Therapy aide vs occupational therapy assistant

The differences between therapy aides 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 $29,312 average annual salary of a therapy aide.

The top three skills for a therapy aide include patients, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an occupational therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Therapy aide vs occupational therapy assistant overview

	Therapy Aide	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Yearly salary	$29,312	$50,653
Hourly rate	$14.09	$24.35
Growth rate	25%	25%
Number of jobs	50,598	39,881
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 69%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	12

What does a therapy aide do?

A therapy aide is responsible for monitoring and stabilizing the patients' condition by leading therapy sessions and recording the patients' progress for the doctor's reference. Therapy aides administer quality care plans according to the patients' medical findings and treatment options. They also operate various therapy equipment and machinery, requiring them to inspect the tools regularly to avoid potential hazards and therapy operations delays. A therapy aide must have an excellent understanding of the medical industry to discuss therapy procedures and respond to the patients' inquiries and concerns accurately.

What does an occupational therapy assistant do?

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.

Therapy aide vs occupational therapy assistant salary

Therapy aides and occupational therapy assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Therapy Aide	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Average salary	$29,312	$50,653
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $37,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Montana	Hawaii
Best paying company	State Bar of Michigan	PeaceHealth
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between therapy aide and occupational therapy assistant education

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

	Therapy Aide	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 69%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Northwestern University

Therapy aide vs occupational therapy assistant demographics

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

	Therapy Aide	Occupational Therapy Assistant
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9%	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 therapy aide and occupational therapy assistant duties and responsibilities

Therapy aide example responsibilities.

Assist in implementing clinical treatment programs using ABA (apply behavior analysis).
Prepare patients for physical therapy treatment by welcoming, comforting, providing and/or assisting patient into physical therapy apparel.
Require the physical ability and training to conduct CPR.
Fabricate and modify splints according to Dr. Gupta's specifications.
Perform wound care, remove sutures, and help the therapists in fabricating custom make orthotic splints.
Collect data on client's achievements for the purpose of documenting activities, preparing reports and/or updating IEP logs.

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.

Therapy aide vs occupational therapy assistant skills

Common therapy aide skills

Patients, 28%
Patient Care, 16%
Rehabilitation, 16%
BARS, 10%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Occupational Therapy, 3%

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
Therapy Aide
Therapy Aide vs Occupational Therapy Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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