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The differences between rehabilitation assistants and 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 an occupational therapy assistant. Additionally, an occupational therapy assistant has an average salary of $50,653, 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 therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,219 | $50,653 |
| Hourly rate | $16.93 | $24.35 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 25% |
| Number of jobs | 19,317 | 39,881 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 69% |
| 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.
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.
Rehabilitation assistants and occupational therapy assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,219 | $50,653 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $37,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Health Alliance | PeaceHealth |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Education |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation assistant and an occupational therapy assistant in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Occupational Therapy |
| Most common college | New York University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation assistants' and occupational therapy assistants' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Occupational Therapy Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9% | Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8% |
| 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% |