What does an occupational therapy aide do?
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. They must maintain a safe and clean working environment and complete preventive maintenance requirements to ensure the proper operation of occupational therapy equipment. Occupational therapy aides must also protect their practice by adhering to professional and JCAHO standards.
Occupational therapy aide responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real occupational therapy aide resumes:
- 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.
- Plan and conduct individualized occupational therapy programs to help patients develop, regain, or maintain ability to perform daily activities.
- Assist clients with their ADL's, strengthening, splinting and motor skills.
- Develop and implement evidenced-based individualize care plans in an interdisciplinary environment.
- Develop and implement evidenced-based individualize care plans in an interdisciplinary environment.
Occupational therapy aide skills and personality traits
We calculated that 33% of Occupational Therapy Aides are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Physical strength, and Compassion.
We break down the percentage of Occupational Therapy Aides that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 33%
Assisted occupational and physical therapists with maximum assistance transfers, adaptive equipment use and prevent falls of patients during strenuous activities.
- Rehabilitation, 10%
Integrated theory into evaluation, intervention and discharge planning in outpatient rehabilitation for adults with orthopedic and neurological conditions.
- Patient Care, 7%
Provided supportive services involving patient related tasks such as preparation and assisting in patient care as delegated by the therapists.
- CPR, 6%
SKIP, CPR, first aid trained and performed as often as daily, where necessary.
- Occupational Therapy, 5%
Developed and co-facilitated two, six-week pediatric social skills groups with occupational therapy and speech therapy students.
- Physical Therapy, 4%
Escort patient to and from physical therapy sessions.
"patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care" are among the most common skills that occupational therapy aides use at work. You can find even more occupational therapy aide responsibilities below, including:
Detail oriented. One of the key soft skills for an occupational therapy aide to have is detail oriented. You can see how this relates to what occupational therapy aides do because "occupational therapy assistants and aides must quickly and accurately follow the instructions, both written and spoken, of an occupational therapist." Additionally, an occupational therapy aide resume shows how occupational therapy aides use detail oriented: "oriented physical and occupational therapy volunteers for observation of the therapists and upkeep of the clinic. "
Physical strength. Many occupational therapy aide duties rely on physical strength. "assistants and aides need to have a moderate degree of strength because of the physical exertion required to assist patients," so an occupational therapy aide will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways occupational therapy aide responsibilities rely on physical strength: "participate in therapy sessions assisting with activities to enhance physical, mental and cognitive outputs. "
Compassion. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of occupational therapy aides is compassion. This skill is critical to many everyday occupational therapy aide duties, as "occupational therapy assistants and aides frequently work with patients who struggle with many of life’s basic activities." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided efficient point of service care while engaging with client with compassion and understanding. "
Interpersonal skills. occupational therapy aide responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "occupational therapy assistants and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients and therefore should be friendly and courteous." This resume example shows what occupational therapy aides do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "organized and participated in an adl groups with a speech-language pathologist to focus on hygiene and interpersonal skills. "
The three companies that hire the most occupational therapy aides are:
- Mission Regional Medical Center1 occupational therapy aides jobs
- Professional Physical Therapy1 occupational therapy aides jobs
- Medstar Health1 occupational therapy aides jobs
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Compare different occupational therapy aides
Occupational therapy aide vs. 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. It is also essential to maintain records of all transactions, updating medical accounts promptly and accurately. Furthermore, a rehab technician may also perform basic treatments under the supervision of a physical therapist. There are also instances when they have to sanitize and clean therapy equipment, all in adherence to the facility's safety regulations and policies.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between occupational therapy aides and rehab technician. For instance, occupational therapy aide responsibilities require skills such as "patient care," "occupational therapy treatments," "cota," and "iep." Whereas a rehab technician is skilled in "customer service," "cleanliness," "taking care," and "clerical tasks." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Rehab technicians tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $29,851. In contrast, occupational therapy aides make the biggest average salary, $37,805, in the education industry.On average, rehab technicians reach lower levels of education than occupational therapy aides. Rehab technicians are 11.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Occupational therapy aide vs. Student assistant technician
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.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, occupational therapy aide responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cpr," "home health," "occupational therapy treatments," and "cota." Meanwhile, a student assistant technician has duties that require skills in areas such as "simplification," "fieldwork," "iadl," and "vital signs." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, student assistant technicians achieve lower levels of education than occupational therapy aides. They're 10.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Occupational therapy aide vs. Rehabilitation assistant
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. They also prepare treatment rooms, including the materials and equipment for the medical procedures, and discuss the process with the patients. A rehabilitation aide must be highly organizational, especially in attending to different patients' needs and ensuring the safety and security of all facilities and assets.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, occupational therapy aides are more likely to have skills like "occupational therapy treatments," "cota," "iep," and "treatment programs." But a rehabilitation assistant is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "money management," "mental illness," and "vital signs."
Rehabilitation assistants earn the best pay in the telecommunication industry, where they command an average salary of $42,480. Occupational therapy aides earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $37,805.Most rehabilitation assistants achieve a lower degree level compared to occupational therapy aides. For example, they're 8.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Occupational therapy aide vs. Rehabilitation aide
Types of occupational therapy aide
Updated January 8, 2025
