Due to the demand for jobs in occupational therapy, there are now options for other jobs such as occupational therapist aides and assistants. They work under the direct supervision of licensed occupational therapists to assist in providing rehabilitative services to individuals with physical, developmental, cognitive, and emotional issues due to diseases or other factors. The most important goal of these workers is to help the lives of these individuals to cope with daily activities which they find more difficult before their affliction. Accidents and diseases can impair one’s motor skills and affect other disabilities. It is the occupational therapists job to help them cope with such difficulties and live independently and confidently.
Occupational therapists assess the client’s needs and create plans for rehabilitative methods and activities such as exercises according to the treatment plan. The job of the occupational therapist assistant is to assist in these activities with the occupational therapist. These are a wide array of activities which include the proper methods on how to get out of bed, how to get in and out of a wheelchair, dressing, operating a computer, remembering things, and some stretching exercises to limber up muscles for easier mobility. Assistants who work under occupational therapists makes sure that the exercises are done properly and according to the treatment plan developed for them. They provide encouragement and maintain records of the patient’s progress and day to day activities. These records are crucial because they determine if the patient shows progress and if they are responding to their treatment plan, if not, another plan is developed and implemented with the patient. The assistants also help with the billing documents for the client’s insurance provider.
Other types of jobs in occupational therapy are occupational therapist aides. Their responsibilities range from preparing equipment and material to be used for therapy. They also do clerical functions such as inventory and the ordering of supplies, answering phones, arranging transportation, setting up appointments, doing paper work such as filing health insurance forms, and many others. The occupational therapist aide’s job is not limited like the occupational therapist assistants. Their work mainly focuses on paper work, preparation, set up, and cleaning up therapy rooms.
Aides and assistants need to be physically fit as the daily work involves lifting or transferring patients and equipment. Jobs in occupational therapy such as these do a lot of stooping, lifting, and paper work. The occupational therapists supervise these activities. Therapy aides and assistants may also work either full or part time in many facilities. These facilities include private clinics, hospitals, retirement homes, geriatric, nursing homes, and outpatient facilities. They might also work night shifts and work a full 40 hours a week.
Jobs in occupational therapy require a training program to qualify for such jobs. Requirements vary from state to state but most of the training for an assistant or an aide is on the job. Some states require licenses, certifications, and other registration requirements by the state. Occupational therapist aides and assistants must attend schools approved by the council for occupational therapy education, which supervise examinations.
Jobs in occupational therapy such as assistants and aides have an average annual salary of $50,000 in 2010. Salaries depend largely on the size of the organization but the recent projection for assistants and aides salaries range from $40,000 - $60,000. The highest paid assistants and aides earn a salary of $66,000 annually.
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