Occupation Summary

Occupational Therapy Assistants

O*NET 31-2011.00

Description:

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.

Annual Wages:
$74,747.00
Employment Rate:
Employment is expected to increase by 46.71%.
Education Level:
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree). According to O*Net, the majority of people employed in this occupation have this level of education.
Endorsement:
Public Service, Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)

  1. Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
  2. Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
  3. Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
  4. Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
  5. Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
  6. Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients.
  7. Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves.
  8. Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
  9. Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
  10. Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect.
  11. 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.
  12. Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments.
  13. Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.
  14. Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions.
  15. Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.
  16. Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.
  17. Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games.
  18. Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.
  19. Assist educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to measure client's abilities or progress.
  20. Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient.
  21. Attend continuing education classes.
  22. Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans.


National Industry Employment Patterns


Industry % of Occupational Therapy Assistants employed Annual Growth Rate
Offices of other health practitioners 45.9 4.86
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) 16.9 0.92
General medical and surgical hospitals 11.6 0.58
Home health care services 7.5 3.00
Specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals 4.2 2.92
Elementary and secondary schools 4 1.12


Labor Market Information


2022 Statewide average hourly wage $35.94
2022 National average hourly wage $31.86
2020 National employment 43,300
2020 Texas employment 3,753
Texas projected employment by 2030 5,506
Texas projected annual employment and Turnover openings through 2030 745




TEXAS COUNTY MAP BY WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AREA
* Due to confidentiality rules, not all regions may have the data displayed. The sum of all the regions may not be equal to the state total.


Top 10 Relevant Knowledge Areas Relevant Importance Levels
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.
93.60%
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.
86.00%
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.
77.80%
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
74.80%
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.
74.40%
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.
68.80%
Sociology and Anthropology
Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
62.80%
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.
62.60%
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.
60.80%
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
60.20%


Top 10 Relevant Skill Areas Relevant Importance Levels
Active Listening
Giving 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.
77.60%
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
77.60%
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
77.60%
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
77.60%
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
72.40%
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
70.00%
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
67.60%
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
67.60%
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
65.00%
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
65.00%


Top 10 Relevant Abilities Relevant Importance Levels
Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
80.00%
Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
80.00%
Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
75.00%
Written Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
75.00%
Written Comprehension
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
72.40%
Near Vision
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
70.00%
Speech Clarity
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
67.60%
Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
67.60%
Information Ordering
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
67.60%
Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
65.00%


  • Documenting/Recording Information
    -- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    -- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    -- Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Thinking Creatively
    -- Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    -- Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Other Activities


  • Achievement
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
  • Relationships
    - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.



Tools

Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged: Augmentative communication systems;

Arm orthopedic softgoods: Slings; Arm braces;

Awls: Punching awls;

Back or lumbar or sacral orthopedic softgoods: Back braces;

Balance beams or boards or bolsters or rockers for rehabilitation or therapy: Balance boards;

Bead accessories: Beading needles;

Bench vises: Vises;

Blood pressure cuff kits: Sphygmomanometers;

Braille devices for the physically challenged: Braille writers;

C clamps: C clamps;

Canes: Canes;

Clay or modeling tools: Ceramic modeling tools; Slip mixers;

Clinical hydraulic lifts: Hydraulic lifts;

Clothes dryers: Industrial clothes dryers;

Commercial use dishwashers: Automatic dishwashing systems;

Commercial use microwave ovens: Commercial microwave ovens;

Commercial use ovens: Commercial cooking ovens;

Continuous passive motion CPM devices: Continuous passive motion CPM equipment;

Crochet hooks: Crochet hooks;

Crutches: Crutches;

Desktop computers: Desktop computers;

Dynamometers: Dynamometers;

Foundry molds: Metalsmith molds;

Full body immersion hydrotherapy baths or tanks: Hydrotherapy equipment;

Gait belts for rehabilitation or therapy: Transfer belts; Gait belts;

Game pads or joy sticks: Joy sticks;

Glue guns: Glue guns;

Goggles: Safety goggles;

Goniometers or arthrometers: Goniometers or arthrometers;

Hammers: Hammers;

Hand sewing needles: Knitting needles;

Headpointers or mouthsticks for the physically challenged: Headpointers; Optical pointers; Mouthsticks;

Heat guns: Heat guns;

Keyboards: Alternative computer keyboards;

Kilns for firing ceramics: Ceramics kilns;

Lacing or stringing accessories: Lacing needles;

