Occupational Therapy Aides
Occupational Therapy Aides is the O*NET name for people who under close supervision of an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. The skills rated most useful are service orientation, speaking, and social perceptiveness. A regular part of the work is to encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals. Its interest code is SRC. Social leads at 6.0 out of 7, so expect helping, teaching or caring for people, with Realistic next at 3.9. Getting in usually takes one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree, a level O*NET calls medium preparation. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Under close supervision of an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing patient and treatment room.
Main tasks
- Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
- Report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments.
- Observe patients' attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.
- Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.
- Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.
- Instruct patients and families in work, social, and living skills, the care and use of adaptive equipment, and other skills to facilitate home and work adjustment to disability.
Skills
- Service Orientation
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Coordination
- Monitoring
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on service orientation and speaking.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.7 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SRC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Certified Occupational Rehabilitation Aide (CORA)
- Direct Service Professional (DSP)
- Direct Support Professional (DSP)
- Occupational Rehabilitation Aide
- Occupational Therapist Aide (OT Aide)
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 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.