What Does an Occupational Therapist Assistants Do?

Working under the supervision and directives of a therapist, occupational therapist assistants provide treatments to patients with movement difficulties caused by illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities include assisting patients while performing therapeutic activities, monitoring their conditions and progress, discussing care plans to guardians and families, and reporting to the therapists regularly. Furthermore, they are also in charge of performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documentation, maintaining patient records and medical histories, answering inquiries, handling calls and correspondence, and managing appointments.

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Occupational Therapist Assistants Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real occupational therapist assistants resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

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.
Provide and educate residents about adaptive equipment and compensatory techniques to improve safety and increase participation and independence.
Assist with dynamic splints and fabricate static and static progressive splints.
Increase resident ADL performance and staff performance with education and presentation of comprehensive techniques that reserve energy and simplify task.
Experience at SNF with a variety of diagnosis such as ortho, cardiac, CVA, dementia, and others.
Perform daily bedside ADL assessments and formulate intervention plans with functional outcomes.
Teach clinical reasoning skills in preparation for fieldwork experience and entry level examination.
Perform manual therapy, NMR, post-surgical rehabilitation, functional therapeutic exercise and activity.
Attend meetings representing the rehabilitation department providing description of patient status and anticipate goal plans.
Utilize various therapeutic exercises to increase ROM, functionality, flexibility, balance and overall strengthening.
Report to fieldwork instructor regarding patient barriers/progress and document therapy services provide for each treatment session.
Document sessions using handwritten format to complete medicare requirements and used computer technology to enter minutes of therapy.

Occupational Therapist Assistants Job Description

When it comes to understanding what an occupational therapist assistants does, you may be wondering, "should I become an occupational therapist assistants?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, occupational therapist assistants have a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 31% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of occupational therapist assistants opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is 16,000.

Occupational therapist assistants average about $24.7 an hour, which makes the occupational therapist assistants annual salary $51,377. Additionally, occupational therapist assistants are known to earn anywhere from $38,000 to $68,000 a year. This means that the top-earning occupational therapist assistants make $22,000 more than the lowest earning ones.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become an occupational therapist assistants. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession. That's why we looked into some other professions that might help you find your next opportunity. These professions include a student assistant technician, therapist, rehabilitation assistant, and staff occupational therapist.

Learn More About Occupational Therapist Assistants Job Descriptions

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5 Occupational Therapist Assistants Resume Examples

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Joseph Bradley Occupational Therapist Assistants Contact Information Jacksonville, FL (430) 555-3824 jbradley@example.com Skills Patient Care Daily Activities Program Development Student Intern Adaptive Equipment Customer Service OTA Aphasia Acute Care Dementia Employment History Occupational Therapist Assistants 2020 - Present RehabCare Group East Jacksonville, FL Develop individual treatment plans under the instruction of the Occupational Therapist. Provided treatment to a variety of In House rehab patients on the 4th floor rehab unit of Parma Hospital. Occupational Therapist Assistants 2017 - 2020 Brooks Rehabilitation Jacksonville, FL Employed through Advanced Medical travel therapy company for short-term placement at this Genesis Healthcare facility. Administered activities that aimed at enhancing trunk control and balance on clients with cerebral palsy. Student Assistant Technician 2015 - 2017 Comcast Jacksonville, FL Climbed poles / ladders and operated necessary hand tools meters and vehicles as required. Perform reconnects and non-pay disconnects, changes of service, service calls, and reviews all requested services with the customer. Cover on call for emergency outages for Commercial customers after hours. Install and troubleshoot cable, phone and Internet for residential and commercial customers. Education Associate's Degree Occupational Therapy 2013 - 2015 Keiser University Fort Lauderdale, FL


Janice Daniels Occupational Therapist Assistants Contact Info Wyncote, PA (300) 555-3473 jdaniels@example.com Skills FacilityPositive AttitudePatient CareIndependent LivingTreatment PlansCommunicationADLOTAFamily EducationEmotional Support Employment History Occupational Therapist Assistants 2018 - Present Genesis HealthCare Wyncote, PA Ordered equipment for use in department, and patient use in facility. Worked in rehab, acute and orthopedics. Worked in a team environment and worked with OTR in goal setting and developing treatment plans. Attended patient care meetings with therapeutic team, patient and family. Provided comprehensive training to newly hired therapists and associates from the inpatient rehab department. Occupational Therapist Assistants 2015 - 2018 AT HOME HEALTH CARE Detroit, MI Implemented safe and effective physical therapy interventions according to treatment plans established by the physical therapist. Provided documentation to families, facility and the state on goals, measuring progress with treatment goals and therapy outcomes. Executed various treatment plans comprising of modalities, orthotics and various protocols with daily/triweekly/weekly progress notes in a timely fashion. Participated in patient care conferences. Participated in all facility required meetings. Occupational Therapy Assistant 2011 - 2015 Kings County Hospital Center New York, NY Supervised COTA's in several occasions. Assisted Rehab Manager with daily department therapy schedule. Completed daily electronic documentation on Rehab Optima and Casamba. Implemented treatment plans as determined by Occupational Therapist. Assisted the therapist with patient care, treatment and group therapy. Education Associate's Degree Occupational Therapy 2009 - 2011 New York University New York, NY


