Occupational Therapy Assistants

Overview

Occupational Therapy Assistants has a national median salary of $72,300 per year, with +21.5% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, direct activity programs, and document the progress of treatments. Generally requires formal training.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Achievement
• Working Conditions

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
• Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
• Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
• Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
• Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.

Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Thinking Creatively
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for an associate's degree.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Occupational Therapy Assistants:

Video Resources