Research Summary. Some key points about hiring a occupational therapy aides in the United States include:
Recruiting occupational therapy aides involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.
You can expect to pay around $31,070 per year for an occupational therapy aide, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for occupational therapy aides in the US typically range between $7 and $28 an hour.
To hire an occupational therapy aide, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire an occupational therapy aide:
Before you post your occupational therapy aide job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business need. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an occupational therapy aide for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.
An occupational therapy aide's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, occupational therapy aides from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.
The list breaks down common occupational therapy aide roles and compares their salaries.
Type Of Occupational Therapy Aide | Description | Hourly Rate |
---|---|---|
Occupational Therapy Aide | 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 | $7-28 |
Rehab Technician | A rehab technician's role is to assist physical therapists and patients in a hospital or similar facility. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's personal information and medical history, escorting them to corresponding rooms, and conducting initial tests and assessments... Show More | $10-17 |
Rehabilitation Aide | A rehabilitation aide is responsible for assisting patients with injuries, mental disorders, and illnesses in their treatment plans and medications. Rehabilitation aides monitor the patients' progress and update attending physicians regarding their conditions... Show More | $10-16 |
Before you start to recruit occupational therapy aides, imagine the ideal employee for this position and begin creating a profile and job description. What skills do they have, and what responsibilities do they have to be proficient in?
Occupational therapy aides typically have the following skills:
Here is a list of common responsibilities that occupational therapy aides may be expected to fulfill:
Cultural fit is also an essential factor that you shouldn't overlook. Consider how your perfect occupational therapy aide will contribute to the team dynamic and help grow the team's culture in a positive way. If you can include a clear vision of this in your occupational therapy aide job description, it'll help attract candidates who are better suited for the position.
Rank # | State | # Of Jobs | % of Population | Avg. Salary |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Illinois | 1,641 | 13% | $26,703 |
2 | Indiana | 1,304 | 20% | $23,951 |
3 | Massachusetts | 1,295 | 19% | $23,185 |
4 | Minnesota | 831 | 15% | $23,860 |
5 | Maryland | 759 | 13% | $21,831 |
Including a salary range in your job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An occupational therapy aide salary can vary based on several factors:
Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | California | $40,286 | $19 | |
2 | Colorado | $30,367 | $15 | |
3 | Idaho | $29,371 | $14 | |
4 | Ohio | $28,447 | $14 | |
5 | Arkansas | $26,730 | $13 |
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sutter Health | $35,791 | $17.21 | 69 |
2 | LifePoint Health | $34,689 | $16.68 | 414 |
3 | Mercy Corps | $31,825 | $15.30 | 68 |
4 | Mission Regional Medical Center | $31,326 | $15.06 | 25 |
5 | Professional Physical Therapy | $28,807 | $13.85 | 17 |
6 | State Of Idaho | $28,614 | $13.76 | 6 |
7 | Mercy Health | $25,427 | $12.22 | 94 |
An occupational therapy aide job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an occupational therapy aide job description:
There are a few common ways to find occupational therapy aides for your business:
Post your job online:
Your first interview with occupational therapy aide candidates should focus on their interest in the role and their specific background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.
Don't forget to include a few questions that give a candidate chance to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their special skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, candidates who are good enough can 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 selected the best occupational therapy aide candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks that you're offering the candidate. It's essential to ensure that your offer is competitive, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it's important to be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new occupational therapy aide. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.