Jade Pearson, OTA Research Assignment

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Jade Pearson
Occupational Therapy Assistant Research Assignment
July 25, 2019

Occupational Therapy Assistant

Median hourly and annual wages in California, Texas, California- $36.55 hourly, $70,190 annually
and Illinois. Texas- $37.98 hourly, 72,930 annually
Illinois- $32.22 hourly, $61,880 annually

Available Workforce. (2015, February 05). Retrieved from

https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/stateandlocal/wages.aspx?soccode=312011&location=California&da
taview=chart&hourly=False&national=False

Available Workforce. (2015, February 05). Retrieved from

https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/stateandlocal/wages.aspx?soccode=312011&location=Texas&datavi
ew=chart&hourly=False&national=False#ctl21_pnlTitle

Available Workforce. (2015, February 05). Retrieved from

https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/stateandlocal/wages.aspx?soccode=312011&locati
on=Illinois&dataview=chart&hourly=False&national=False

1. National ten-year job outlook 1. 28% (Much faster than average); 13,200
2. California ten-year job outlook Employment Change
3. Texas ten-year job outlook 2. Predicted Job Growth 2016 to 2026 is 28%;
15th Fastest Growing Occupation
(Three separate sites) 3. 43% job growth

Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides:Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapy-assistants-and-aides.htm

California - May 2018 OES State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates. (2019,
April 02). Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ca.htm#otherlinks

Houston Community College. Occupational Therapy Assistant. Retrieved from

https://www.hccs.edu/programs/areas-of-study/health-sciences/occupational-therapy-assistant/

Three local training institutions and two from other American Career College-Orange County Campus
regional areas in the U.S. Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
Anaheim, CA

CBD College
Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
Los Angeles, CA
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Santa Ana College

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
Santa Ana, CA

Wallace State Community College

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
Hanceville, AL

Pima Medical Institute-Mesa

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
Mesa,AZ
OTA Associate-Degree-Level Programs - Accredited. Retrieved from
https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Find-School/AccreditEntryLevel/OTAPrograms.aspx

Identify 3-5 different professional associations related American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
to the occupation https://www.aota.org/

Occupational Therapy Association of California

(OTAC)
www.otaconline.org/

American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT)

http://www.asht.org/

Related occupations Registered Nurses

Psychiatric Technicians
Physical Therapy Assistants
Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
Medical Assistants
Licenced Vocational Nurses
Summary Report for: 31-2011.00 - Occupational Therapy Assistants. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/31-2011.00

Identify five online advertisements/job postings Occupational Therapy Assistant- DEPARTMENT OF

for the selected occupation. (job HEALTH SERVICES
title, employer name and location.) County Of Los Angeles
Include each URL Los Angeles County, CA
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/1599698-0/occu
pational-therapy-assistant?utm_campaign=google_jobs
_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_mediu
m=organic

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant Mcrory

Pediatric Services Jobs in Canyon Country , CA
https://www.creativedirector.jobs/jobs/mcrory-pediatric
-services/certified-occupational-therapy-assistant/1547
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990243708359735?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply
&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=orga
nic

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant - PRN

Kindred Healthcare
Glendale, California
https://jobs.kindredhealthcare.com/job/glendale/c
ertified-occupational-therapy-assistant-prn/653/12
628006?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm
_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=orga
nic

Occupational Therapist Assistant II, Certified

Children’s Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
https://jobs.chla.org/job/los-angeles/occupational-thera
pist-assistant-ii-certified/277/11728144?utm_campaign
=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply
&utm_medium=organic

Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Advanced Travel Therapy
Burbank, CA
https://www.advancedtraveltherapy.com/job-detail/ca/o
ccupational-therapy-assistant/87705976/?utm_campaig
n=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply
&utm_medium=organic

LinkedIn groups related to the occupation COTAJobs - Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
Jobs
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4105766/

SCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Alumni and

Students https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12039445/

Entry Level Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Leadership, Wichita, Kansas Area
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12062339/
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Occupational Therapy Assistant

Occupational Duties

Occupational therapy assistants (OT assistants) help patients develop, recover, improve,

as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working; They are directly involved in

providing therapy to patients (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019). OT assistants perform a variety

of functions on the job to assist the occupational therapist. Some administrative tasks include

observing and recording patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintaining these records.

