Occupational Therapy Assistants
On the Job
Occupational Therapy Assistants work under the direction of occupational therapists. They help develop occupational therapy treatment plans, document patients' progress, and carry out routine duties.
Physical Demands 
This career requires time standing, walking, or running.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Implement therapeutic programs to improve patient functioning.
- Maintain medical records.
- Prepare medical reports or documents.
- Record vital statistics or other health information.
- Communicate patient status to other health practitioners.
- Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
- Clean medical equipment.
- Move patients to or from treatment areas.
- Attend educational events to update medical knowledge.
Typical Working Conditions
- Frequent contact with others.
- Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
- Working with a group or team.
- Frequent decision-making.
- Exposure to disease or infections.
- Exposure to contaminants (like gases or odors).
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Standing.
- The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
