What is an Occupational Therapist Assistants?

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 Does an Occupational Therapist Assistants Do

There are certain skills that many occupational therapist assistants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed detail oriented, physical strength and compassion.

Learn more about what an Occupational Therapist Assistants does

How To Become an Occupational Therapist Assistants

If you're interested in becoming an occupational therapist assistants, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 38.8% of occupational therapist assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.3% of occupational therapist assistants have master's degrees. Even though some occupational therapist assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Occupational Therapist Assistants
Top Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs Near You

Occupational Therapist Assistants Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of occupational therapist you might progress to a role such as senior technician specialist eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title account manager.

Occupational Therapist Assistants

Average Salary for an Occupational Therapist Assistants

Occupational Therapist Assistants in America make an average salary of $51,377 per year or $25 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $68,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $38,000 per year.
Average Occupational Therapist Assistants Salary
$51,377 Yearly
$24.70 hourly
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Roles and Types of Occupational Therapist Assistants

The role of an occupational therapist assistants includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general occupational therapist assistants responsibilities:

  • Provides care utilizing infection control measures that protect both the staff
  • Participated in the plan of care as directed by the occupational therapist recognized the significance of changing patient conditions a notified the occupational therapist. Adheres to the safety/ infection control policies
  • Expertly perform the assessment and intervention of a variety of conditions that impact children s

There are several types of occupational therapist assistants, including:

Therapist

Role:

A therapist is the keeper of secrets. Neither therapist nor client is likely to advertise what is going on during sessions. You might have pinned down therapists as doctors of psychology who try to help the weak and crazy among us.

Well, the truth is contrary: it is a humble and courageous gesture to seek the help of a professional, not only in moments of crisis, trying to deal with harmful mental patterns or toxic core beliefs, which cause suffering to the patient and his/her or her environment alike, but also on a preventive basis.

So, just as much as it is the job of therapists to diagnose mental health problems and propose and conduct treatments, it is also their responsibility to make sure a diagnosis will never be necessary.

  • Average Salary: $55,943
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Occupational Therapist

Role:

Generally, an occupational therapist prepares rehabilitative programs for disabled individuals to restore the essential functions needed daily. They use various treatment methods to help patients with physical, mental, emotional, or developmental disabilities.

In this field, you may work with individuals suffering from short-term and long-term impairments to improve conditions to advance their quality of life. This may include helping an individual with everyday life and occupation tasks. As a part of your work, you will combine aspects from various disciplines, including medicine, psychology, and sociology, to evaluate and implement comprehensive plans for patients.

If these professionals' education level is Bachelor's Degree, their average salary would be around $88,300 per year. At the same time, if you possess a Master's Degree, you can make a whopping salary of $1,39,000 annually.

  • Average Salary: $75,707
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Occupational Therapy Aide

Role:

Occupational therapy aides typically prepare equipment and assemble materials used during treatment and are responsible for a range of clerical tasks. Their duties include scheduling appointments, restocking supplies, and filling out insurance forms or other paperwork. They are not licensed by profession, so they are not permitted to perform as wide a range of tasks as law occupational therapy assistants.

As an occupational therapy aide, you'll have variable work schedules that may include evening and weekend hours, depending on the facility and shift. Most outpatient therapy offices and health care facilities have evening and weekend hours to help coincide with patients' schedules.

To be one, you typically require a high school degree. However, you usually receive most of your training on the job working from experienced aides or assistants. Additionally, having previous health care experience and CPR and Basic Life Support certifications may help get a position as an occupational therapy aide.

