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Date: 04/11/2026

Occupational Therapy Assistants

Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, direct activity programs, and document the progress of treatments. Generally requires formal training.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of clients with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities.
    • Assist educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to measure client's abilities or progress.
    • Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.
    • Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient.
    • Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
    • Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.
    • Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
    • Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments.
    • Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games.
    • Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
    • Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
    • Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
    • Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
    • Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments.
    • Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.
    • Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.
    • Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect.
    • Attend continuing education classes.
    • Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.
    • Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
    • Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
    • Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
    • Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.
    • Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
    • Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
    • Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
    • Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions.
    • Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves.
    • Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.
    • Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.
    • Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans.

    Skills

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    Knowledge

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Career Video

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 62960/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 30.27/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 3,660
    • Yearly Projected Openings 520

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Social: People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Optimism
    • Empathy
    • Social Orientation
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail

    Tools

    • Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged
    • Arm orthopedic softgoods
    • Awls
    • Back or lumbar or sacral orthopedic softgoods
    • Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Bead accessories
    • Bench vises
    • Blood pressure cuff kits
    • Braille devices for the physically challenged
    • C clamps
    • Canes
    • Clay or modeling tools
    • Clinical hydraulic lifts
    • Clothes dryers
    • Commercial use dishwashers
    • Commercial use microwave ovens
    • Commercial use ovens
    • Continuous passive motion CPM devices
    • Crochet hooks
    • Crutches
    • Desktop computers
    • Dynamometers
    • Foundry molds
    • Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks
    • Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Game pads or joy sticks
    • Glue guns
    • Goggles
    • Goniometers or arthrometers
    • Hammers
    • Hand sewing needles
    • Headpointers or mouthsticks for the physically challenged
    • Heat guns
    • Keyboards
    • Kilns for firing ceramics
    • Lacing or stringing accessories
    • Laser fax machine
    • Laundry type washing machines
    • Leather accessories
    • Leg orthopedic softgoods
    • Letter or symbol boards for the physically challenged
    • Macrame accessories
    • Mallets
    • Mats or platforms for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Medical acoustic stethoscopes
    • Medical staff isolation or cover gowns
    • Needlenose pliers
    • Notebook computers
    • Orthotics or foot care products
    • Page turners for the physically challenged
    • Patient shifting boards
    • Patient stretchers
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Positioning devices
    • Power drills
    • Power sanders
    • Protective gloves
    • Punches or nail sets or drifts
    • Rasps
    • Reflex hammers or mallets
    • Rivet tools
    • Saws
    • Screwdrivers
    • Sewing needles
    • Shears
    • Slip or groove joint pliers
    • Squares
    • Surgical isolation or surgical masks
    • T squares
    • Tablet computers
    • Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
    • Touch pads
    • Triangles
    • Utility knives
    • Vascular or compression apparel or support
    • Vascular sequential compression devices or tubing
    • Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged
    • Walkers or rollators
    • Weaving accessories
    • Wheelchairs
    • Wire cutters
    • Wood burning tools
    • Wood chisels
    • Writing aids for the physically challenged

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Action games
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Computer based training software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Device drivers or system software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Voice recognition software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

    • InDemand occupations are considered a priority by the state of Ohio.
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