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The differences between rehabilitation assistants and 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 a rehabilitation assistant and an occupational therapist assistants. Additionally, an occupational therapist assistants has an average salary of $51,377, 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 an occupational therapist assistants are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapist Assistants | |
| Yearly salary | $35,219 | $51,377 |
| Hourly rate | $16.93 | $24.70 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 25% |
| Number of jobs | 19,317 | 44,824 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| 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.
Working under the supervision and directives of a therapist, occupational therapist assistants provide treatments to patients with movement difficulties caused by illnesses and injuries. Their responsibilities include assisting patients while performing therapeutic activities, monitoring their conditions and progress, discussing care plans to guardians and families, and reporting to the therapists regularly. Furthermore, they are also in charge of performing clerical tasks such as preparing and processing documentation, maintaining patient records and medical histories, answering inquiries, handling calls and correspondence, and managing appointments.
Rehabilitation assistants and occupational therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapist Assistants | |
| Average salary | $35,219 | $51,377 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $38,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Colorado Springs, CO |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Health Alliance | George C. Grape Community Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation assistant and an occupational therapist assistants in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapist Assistants | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Occupational Therapy |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation assistants' and occupational therapist assistants' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapist Assistants | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9% | Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8% |
| 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% |