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The differences between rehabilitation assistants and certified occupational therapy assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a rehabilitation assistant and a certified occupational therapy assistant. Additionally, a certified occupational therapy assistant has an average salary of $50,872, which is higher than the $35,219 average annual salary of a rehabilitation assistant.
The top three skills for a rehabilitation assistant include rehabilitation, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a certified occupational therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,219 | $50,872 |
| Hourly rate | $16.93 | $24.46 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 25% |
| Number of jobs | 19,317 | 70,679 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 84% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants are professionals who work with licensed occupational therapists in providing therapy to patients. This therapy is usually related to the physical or mobility challenges of a patient. Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants help patients retain their skills, improve on their challenges, and eventually recover. They record the patient's progress after every therapy session. They may also help out in creating treatment plans for the patient. Since they spend a lot of time with patients, their inputs and recommendations are valuable in crafting and adjusting the treatment plan.
Rehabilitation assistants and certified occupational therapy assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,219 | $50,872 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $37,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Mamaroneck, NY |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | New York |
| Best paying company | Health Alliance | Staten Island Academy |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Education |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation assistant and a certified occupational therapy assistant in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 84% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Occupational Therapy |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation assistants' and certified occupational therapy assistants' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9% | Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% | 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 | 11% | 8% |