Janice Daniels Occupational Therapist Assistants Wyncote, PA (300) 555-3473 jdaniels@example.com Experience Occupational Therapist Assistants2018 - Present Genesis HealthCare•Wyncote, PA Ordered equipment for use in department, and patient use in facility. Worked in rehab, acute and orthopedics. Worked in a team environment and worked with OTR in goal setting and developing treatment plans. Attended patient care meetings with therapeutic team, patient and family. Provided comprehensive training to newly hired therapists and associates from the inpatient rehab department. Occupational Therapist Assistants2015 - 2018 AT HOME HEALTH CARE•Detroit, MI Implemented safe and effective physical therapy interventions according to treatment plans established by the physical therapist. Provided documentation to families, facility and the state on goals, measuring progress with treatment goals and therapy outcomes. Executed various treatment plans comprising of modalities, orthotics and various protocols with daily/triweekly/weekly progress notes in a timely fashion. Participated in patient care conferences. Participated in all facility required meetings. Occupational Therapy Assistant2011 - 2015 Kings County Hospital Center•New York, NY Supervised COTA's in several occasions. Assisted Rehab Manager with daily department therapy schedule. Completed daily electronic documentation on Rehab Optima and Casamba. Implemented treatment plans as determined by Occupational Therapist. Assisted the therapist with patient care, treatment and group therapy. Skills FacilityPositive AttitudePatient CareIndependent LivingTreatment PlansCommunicationADLOTAFamily EducationEmotional Support Education Associate's Degree Occupational Therapy2009 - 2011 New York University•New York, NY

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Occupational Therapist Assistants Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 24% of Occupational Therapist Assistants are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and Home Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Physical strength, and Compassion.

We break down the percentage of Occupational Therapist Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Patients, 24%
Worked with patients coping physically and mentally from neurological diseases and injuries by creating and adjusting routines for patients to enhance recovery
Rehabilitation, 14%
Attend meetings representing the rehabilitation department providing description of patient status and anticipated goal plans.
Home Health, 13%
Gained competency in evaluating, treatment planning, treating, documenting and goal writing for home health with variety of diagnosis.
Patient Care, 9%
Reported to and communicated with occupational therapists concerning patient care and progress.
Adaptive, 5%
Provided and recommended adaptive devices and other equipment.
Acute Care, 5%
Full time in acute care and currently in Psych Hospital

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Some of the skills we found on occupational therapist assistants resumes included "patients," "rehabilitation," and "home health." We have detailed the most important occupational therapist assistants responsibilities below.

Arguably the most important personality trait for an occupational therapist assistants to have happens to be detail oriented. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "occupational therapy assistants and aides must quickly and accurately follow the instructions, both written and spoken, of an occupational therapist" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that occupational therapist assistants can use detail oriented to "performed hands on patient treatment sessions followed by detailed documentation. "

Another trait important for fulfilling occupational therapist assistants duties is physical strength. According to a occupational therapist assistants resume, "assistants and aides need to have a moderate degree of strength because of the physical exertion required to assist patients." Here's an example of how occupational therapist assistants are able to utilize physical strength: "provided home health assistance with strengthening and adl tasks"

Occupational therapist assistants are also known for compassion, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a occupational therapist assistants resume: "occupational therapy assistants and aides frequently work with patients who struggle with many of life’s basic activities" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "obtained effective communication skills to offer information and compassion to patients in a clear, concise manner. "

In order for certain occupational therapist assistants responsibilities to be completed, the job requires the skill "interpersonal skills." According to an occupational therapist assistants resume, "occupational therapy assistants and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients and therefore should be friendly and courteous" As an example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies: "organized and participated in an adl groups with a speech-language pathologist to focus on hygiene and interpersonal skills. "

See the full list of occupational therapist assistants skills.

We've found that 38.8% of occupational therapist assistants have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 6.3% earned their master's degrees before becoming an occupational therapist assistants. While it's true that some occupational therapist assistants have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every five occupational therapist assistants did not spend the extra money to attend college.

The occupational therapist assistants who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied occupational therapy and psychology, while a small population of occupational therapist assistants studied medical assisting services and business.