  • Average Salary: $31,070
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active occupational therapist assistants jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where occupational therapist assistants earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,189$56,342
2Texas2,887$36,662
3Illinois1,847$47,711
4New York1,552$54,318
5Georgia1,547$43,024
6Florida1,474$42,418
7Pennsylvania1,370$41,743
8North Carolina1,282$44,917
9Virginia1,183$46,042
10Ohio1,171$51,513
11Indiana1,166$42,954
12New Jersey1,141$46,125
13Washington1,094$50,654
14Michigan1,023$44,531
15Missouri980$46,249
16Massachusetts927$40,699
17Maryland918$39,987
18Colorado849$53,202
19Tennessee726$43,344
20Wisconsin719$45,160
21South Carolina664$49,867
22Minnesota662$41,278
23Alabama561$39,005
24Iowa559$43,434
25Kansas557$47,605
26Arizona528$48,937
27Kentucky501$50,683
28Oregon477$51,802
29Nebraska429$46,508
30Oklahoma416$44,012
31Arkansas334$46,843
32Louisiana329$38,354
33New Hampshire327$50,085
34Connecticut294$52,048
35Utah249$48,255
36Nevada235$59,087
37Idaho218$54,885
38Maine212$51,185
39North Dakota179$46,218
40Montana178$51,797
41West Virginia177$51,387
42New Mexico171$46,362
43Delaware170$56,186
44Mississippi141$45,440
45Vermont103$48,746
46Rhode Island98$57,081
47South Dakota97$39,019
48Hawaii92$60,966
49Alaska71$51,523
50Wyoming50$42,095

Occupational Therapist Assistants Education

Occupational Therapist Assistants Majors

Occupational Therapy
36.6 %
Psychology
12.7 %
Medical Assisting Services
6.6 %

Occupational Therapist Assistants Degrees

Associate

42.8 %

Bachelors

38.8 %

Masters

6.3 %

Top Colleges for Occupational Therapist Assistantss

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. Rhode Island College

Providence, RI • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,929

Enrollment

6,480

8. Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,460

Enrollment

39,208

9. Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT • Private

In-State Tuition

$41,420

Enrollment

5,907

10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

Top Skills For an Occupational Therapist Assistants

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.8% of occupational therapist assistants listed patients on their resume, but soft skills such as detail oriented and physical strength are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Occupational Therapist Assistants templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Occupational Therapist Assistants resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
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Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
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Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume
Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume

Occupational Therapist Assistants diversity

Occupational Therapist Assistants Gender Distribution

Female
Female
78%
Male
Male
22%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among occupational therapist assistants, 77.8% of them are women, while 22.2% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among occupational therapist assistants is White, which makes up 70.8% of all occupational therapist assistants.

  • The most common foreign language among occupational therapist assistants is Spanish at 63.2%.

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Best States For an Occupational Therapist Assistants

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an occupational therapist assistants. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Nevada, Rhode Island, and California. Occupational therapist assistants make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $60,966. Whereas in Nevada and Rhode Island, they would average $59,087 and $57,081, respectively. While occupational therapist assistants would only make an average of $56,342 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Delaware

Total Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs: 170
Highest 10% Earn:
$78,000
Location Quotient:
1.04

$56,186

Avg. Salary

View 170 Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs In DE

2. Idaho

Total Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs: 218
Highest 10% Earn:
$77,000
Location Quotient:
1.02

$54,885

Avg. Salary

View 218 Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs In ID

3. Maine

Total Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs: 212
Highest 10% Earn:
$66,000
Location Quotient:
1.23

$51,185

Avg. Salary

View 212 Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs In ME
Full List Of Best States For Occupational Therapist Assistants

How Do Occupational Therapist Assistants Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Occupational Therapist Assistants Employers

Most Common Employers For Occupational Therapist Assistants

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Microsoft$98,009$47.123
2Central Ohio Transit Authority$55,325$26.6010
3Intermountain Healthcare$54,953$26.423
4Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center$54,379$26.144
5Functional Pathways$53,758$25.853
6Aegis Therapies$53,718$25.838
7Encompass Health$53,419$25.683
8Banner Health$50,715$24.387
9Rehab$50,682$24.375
10St Elizabeth Church$50,593$24.323
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Updated April 6, 2023