Laser fax machine: Laser facsimile machines;

Laundry type washing machines: Light commercial washing machines;

Leather accessories: Leather scissors; Rotary punches; Wing dividers;

Leg orthopedic softgoods: Lower extremity braces;

Letter or symbol boards for the physically challenged: Communication boards;

Macrame accessories: Macrame boards;

Mallets: Rawhide mallets;

Mats or platforms for rehabilitation or therapy: Treatment tables;

Medical acoustic stethoscopes: Mechanical stethoscopes;

Medical staff isolation or cover gowns: Protective gowns;

Needlenose pliers: Needlenose pliers;

Notebook computers: Notebook computers;

Orthotics or foot care products: Orthotic devices;

Page turners for the physically challenged: Page turners;

Patient shifting boards: Sliding boards;

Patient stretchers: Stretchers;

Personal computers: Personal computers;

Photocopiers: Photocopying equipment;

Positioning devices: Patient positioning devices;

Power drills: Hand drills;

Power sanders: Power hand sanders;

Protective gloves: Safety gloves;

Punches or nail sets or drifts: Mini punch sets;

Rasps: Rasps;

Reflex hammers or mallets: Reflex hammers;

Rivet tools: Rivet setters;

Saws: Multi-purpose saw sets;

Screwdrivers: Mini screwdriver sets;

Sewing needles: Sewing needles;

Shears: Metal shears;

Slip or groove joint pliers: Slip joint pliers;

Squares: Squares;

Surgical isolation or surgical masks: Surgical masks;

T squares: T squares;

Tablet computers: Tablet computers;

Therapeutic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs: Therapeutic hot packs; Cold packs;

Touch pads: Trackpads;

Triangles: Triangles;

Utility knives: Precision knives;

Vascular or compression apparel or support: Compressive garments;

Vascular sequential compression devices or tubing: Compression devices;

Voice synthesizers for the physically challenged: Talking word processor software;

Walkers or rollators: Walkers;

Weaving accessories: Latch hooks;

Wheelchairs: Wheelchairs;

Wire cutters: Wire cutters;

Wood burning tools: Wood burners;

Wood chisels: Wood chisels;

Writing aids for the physically challenged: Word prediction software; Writing support software;


Technology

Accounting software: Accounting software; Billing software; Bookkeeping software; Fifth Walk BillingTracker; Financial record software;

Action games: BrainTrain SmartDriver;

Calendar and scheduling software: Scheduling software;

Computer based training software: BrainTrain IVA+Plus; Language arts educational software; Math educational software;

Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access; FileMaker Pro; Database software; dBASE;

Device drivers or system software: Screen reader software;

Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook; Email software;

Graphics or photo imaging software: Graphics software;

Internet browser software: Web browser software;

Medical software: TheraClin Systems iMAPR; Visual Health Information VHI PC-Kits; Patient documentation software; SpectraSoft DocuPRO; Laboratory information system LIS; Client caseload management software; BrainTrain Captain's Log; eClinicalWorks EHR software;

Office suite software: Microsoft Office software;

Operating system software: Microsoft Windows;

Optical character reader OCR or scanning software: Text scanning software;

Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint;

Spreadsheet software: Spreadsheet software; Microsoft Excel;

Voice recognition software: Voice recognition software;

Web page creation and editing software: Facebook;

Word processing software: Word processing software; Microsoft Word;


Related O*NET occupational titles for Occupational Therapy Assistants include:
  • 29-1141.01 Acute Care Nurses
  • 29-2061.00 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
  • 31-9011.00 Massage Therapists
  • 31-9092.00 Medical Assistants
  • 31-2012.00 Occupational Therapy Aides
  • 31-2022.00 Physical Therapist Aides
  • 31-2021.00 Physical Therapist Assistants
  • 29-2053.00 Psychiatric Technicians
  • 29-1124.00 Radiation Therapists
  • 29-1126.00 Respiratory Therapists


Sources of Additional Information
  • For more information about occupational therapy assistants or aides, visit: American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
  • For more information about certification for occupational therapy assistants, visit: National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy Aides
  • Occupational Therapy Assistants

  • Contact Texas Workforce Commission
    Labor Market and Career Information  |  101 E. 15th Street, Annex Room 0252  |  Austin, Texas 78778
    Official Website  |  1-800-822-PLAN (7526)  |  512.936.3200

    ** The information in this report may be derived from many sources like O*NET, BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and Career One Stop.