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What is an occupational therapy aide and how to become one
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.
What general advice would you give to an occupational therapy aide?
Nicole Scheiman DrOT, MHS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, CES, CKTP, CEES-Advanced, CSST, CDCS, CORE
Department Chair/Program Director/ Professor, Huntington University
Avg. Salary $31,070
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 83.27%
male 16.73%
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 therapy aide career paths
Key steps to become an occupational therapy aide
Explore occupational therapy aide education requirements
Start to develop specific occupational therapy aide skills
Skills Percentages Patients 33.39% Rehabilitation 10.09% Patient Care 6.56% CPR 6.24% Occupational Therapy 4.64% Complete relevant occupational therapy aide training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New occupational therapy aides 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 therapy aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real occupational therapy aide resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming an licensed occupational therapy aide usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed occupational therapy aide in most of states. 37 states require occupational therapy aides 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 therapy aide duties and responsibilities
- Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
- Observe occupational therapy sessions in inpatient dementia, pediatric, geriatric ward; outpatient ward; and senior rehabilitation center
- Integrate theory into evaluation, intervention and discharge planning in outpatient rehabilitation for adults with orthopedic and neurological conditions.
- Assist occupational and physical therapists with maximum assistance transfers, adaptive equipment use and prevent falls of patients during strenuous activities.
Prepare your occupational therapy aide resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your occupational therapy aide 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 an occupational therapy aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable occupational therapy aide resume templates
Build a professional occupational therapy aide 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 occupational therapy aide resume.
Apply for occupational therapy aide jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an occupational therapy aide 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 therapy aide job
Are you an occupational therapy aide?
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Average occupational therapy aide salary
The average occupational therapy aide salary in the United States is $31,070 per year or $15 per hour. Occupational therapy aide salaries range between $16,000 and $59,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do occupational therapy aides rate their job?
Occupational therapy aide reviews
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
