Research Summary. Some key points about hiring a occupational therapist assistants in the United States include:
There are different types of costs for hiring occupational therapist assistants. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new occupational therapist assistants employee.
Occupational therapist assistants earn a median yearly salary is $51,377 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find occupational therapist assistants for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $18 and $32.
To hire an occupational therapist assistants, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a occupational therapist assistants:
The first step in the occupational therapist assistants hiring process is determining what type of worker you actually need. For example, certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.
Before you hire an occupational therapist assistants, you should also consider the ideal background you'd like them to have. For example, what industry or field they have experience in, what level of seniority or education the job requires, and how much it'll cost to hire a candidate that fits the bill.
Here's a comparison of the average salaries of common occupational therapist assistants roles:
Type Of Occupational Therapist Assistants | Description | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|
Occupational Therapist Assistants | Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working. Occupational therapy assistants are directly involved in providing therapy to patients; occupational therapy aides typically perform support activities... Show More | $18-32 |
Therapist | A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients... Show More | $18-38 |
Occupational Therapy Aide | Occupational therapy aides are professional assistants who assist patients by preparing the treatment area, equipment, and materials while helping them complete their occupational therapy tasks. These aides are required to demonstrate the proper use of the equipment and assist in patients' occupational therapy routines, such as moving from a bed into a wheelchair or the best way to stretch and limber muscles... Show More | $7-28 |
Before creating an occupational therapist assistants job description, imagine the ideal employee for this position and begin creating a profile. What skills do they have and what responsibilities do they have to be proficient in?
Here are some of the most common occupational therapist assistants skills:
Here is a list of common responsibilities that occupational therapist assistants may be expected to fulfill:
Beyond the nuts and bolts, cultural fit is an important factor. It might help to ask yourself how your ideal occupational therapist assistants will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place. Clearly communicating this vision in your occupational therapist assistants job description will help attract candidates who are better suited for the role.
Rank # | State | # Of Jobs | % of Population | Avg. Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Illinois | 1,847 | 14% | $47,711 |
2 | Georgia | 1,547 | 15% | $43,024 |
3 | Virginia | 1,183 | 14% | $46,042 |
4 | Indiana | 1,166 | 17% | $42,954 |
5 | Washington | 1,094 | 15% | $50,654 |
Including a salary range in your job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An occupational therapist assistants salary can vary based on several factors:
Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Colorado | $53,339 | $26 | 3 |
2 | Ohio | $51,685 | $25 | 1 |
3 | Oregon | $51,521 | $25 | |
4 | Washington | $50,982 | $25 | 1 |
5 | South Carolina | $49,836 | $24 | 3 |
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | George C. Grape Community Hospital | $58,506 | $28.13 | |
2 | Lancaster General Health | $58,128 | $27.95 | 11 |
3 | Transitions Healthcare | $56,770 | $27.29 | 4 |
4 | PruittHealth | $56,165 | $27.00 | 142 |
5 | Colorado Canyons Hospital & Medical Center | $55,248 | $26.56 | |
6 | Tenet Healthcare | $55,067 | $26.47 | 70 |
7 | Intermountain Healthcare | $54,953 | $26.42 | 32 |
8 | OSF HealthCare | $54,767 | $26.33 | 8 |
9 | Total Education Solutions Inc. | $54,639 | $26.27 | 10 |
10 | Southern Healthcare | $54,569 | $26.24 | 54 |
11 | Renewal Rehab | $54,544 | $26.22 | 206 |
12 | Alamogordo Public Schools | $54,446 | $26.18 | |
13 | Therapy Source | $53,953 | $25.94 | 15 |
14 | Concept Rehab | $53,850 | $25.89 | 98 |
15 | Aegis Therapies | $53,718 | $25.83 | 370 |
16 | Medical Facilities of America | $53,623 | $25.78 | 39 |
17 | McLaren Health Care | $53,447 | $25.70 | 5 |
18 | Encompass Health | $53,419 | $25.68 | 1,576 |
19 | Key Rehabilitation | $53,352 | $25.65 | 41 |
20 | Legacy Healthcare | $53,113 | $25.54 | 87 |
A job description for an occupational therapist assistants role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an occupational therapist assistants job description:
There are a few common ways to find occupational therapist assistants for your business:
Post your job online:
To successfully recruit occupational therapist assistants, your first interview needs to be all about engaging with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.
You should also ask about candidates' special skills and talents to see if they match with the ideal candidate profile you came up with earlier. Candidates who are good enough for the next step can then move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Once you've found the occupational therapist assistants candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary, as well as the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer needs to be competitive if you really like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new occupational therapist assistants. Employee Action Forms should be completed by Human Resources and the hiring manager. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.