Occupational therapy technician vs occupational therapy assistant

The differences between occupational therapy technicians and occupational therapy assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an occupational therapy assistant has an average salary of $50,653, which is higher than the $32,056 average annual salary of an occupational therapy technician.

The top three skills for an occupational therapy technician include patients, physical therapy and adaptive. The most important skills for an occupational therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Occupational therapy technician vs occupational therapy assistant overview

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Yearly salary	$32,056	$50,653
Hourly rate	$15.41	$24.35
Growth rate	25%	25%
Number of jobs	54,684	39,881
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Associate Degree, 69%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	12

Occupational therapy technician vs occupational therapy assistant salary

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

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Average salary	$32,056	$50,653
Salary range	Between $14,000 And $68,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	PeaceHealth
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between occupational therapy technician and occupational therapy assistant education

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

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Associate Degree, 69%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Occupational therapy technician vs occupational therapy assistant demographics

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

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
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 technician and occupational therapy assistant duties and responsibilities

Occupational therapy technician example responsibilities.

Administer physical and occupational therapy treatment plans to patients under the direct supervision of a therapist.
Assist therapists with transfers and ADL sessions in acute, ICU, and rehabilitation.
Assist in providing rehabilitative therapy to patients in the rehabilitation, transitional care and outpatient clinics.
Prepare materials for assessments and provide assistance to individuals through hands-on methods and direct contact observations by assisting the rehabilitation supervisor.
Maintain dynamic and static AAC devices, create overlays and programme changes to devices.
Suggest energy conservation/work simplification techniques.

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.

Occupational therapy technician vs occupational therapy assistant skills

Common occupational therapy technician skills

Patients, 37%
Physical Therapy, 9%
Adaptive, 7%
Vital Signs, 6%
Occupational Therapy Treatments, 6%
Patient Care, 5%

Common occupational therapy assistant skills

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

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Healthcare Support Industry
Occupational Therapy Technician
Occupational Therapy Technician vs Occupational Therapy Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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