When you're ready to become an occupational therapist assistants, you might wonder which companies hire occupational therapist assistants. According to our research through occupational therapist assistants resumes, occupational therapist assistants are mostly hired by Concept Rehab, MAS Medical Staffing, and Renewal Rehab. Now is a good time to apply as Concept Rehab has 49 occupational therapist assistants job openings, and there are 35 at MAS Medical Staffing and 35 at Renewal Rehab.

Since salary is important to some occupational therapist assistants, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at George C. Grape Community Hospital, Lancaster General Health, and Transitions Healthcare. If you were to take a closer look at George C. Grape Community Hospital, you'd find that the average occupational therapist assistants salary is $58,506. Then at Lancaster General Health, occupational therapist assistants receive an average salary of $58,128, while the salary at Transitions Healthcare is $56,770.

View more details on occupational therapist assistants salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire occupational therapist assistants from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Aegis Therapies, RehabCare Group East Inc, and Amedisys.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious occupational therapist assistantss are:

Concept Rehab49 Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs
MAS Medical Staffing35 Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs
Renewal Rehab35 Occupational Therapist Assistants Jobs

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What Student Assistant Technicians Do

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. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.

We looked at the average occupational therapist assistants annual salary and compared it with the average of a student assistant technician. Generally speaking, student assistant technicians receive $21,532 lower pay than occupational therapist assistants per year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both occupational therapist assistants and student assistant technicians positions are skilled in patients, rehabilitation, and patient care.

There are some key differences in responsibilities as well. For example, an occupational therapist assistants responsibilities require skills like "home health," "adaptive," "ota," and "customer service." Meanwhile a typical student assistant technician has skills in areas such as "simplification," "fieldwork," "iadl," and "mental health." This difference in skills reveals how truly different these two careers really are.

Student assistant technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than occupational therapist assistants. In fact, student assistant technicians are 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Therapist?

A rehabilitation assistant performs support tasks to assist nurses or therapists in providing care services to patients and maintaining the smooth flow of operations in clinics. Their daily tasks often include greeting patients, answering inquiries, helping patients during treatments and training, and providing personal care by assisting them in hygienic and physical tasks. They may also prepare and process documents, handle calls and correspondence, organize files, liaise with external business partners such as vendors and suppliers, maintain records, and arrange schedules.

Next up, we have the therapist profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to an occupational therapist assistants annual salary. In fact, therapists salary difference is $4,566 higher than the salary of occupational therapist assistants per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both occupational therapist assistants and therapists are known to have skills such as "patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that occupational therapist assistants responsibilities requires skills like "home health," "adaptive," "acute care," and "ota." But a therapist might use skills, such as, "social work," "group therapy sessions," "crisis intervention," and "mental health."

It's been discovered that therapists earn higher salaries compared to occupational therapist assistants, but we wanted to find out where therapists earned the most pay. The answer? The government industry. The average salary in the industry is $55,972. Additionally, occupational therapist assistants earn the highest paychecks in the health care with an average salary of $47,923.

In general, therapists study at higher levels of education than occupational therapist assistants. They're 35.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Rehabilitation Assistant Compares

The rehabilitation assistant profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of occupational therapist assistants. The difference in salaries is rehabilitation assistants making $16,158 lower than occupational therapist assistants.

Using occupational therapist assistants and rehabilitation assistants resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "patients," "rehabilitation," and "home health," but the other skills required are very different.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from occupational therapist assistants resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "adaptive," "acute care," "ota," and "discharge planning." But a rehabilitation assistant might have skills like "money management," "mental illness," "medical care," and "cpr."

Additionally, rehabilitation assistants earn a higher salary in the telecommunication industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $42,480. Additionally, occupational therapist assistants earn an average salary of $47,923 in the health care industry.

Rehabilitation assistants typically study at similar levels compared with occupational therapist assistants. For example, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Staff Occupational Therapist

Staff occupational therapists tend to earn a higher pay than occupational therapist assistants by about $22,100 per year.

According to resumes from both occupational therapist assistants and staff occupational therapists, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "patients," "rehabilitation," and "home health. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an occupational therapist assistants might have more use for skills like "patient care," "adaptive," "ota," and "customer service." Meanwhile, some staff occupational therapists might include skills like "cota," "direct patient care," "traumatic brain injury," and "otr" on their resume.

Staff occupational therapists earn a higher salary in the health care industry with an average of $73,237. Whereas, occupational therapist assistants earn the highest salary in the health care industry.

In general, staff occupational therapists reach higher levels of education when compared to occupational therapist assistants resumes. Staff occupational therapists are 15.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020