Additionally, OT assistants schedule appointments, collect data, and document health insurance

billings. Some of the more interactive duties include instructing patients and families in home

programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment, and implementing

treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.

OT assistants also have a cognitive therapeutic element to their job as they oftentimes

teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions and encourage patients during

therapeutic activities. They must maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and

their treatment programs as many clients are not only struggling physically, but mentally as well.

The OT assistant does not work alone, but in a cross-functional team communicating and

collaborating with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient. They

oftentimes attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans and assist

educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to

measure client's abilities or progress. OT assistants have a job that is diverse in the duties they

perform on the job, and usually have more responsibility than Occupational therapy aids (OT
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aids). OT assistants develop patient therapy programs, monitor patient progress and responses to

treatments, alter treatment programs to obtain better results if needed, and select therapy

activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.

Skills

OT assistants generally possess a variety of skills that will aid them in performing the

essential job functions listed above. Active listening is one of the top skills in which the OT

assistant must give their full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand

the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate

times. Social perceptiveness and good judgment and decision making are also needed skills for

this occupation as OT assistants must become aware of others' reactions and understanding why

they react as they do. They must also weigh the costs and benefits of potential actions to choose

the most appropriate one.

Complex problem solving, critical thinking and systems analysis are important skills for

OT assistants to have. They must be proficient at identifying complex problems and reviewing

related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. In addition, OT

assistants determine how a treatment plan should work and how changes will affect outcomes.

OT assistants must possess good speaking, instructing, and persuasion skills. They talk to others

to convey information effectively while teaching new skills. They oftentimes must also persuade

others to change their minds or behavior. OT assistants also must adopt a “service orientation” in

order to help others (O’net, 2019). In addition, monitoring and assessing skills are needed to

assess the performance of oneself or other individuals to make improvements. In addition to

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these skills, OT assistants must have good reading comprehension, time management, writing,

and active learning skills in order to review documents and efficiently spend time with each

patient while attending to their unique needs.

Values

OT assistants have many common values amongst the profession. Generally,

occupational therapists value relationships. Employees who value relationships prefer to work

with others and provide service in a relaxed and non-competitive environment. OT assistants also

value achievement. They prefer work that offers a tangible result as a product of their work in

order to give them a sense of accomplishment. OT assistants also value good working conditions.

Being in an environmentally controlled office is an important working condition as 95% of OT

assistants work in such settings. In addition to the aforementioned values are physical activity,

independence, and compensation. OT assistants are mostly on their feet, managing their own

workload, in a secure position, and with a median annual wage of $60,220 (BLS, 2019).

Interests

According to O’net, the top interest for an OT assistant is Social. Social occupations

frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations

often involve helping or providing service to others. OT assistants are primarily helping,

communicating and interacting with others so this comes as no surprise. OT assistants also have

a Realistic interest. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include

practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world
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materials like wood, tools, and machinery. OT assistants are extremely hands-on with their

patients as they teach new skills, physically guiding functional actions such as feeding oneself or

cleaning up. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of

paperwork or working closely with others. Many OT assistants may have an Investigative

interest. Figuring out and solving problems mentally is a characteristic of investigative work, and

OT assistants are constantly figuring out what works for each patient and what doesn’t.

Work Setting

OT assistants work primarily in occupational therapists’ offices, in hospitals, and in

nursing care facilities. OT assistants spend much of their time on their feet while setting up

equipment and providing therapy to patients. They often work with a group or a team, with

constant contact with others. They are constantly making decisions as apart of their work due to

the fact that they are not always directly working with the occupational therapist. One may also

find OT assistants working in the schools, in a home setting, or in the offices of other healthcare

professionals.

Education, Training, and Licencing Requirements

OT assistants need an associate’s degree from an ACOTE-accredited program as their

practice is regulated by all fifty states (Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy

Education, 2019). An OT assistant would also need to pass the national certification exam

administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, and attain

licensure as required by the state.

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Works Cited

How to Get a License. Retrieved from

https://www.aota.org/Advocacy-Policy/State-Policy/Licensure/How-To.aspx

Summary Report for: 31-2011.00 - Occupational Therapy Assistants. Retrieved from

https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/31-2011.00

Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides : Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved

from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapy-assistants-and-aides.htm

OTA Associate-Degree-Level Programs - Accredited. Retrieved from

https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Find-School/AccreditEntryLevel/OTAPrograms.

aspx