How To Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become an occupational therapy assistant. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in an occupational therapy assistant.
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Most companies require a occupational therapy assistant to have a associate degree degree in a related field, such as occupational therapy or psychology.
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It's important to have relevant work experience, with typical job requirements ranging from 6-12 months in related fields.
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The Occupational Therapy Assistant license requirements vary by state. 37 states require barbers to have licensure for their work.
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Common job titles before becoming an occupational therapy assistant include certified occupational therapy assistant, occupational therapist, and certified nursing assistant.
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Hiring managers expect an occupational therapy assistant to have soft skills such as detail oriented, physical strength, and compassion.
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Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of less than 1 month of job training to become an occupational therapy assistant.
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Getting a certification as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) will help you to earn more as an occupational therapy assistant.
We found that 19.3% of occupational therapy assistants have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 4.0% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While some occupational therapy assistants have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every two occupational therapy assistants were not college graduates.
Those occupational therapy assistants who do attend college, typically earn either occupational therapy degrees or psychology degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for occupational therapy assistants include business degrees or health sciences and services degrees.
How to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant in 6 steps:
- Step 1: Explore occupational therapy assistant education
- Step 2: Develop occupational therapy assistant skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Obtain the necessary licensing
- Step 5: Research occupational therapy assistant duties
- Step 6: Prepare your resume
Key Steps To Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant
Explore Occupational Therapy Assistant Education
If you're interested in becoming an occupational therapy assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 19.3% of occupational therapy assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of occupational therapy assistants have master's degrees. Even though some occupational therapy assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an occupational therapy assistant. When we researched the most common majors for an occupational therapy assistant, we found that they most commonly have occupational therapy, psychology and business.
Occupational Therapy Assistant Major Percentages Occupational Therapy 72.20% Psychology 5.30% Business 3.20% Health Sciences And Services 2.80% Other Degrees 16.60% Develop Occupational Therapy Assistant Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop occupational therapy assistant skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in occupational therapy assistant job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Patients 27.38% Rehabilitation 22.35% Home Health 10.92% Patient Care 9.86% Therapy Programs 4.31% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Occupational therapy assistants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new occupational therapy assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as an occupational therapy assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real occupational therapy assistant resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Obtain The Necessary Licensing
Becoming an licensed occupational therapy assistant usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed occupational therapy assistant in most of states. 37 states require occupational therapy assistants 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 Assistant Duties
When you decide to become an occupational therapy assistant, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most occupational therapy assistant jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Order patient equipment as well as developing and fabricating inexpensive adaptive equipment for patients to use.
- Educate patients and family members on the importance of using adaptive equipment and following proper safety precautions.
- Provide all occupational therapy services to facility patients, including charting their progress, developing and maintaining treatment plans.
- Assist in rebuilding the therapy department in an inner city SNF.
- Perform therapy to patients with hip replacements, knee replacements, CVA, and multiple disorders.
- Help patients adapt to the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devices.
Prepare Your Resume
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Occupational Therapy Assistant Resume templates
Build a professional Occupational Therapy Assistant 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 Assistant resume.Apply For an Occupational Therapy Assistant Job
Occupational Therapy Assistant Jobs
