Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 43,300 people employed as occupational therapy assistants in the United States. The median annual salary is $62,900. Entry level employees earn approximately $43,180 per year and senior employees earn approximately $84,090 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments.
• Assist educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to measure client's abilities or progress.
• Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
• 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.
• Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
• Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves.
• Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
• Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient.
• Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients.
• Attend continuing education classes.
• Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
• Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect.
• Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments.
• Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions.
• Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games.
• Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.
• Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.
• Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans.
• Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.
• Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.
• Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.

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