What Is an Occupational Therapy Assistant?

Occupational therapy, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, helps people with physical or mental limitations get back into the rhythm of independent daily life. Occupational therapists recommend treatments that help patients gain strength and coordination to move better and more skillfully so they can perform ordinary tasks without help. An occupational therapy assistant implements the therapist's treatment by working directly with the patients, teaching them exercises, monitoring their progress and occasionally lifting disabled patients to move them from one place to another.

Definition

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines an occupational therapy assistant as a person who helps physically disabled or impaired individuals regain physical or mental function. These professionals work for an occupational therapist who develops the treatment regimen and supervises the assistants. Occupational therapy assistants help the therapist's patients re-learn how to perform certain basic tasks so they need not rely on others for constant help.

Functions

• Occupational therapy assistants perform many of the details of the therapy devised by the occupational therapist. They work closely with the patients, teaching them how to move in and out of a wheelchair safely or helping them learn proper muscle exercises. Assistants keep detailed records of patients' activities and progress so the occupational therapist can determine whether to continue with the planned treatment or make changes. The assistants also keep records of the bills to the health insurance company.

Environment

• Occupational therapy assistants may work in private clinics, hospitals or rehabilitation centers. To better serve patients with a variety of personal schedules, assistants may need to work weekends or nights, and some may work full-time while others take part-time shifts. The job has certain physical demands, partly because of the amount of sustained standing, kneeling or bending to work with patients, and partly because assistants must occasionally lift and move disabled patients.

Training

• Occupational therapy assistants must enter a study program acceptable to the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. These programs generally last two years and result in an Associate's degree. Aspiring assistants may find it easier to enter such as program if they have studied health and biology in high school or have done some kind of volunteer health care work. Once they enter the two-year program, they begin with basic courses such as anatomy and physiology before moving on to more advanced subjects such as pediatrics and gerontology. Once they earn their degree, they may also have to become licensed or certified, depending on the laws of the applicable state.

Opportunities

• Occupational therapists have a constant ongoing need for assistants, meaning that occupational therapy assistants should expect plenty of job prospects. As the elderly population grows, occupational therapists and their staff will see an ever-increasing number of disabled or physically challenged patients. On the other end of the age spectrum, adolescent patients may also grow in number as federally-mandated funding for education of disabled students grows. Assistants who wish to advance to higher positions may develop into administrators or teachers.