Occupational therapy assistant vs certified occupational therapist assistant

The differences between occupational therapy assistants and certified occupational therapist assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an occupational therapy assistant and a certified occupational therapist assistant. Additionally, a certified occupational therapist assistant has an average salary of $53,296, which is higher than the $50,653 average annual salary of an occupational therapy assistant.

The top three skills for an occupational therapy assistant include patients, rehabilitation and home health. The most important skills for a certified occupational therapist assistant are patients, home health, and patient care.

Occupational therapy assistant vs certified occupational therapist assistant overview

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
Yearly salary	$50,653	$53,296
Hourly rate	$24.35	$25.62
Growth rate	25%	25%
Number of jobs	39,881	105,405
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 69%	Associate Degree, 81%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	12	12

What does an occupational therapy assistant do?

An occupational therapy assistant is primarily responsible for assisting an occupational therapist when handling patients at a clinic or similar setting. Their duties revolve around gathering patient information and medical history, treating patients using the therapist's care plan, monitoring a patient's progress, and maintaining an accurate and extensive record. There are also instances when an assistant must discuss the conditions and extent of treatment to patients and families, as well as monitor supplies and inventory.

What does a certified occupational therapist assistant do?

Being a certified occupational therapist assistant (OCA) requires skills in documentation, scheduling, and verbal communication. Occupational therapists need to be equipped with patient services, health care administration, and teamwork. They should know medical technologies, highly dependent, and have knowledge about health promotion and maintenance. Some of the responsibilities of OCAs include helping clients by providing rehabilitative and other services, verifying client information, and confirming the purpose of the treatment. They record the client's progress, billing, and services rendered to be used by the occupational therapist.

Occupational therapy assistant vs certified occupational therapist assistant salary

Occupational therapy assistants and certified occupational therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
Average salary	$50,653	$53,296
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $68,000	Between $40,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Napa, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	PeaceHealth	Constellation Health Services
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between occupational therapy assistant and certified occupational therapist assistant education

There are a few differences between an occupational therapy assistant and a certified occupational therapist assistant in terms of educational background:

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 69%	Associate Degree, 81%
Most common major	Occupational Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Occupational therapy assistant vs certified occupational therapist assistant demographics

Here are the differences between occupational therapy assistants' and certified occupational therapist assistants' demographics:

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between occupational therapy assistant and certified occupational therapist assistant duties and responsibilities

Occupational therapy assistant example responsibilities.

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.

Certified occupational therapist assistant example responsibilities.

Manage wheelchair room and walkers; recommend and implement improvements to organization and ease of use.
Provide occupational therapy services to rehabilitation, acute care, and outpatients in a hospital setting.
Provide patient and family education concerning energy conservation techniques, precautions, and proper use of adaptive equipment.
Educate patient on energy conservation techniques and adaptive equipment use.
Provide patient with different types of splints.
Train residents and health care provider in applying orthotics and prosthetics.

Occupational therapy assistant vs certified occupational therapist assistant skills

Common occupational therapy assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 22%
Home Health, 11%
Patient Care, 10%
Therapy Programs, 4%
Acute Care, 3%

Common certified occupational therapist assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Home Health, 12%
Patient Care, 10%
Rehabilitation, 9%
Acute Care, 6%
Quality Care, 5%

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Occupational Therapy Assistant
Occupational Therapy Assistant vs Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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