What Kind of Schooling is Required to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant?

As an Occupational Therapy Assistant, you will be trained in a wide variety of skills and disciplines, giving you the ability to help patients participate in basic everyday activities. This post will explain the different skills and knowledge an Occupational Therapist obtains through school.

Occupational Therapy Assistants help patients improve their ability to perform everyday tasks with great independence and ease. They work with individuals who suffer from mental, physical, developmental or emotional conditions, and assist clients in a wide variety of activities from using the computer to cooking and eating. Occupational Therapy Assistants work under the direction of the therapist in a number of different settings, such as hospitals, clinics, client homes and more.

Most Occupational Therapy Assistant programs take up to 20 months to complete and include training in several different disciplines to give you a well-rounded skill base that includes:

• Identifying anatomical position and major planes of the body
• Ethical dispute resolution and conflict resolution systems
• Major sociological perspectives, cultural, social structure and interaction
• Basic Life Support (BLS), first aid, infection control and vital signs
• Biomechanical principles of joint motion, posture and balance
• Etiology, clinical process and prognosis of common diseases and illnesses
• Therapeutic interventions and techniques used to enhance functional ability
• Occupational therapy terminology
• Joint protection, energy conservation and work simplification

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program will prepare you for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) OTA certification exam, and licensure in the state where you will practice.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010-2011 Edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the national median annual wage of an Occupational Therapy Assistant is just over $50,250.  The job opportunities for Occupational Therapy Assistants are very good, with the current need for assistants growing.

If you’re considering becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant, it may also help to consider whether you enjoy working directly with patients and performing many physical activities that may require you to frequently help lift or move patients. You should also consider whether you enjoy working in a variety of different settings from homes, to hospitals, to community settings.