An occupational therapist assistant may work in nursing homes, hospitals, community mental health clinics, rehabilitation facilities, schools, private homes and some OTA may perform private practice too. The occupational therapy assistant salary is at the median rate of $48,000 per annum in the United States. Based on the data collected, around 10% of occupational therapist assistant salary is around $39,000 per year while 90% of the OTA receives an annual salary of $58,000

$39,000 – $58,000

The salary is also dependent on the location of their work. Those occupational therapy assistants who work in New York receives the occupational therapist salary range is between $100K and $121K per annum. This means that their salaries are actually 24% higher compare to other states. Working as one in Mississippi will also enable an OTA to earn as high as $122K per year. The occupational therapy assistant salary in Mississippi is 25% higher than the average salaries received nationwide. Another state which provides better salary for OTA is Washington DC. The salary is 13% higher than the average occupational therapy assistant salary.

The states which provides lower than the average occupational therapy assistant salary are North Dakota which 7% lower. The state of Oklahoma also offers salary which is 9% lower than the average salary of occupational therapy assistants. Those who work in Alaska gets 19% lower than the average occupational therapy assistant salaries.

There are high employment opportunities for occupational therapy assistants in the following states:

• New York
• Pittsburgh
• Chicago
• Dallas
• St. Louis
• Cleveland
• Los Angeles

But according to economists, the growth of employment opportunities for occupational therapy assistant jobs will continue until 2018. This is because the US population starts to age thus; more people will need the help of occupational therapy assistants.

Working Environment

What seems to be very simple tasks for normal people such as opening a door or feeding your favourite pet for a may be quite impossible for those who have mental and physical difficulties. Occupational therapists are the ones who help these people to live independently. However, if you do not want to spend a lot of years studying but you still want to help out these people then you may want to pursue a career as occupational therapist assistant.

The occupational therapist assistants are being supervised by occupational therapists. Part of the occupational therapy assistant job description is to assist the occupational therapists in rehabilitating people who have difficulties in completing even simple tasks. Most of these patients are affected by physical illnesses, mental disorders, and some patients are unable to perform simple task because of the natural aging process. Working under direct supervision of occupational therapists, they assist in the restoration or enhancement of performance of their patients.

Another part of the occupational therapist assistant duties is to facilitate activities that would help patients to become more productive individuals. The occupational therapist assistant also evaluates the progress of the patients on their personalized therapy sessions. The occupational therapist assistants also monitor any progress shown by the patients to the occupational therapists.

Requirements for the Occupational Therapy Assistant Job

To work as an occupational therapy assistant, one must have a certificate or an associate degree. There are various technical schools as well as community colleges which offer the program for occupational therapy assistants or OTA. The course will focus on anatomy and physiology, health care, and basic medical terminologies. It will also give an opportunity for the students to learn more about mental health, adult physical disabilities, and paediatrics on the last year of the associate degree. It is also a requirement that a 16-week of community clinic or fieldwork must be completed in order to become a professional occupational therapy assistant.

Most states would also require occupational therapy assistants to have their own license in order to start practicing the profession. There is also certification examination that candidates must pass in order to be given the title of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Aside from academic qualifications, there are important qualities that an occupational therapy assistant must possess. The ability to follow instructions as well as procedures is a must for all OTAs. Good communication skill is also another requirement for the job because the job would require constant communication with the patient’s family. They would also need to communicate with medical staff regarding the treatment plan of the patient.

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