Occupational therapy assistant vs staff occupational therapist

The differences between occupational therapy assistants and staff occupational therapists 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 staff occupational therapist. Additionally, a staff occupational therapist has an average salary of $73,477, 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 staff occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and physical therapy.

Occupational therapy assistant vs staff occupational therapist overview

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$50,653	$73,477
Hourly rate	$24.35	$35.33
Growth rate	25%	14%
Number of jobs	39,881	138,949
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	12	12

Occupational therapy assistant vs staff occupational therapist salary

Occupational therapy assistants and staff occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$50,653	$73,477
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $68,000	Between $56,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Pacifica, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	PeaceHealth	New York University
Best paying industry	Education	Health Care

Differences between occupational therapy assistant and staff occupational therapist education

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

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Occupational Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Occupational therapy assistant vs staff occupational therapist demographics

Here are the differences between occupational therapy assistants' and staff occupational therapists' demographics:

	Occupational Therapy Assistant	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
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, 4.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	8%	14%

Differences between occupational therapy assistant and staff occupational therapist 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.

Staff occupational therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
Implement ADL techniques and fabricate adaptive equipment for increase modified independence.
Provide accurate assessments/evaluation on rehabilitation patients.
Work contingent for Beaumont home care and at SNF's.
Perform screens & evaluations for upper & lower extremity splints.
Fabricate and modify a variety of hand and elbow splints.

Occupational therapy assistant vs staff occupational therapist skills

Common occupational therapy assistant skills

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

Common staff occupational therapist skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Physical Therapy, 10%
Occupational Therapy, 7%
COTA, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Occupational Therapy Assistant vs Staff Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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