What Do Occupational Therapy Aides Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life

Occupational Therapy Aides

Occupational Therapy Aides 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.

Salary
$34160
Becoming One
Medium
Education
Associate's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



Job Description

Job Description

Occupational Therapy Aides 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. They also observe patients’ attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.

Other tasks include:

  • 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.
  • Supervise patients in choosing and completing work assignments or arts and crafts projects.
  • Manage intradepartmental infection control and equipment security.
  • Evaluate the living skills and capacities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients.
  • Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.

We asked Occupational Therapy Aides how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

Job satisfaction

72%

How meaningful is this job

78%


72% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 78% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.



Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Occupational Therapy Aides report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients’ progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments. They perform clerical, administrative, and secretarial duties, such as answering phones, restocking and ordering supplies, filling out paperwork, and scheduling appointments.

A typical day for an Occupational Therapy Aide will also include:

  • Manage intradepartmental infection control and equipment security.
  • Assist occupational therapists in planning, implementing, and administering therapy programs to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, using selected activities and special equipment.
  • Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
  • Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.
  • Evaluate the living skills and capacities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients.

We asked some Occupational Therapy Aides a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? 39% said yes
How important is it to work in a team in this job? 53% said very important
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? 94% said yes
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? 36% said yes
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? 25% said yes
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? 45% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Occupational Therapy Aides also adjust and repair assistive devices and make adaptive changes to other equipment and to environments. They may also assist educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to measure client’s abilities or progress.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Occupational Therapy Aides Manage intradepartmental infection control and equipment security. They might also Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual and creative arts and games.

In addition, they Supervise patients in choosing and completing work assignments or arts and crafts projects.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.

To some Occupational Therapy Aides, it is also their responsibility to Accompany patients on outings, providing transportation when necessary.


Working life

Working hours

Standard 40 hour work week

Working schedule

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as an Occupational Therapy Aide, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Do Occupational Therapy Aides work in an office-style work environment?

Every day
83%


Never
17%


Do Occupational Therapy Aides work outdoors?

Never
62%


Every day
25%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

The Helpers and The Builders

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

You can read more about these career personality types here.



Learn more about Occupational Therapy Aides

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Related to Occupational Therapy Aides Job Description

Occupational Therapy Aides job description, what do Occupational Therapy Aides do, typical day for Occupational Therapy Aides, what is it like to work as an Occupational Therapy Aide, how many hours do Occupational Therapy Aides work, day to day work of an Occupational Therapy Aide

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/occupational-therapy-assistants-and-aides.htm
http://www.aota.org/
http://www.nbcot.org/


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