Understanding the Occupational Therapy Assistant Job Description

Anyone considering a career in the medical or healthcare industry should look into the rewarding opportunities available today for occupational therapy assistants, an exciting and growing part of the medical industry.

With demand for therapists and assistants expected to increase at a much higher rate over the next ten years at a much higher rate than the general job landscape, there will be many employment openings for those who fit the occupational therapy assistant job description.

Although this job does require a college degree, certification and licensing, two years is a short time to spend preparing for what will likely end up being a career that will provide high levels of personal satisfaction and a competitive salary as well.

What Do Occupational Therapy Assistants Do?

One of the bigger, more confusing questions in relation to becoming an occupational therapy assistant is what do they actually do and how does it differ from a physical therapy assistant?

In a number of ways, the two jobs are similar in that an occupational therapy assistant assists a licensed occupational therapist in coming up with treatment plans for patients, then executes those plans with the patients themselves.

A CTA (certified occupational therapy assistant) is also responsible for documenting treatment progression and discussing it afterward with the therapist in charge.

The main difference within the field of occupational therapy however is that therapists and their assistants work with patients to make their lives easier by teaching them how to live with varying degrees of disability, whereas physical therapists and their assistants help patients heal after illness or injury.

With this in mind, occupational therapy assistants will sometimes have the same types of patients as PTAs, but they can also have a wider variety of patients, too.

The occupational therapy assistant job description is a rehabilitation job that is very diverse, though it is possible for Cots to specialize in an area that they like best.

Patients span from pediatrics to geriatrics and everyone in between, with each specialty demanding different tasks and skills of the CTA.

Pediatrics

Working with children with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, motor skills delays and other conditions to help them learn to participate in school, social settings and to help them improve their life skills as they learn to lead more normal lives;

Aging and Geriatrics

Assisting the aging and the elderly in learning how to continue to care for themselves, how to stay fit and also prevent illness and injury, which can be more of a risk as people age.

This can include anything from teaching people how to deal with the onset of Alzheimer's to learning how to do everyday tasks after a stroke, and much more;

Workplace Related

Teaching people about ergonomics and how to prevent workplace injuries, assessing things like tendon and computer related injuries, helping people stay fit to do their jobs and helping people get back to work without pain;

Disability and Rehab

Helping others cope with their disabilities by teaching them newer, better ways to achieve daily tasks and goals.

This frequently includes pain management, exercising and fitness and re-learning tasks after permanent injuries and conditions such as brain or spinal injuries, stroke, tendon injury, hip replacements and more;

Mental Health

Helping those with mood and mental health disorders in regard to personal, stress, time and home management, learning how to remain self-sufficient and keep up important life roles, teaching how to adapt at home and in other environments and more.

It should be easy to see that the occupational therapy assistant job description involves a lot more than treatments and tasks of a physical nature, which is the main importance in this role.

Therefore, it is especially important for anyone considering becoming a CTA understand this, as it is a job that requires great amounts of patience, diligence and compassion for all types of people with many different problems.

Becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant

In order to become a certified occupational therapy assistant, prospective students will need to complete an educational program that is accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association (ATA) and the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (COTE), which usually involves a 2-year commitment as most of these programs are Associate's degree programs.

After completion of schooling, graduates may take their national certification examination; upon passing the certification exam they are awarded with the title of certified occupational therapy assistant (CTA).

At that point, Cots are eligible to seek employment, although currently 40 out of 50 states require state licensure before any CTA can be employed within that state.

In those areas, a state-issued licensing exam must then be taken and passed in order for the CTA to obtain licensure to practice within that state much the same as a PTA job description; if moving to a different state, the test must be taken again so that licensure can be updated.

Although it may seem like a difficult career path, becoming an occupational therapy assistant requires the same effort and schooling commitment as a physical therapy assistant, which also requires state licensing.

The occupational therapy assistant job description is one that may be more appealing to some however, especially if there is a greater interest in working with the disabled, in a mental health setting or some of the other more specialized areas.