assessment in order to identify the best treatment appropriate for them. Of course, a special set of skills is needed as an Occupational Therapist. You need to have patience, great communication skills, and excellent adaptability. If you possess these skills, you will perform better as an Occupational Therapist.
With a job growth rate of 18%, you can also earn around $72,451 per year on average as an Occupational Therapist. In addition, you can further your career. You can be a Senior Technician Specialist, a Manager, a Case Manager, and a Registered Nurse Case Manager.
What general advice would you give to an occupational therapist assistants?
Nicole Scheiman DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE
Department Chair/Program Director/ Professor, Huntington University
Avg. Salary $51,377
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 25%
Growth rate 0.3%
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%
Genderfemale 77.82%
male 22.18%
Age - 40American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 40Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Occupational therapist assistants career paths
Key steps to become an occupational therapist assistants
Explore occupational therapist assistants education requirements
Start to develop specific occupational therapist assistants skills
Skills Percentages Patients 23.84% Rehabilitation 13.59% Home Health 12.92% Patient Care 9.25% Adaptive 5.23% Complete relevant occupational therapist assistants training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New occupational therapist 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 an occupational therapist assistants based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real occupational therapist assistants resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming an licensed occupational therapist assistants usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed occupational therapist assistants in most of states. 37 states require occupational therapist 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 occupational therapist assistants duties and responsibilities
- Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
- Train residents and health care providers in applying orthotics and prosthetics.
- Train resident and caregiver in the use or application of orthotics and prosthetics.
- Educate patient and family regarding adaptive equipment, exercise techniques, and general safety with mobility.
Prepare your occupational therapist assistants resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your occupational therapist assistants resume.
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Apply for occupational therapist assistants jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an occupational therapist assistants 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 did you land your first occupational therapist assistants job
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Average occupational therapist assistants salary
The average occupational therapist assistants salary in the United States is $51,377 per year or $25 per hour. Occupational therapist assistants salaries range between $38,000 and $68,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do occupational therapist assistants rate their job?
Occupational therapist assistants reviews
Work schedule flexibility in the rehab and home health settings. I love problem-solving and finding solutions to improve the pts success at home. I love helping patients regain their PLOF or independence. I love meeting and working with a variety of people from differnt walks of life.
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.
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.
Geriatric population and working towards functional goal.
Clients don’t think they need to participate to get better.
Updated January 8, 2025
