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.

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Occupational Therapy Aide Responsibilities

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

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 Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, occupational therapy aide jobs are expected to undergo a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 31%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if the thought "should I become an occupational therapy aide?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of occupational therapy aide opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is 16,000.

An occupational therapy aide annual salary averages $31,070, which breaks down to $14.94 an hour. However, occupational therapy aides can earn anywhere from upwards of $16,000 to $59,000 a year. This means that the top-earning occupational therapy aides make $53,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become an occupational therapy aide. 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 rehab technician, student assistant technician, rehabilitation assistant, and rehabilitation aide.

Learn More About Occupational Therapy Aide Job Descriptions

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5 Occupational Therapy Aide Resume Examples

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Kevin Young Occupational Therapy Aide Contact Information Farmington Hills, MI (600) 555-5829 kyoung@example.com Skills Program Development Clinical Setting Animal Care Cold Packs Support Services Scheduling Appointments Communication Respiratory Care Federal Regulations Parkinson Employment History Occupational Therapy Aide 2020 - Present Encore Rehabilitation Services Farmington Hills, MI Provide patient care as an Occupational Therapy Assistant to patients assigned facility. Rehab Aide 2010 - 2020 Drayer Physical Therapy Institute Richmond, KY Worked here as a Rehab Nursing Tech, and as a unit Secretary. Trained and provided support to Rehab staff in using the new Cerner computer documentation system. Helped rehab manager Suzanne Arroyo with projects for department. Assist in the performance of patient care activates. Physical Therapy Internship 2009 - 2010 Kindred Healthcare Richmond, KY Gained experience in a long term acute care setting that specializes in ventilators and tracheotomies under the supervision of Annika Mane Full Time - 6 weeks rotation Performed patient care, under the supervision of Physical Therapists, in an outpatient setting. Evaluated and treated patients following CVA, TBI, neurosurgery in the ICU. Education Doctoral Degree Occupational Therapy 2006 - 2009 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY Master's Degree Kinesiology 2005 - 2006 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA Bachelor's Degree Athletic Training 2002 - 2005 Illinois State University Normal, IL


Alexander Owens Occupational Therapy Aide Contact Info Sierra Vista, AZ (500) 555-2267 aowens@example.com Skills FIMFluidotherapyHUDRecreational ActivitiesPatient CareSelf CareExam RoomsDisinfect EquipmentEmotional SupportDirect Supervision Employment History Occupational Therapy Aide 2020 - Present Aegis Sierra Vista, AZ Implement treatment plans and collaborate with OTR to determine appropriate client centered goals. Supervised 1-3 COTA's as well as a rehab tech. Travel throughout region to any affiliated facility that requires the services of a certified occupational therapy assistant. Occupational Therapy Aide 2018 - 2020 Encompass Health Tucson, AZ Document daily progress notes utilizing Casamba Therapy Software and Rehab Optima Software. Physical Therapy Aide 2017 - 2018 Encompass Health Tucson, AZ Tested and recorded blood glucose levels.st Maintained accurate records of patient care, condition, progress and concerns. Operated all phases of treatment equipment and administered patient care. Assisted Therapist with patient care at the time of office visit. Education Associate's Degree Psychology 2015 - 2017 University of California, Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA


Alexander Owens Occupational Therapy Aide Sierra Vista, AZ (500) 555-2267 aowens@example.com Experience Occupational Therapy Aide2020 - Present Aegis•Sierra Vista, AZ Implement treatment plans and collaborate with OTR to determine appropriate client centered goals. Supervised 1-3 COTA's as well as a rehab tech. Travel throughout region to any affiliated facility that requires the services of a certified occupational therapy assistant. Occupational Therapy Aide2018 - 2020 Encompass Health•Tucson, AZ Document daily progress notes utilizing Casamba Therapy Software and Rehab Optima Software. Physical Therapy Aide2017 - 2018 Encompass Health•Tucson, AZ Tested and recorded blood glucose levels.st Maintained accurate records of patient care, condition, progress and concerns. Operated all phases of treatment equipment and administered patient care. Assisted Therapist with patient care at the time of office visit. Skills FIMFluidotherapyHUDRecreational ActivitiesPatient CareSelf CareExam RoomsDisinfect EquipmentEmotional SupportDirect Supervision Education Associate's Degree Psychology2015 - 2017 University of California, Santa Barbara•Santa Barbara, CA

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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.

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"patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care" aren't the only skills we found occupational therapy aides list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of occupational therapy aide responsibilities that we found, including:

Arguably the most important personality trait for an occupational therapy aide 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 therapy aides can use detail oriented to "oriented physical and occupational therapy volunteers for observation of the therapists and upkeep of the clinic. "

While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many occupational therapy aide duties rely on physical strength. This example from a occupational therapy aide explains why: "assistants and aides need to have a moderate degree of strength because of the physical exertion required to assist patients." This resume example is just one of many ways occupational therapy aides are able to utilize physical strength: "participate in therapy sessions assisting with activities to enhance physical, mental and cognitive outputs. "

Another skill that is quite popular among occupational therapy aides is compassion. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a occupational therapy aide resume: "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. "

An occupational therapy aide responsibilities sometimes require "interpersonal skills." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "occupational therapy assistants and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients and therefore should be friendly and courteous" This resume example shows how this skill is used by occupational therapy aides: "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 therapy aide skills.

Before becoming an occupational therapy aide, 65.0% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 15.3% occupational therapy aides went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most occupational therapy aides have a college degree. But about one out of every eight occupational therapy aides didn't attend college at all.

Those occupational therapy aides who do attend college, typically earn either a occupational therapy degree or a psychology degree. Less commonly earned degrees for occupational therapy aides include a kinesiology degree or a health sciences and services degree.

When you're ready to become an occupational therapy aide, you might wonder which companies hire occupational therapy aides. According to our research through occupational therapy aide resumes, occupational therapy aides are mostly hired by Breast & Cervical Cancer Program, MedStar Health, and Mission Regional Medical Center. Now is a good time to apply as Breast & Cervical Cancer Program has 1 occupational therapy aides job openings, and there are 1 at MedStar Health and 1 at Mission Regional Medical Center.

If you're interested in companies where occupational therapy aides make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Sutter Health, LifePoint Health, and Mercy Corps. We found that at Sutter Health, the average occupational therapy aide salary is $35,791. Whereas at LifePoint Health, occupational therapy aides earn roughly $34,689. And at Mercy Corps, they make an average salary of $31,825.

View more details on occupational therapy aide salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire occupational therapy aides 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 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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What Rehab Technicians Do

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.

In this section, we compare the average occupational therapy aide annual salary with that of a rehab technician. Typically, rehab technicians earn a $2,565 lower salary than occupational therapy aides earn annually.

While their salaries may differ, one common ground between occupational therapy aides and rehab technicians are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like patients, rehabilitation, and cpr.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an occupational therapy aide responsibility requires 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." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Rehab technicians tend to make the most money in the health care industry by averaging a salary of $29,851. In contrast, occupational therapy aides make the biggest average salary of $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.

What Are The Duties Of a 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.

The next role we're going to look at is the student assistant technician profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $1,225 lower salary than occupational therapy aides per year.

Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Occupational therapy aides and student assistant technicians both include similar skills like "patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care" on their resumes.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are 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 might be skilled 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 study at 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.

How a Rehabilitation Assistant Compares

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.

Let's now take a look at the rehabilitation assistant profession. On average, these workers make higher salaries than occupational therapy aides with a $4,149 difference per year.

By looking over several occupational therapy aides and rehabilitation assistants resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "patients," "rehabilitation," and "patient care." But beyond that the careers look 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 therapy aides resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "occupational therapy treatments," "cota," "iep," and "treatment programs." But a rehabilitation assistant might have skills like "customer service," "money management," "mental illness," and "vital signs."

Interestingly enough, rehabilitation assistants earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry, where they command an average salary of $42,480. As mentioned previously, occupational therapy aides highest annual salary comes from the education industry with an average salary of $37,805.

Rehabilitation assistants typically study at lower levels compared with 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.

Description Of a Rehabilitation Aide

Now, we'll look at rehabilitation aides, who generally average a lower pay when compared to occupational therapy aides annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $2,786 per year.

While both occupational therapy aides and rehabilitation aides complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like patients, rehabilitation, and cpr, the two careers also vary in other skills.

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "patient care," "physical therapy," "occupational therapy treatments," and "cota" are skills that have shown up on occupational therapy aides resumes. Additionally, rehabilitation aide uses skills like cleanliness, data entry, vital signs, and restraints on their resumes.

Rehabilitation aides earn a higher salary in the health care industry with an average of $29,100. Whereas, occupational therapy aides earn the highest salary in the education industry.

In general, rehabilitation aides reach lower levels of education when compared to occupational therapy aides resumes. Rehabilitation aides are 11.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020