Typical Job Activities: 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. How can I decide if the Occupational Therapist profession is for me? The links below will help you make an informed decision. Be sure to take the Career Assessments further down the page to investigate your "match" with this profession.  Holland Code: SCE     /     SOC Code: 31-2011 Typical Educational/Training Level from America's Career InfoNet: Associates Degree Career Video: View Career Video View a Summary Report from ONET Outlook: Read more about the outlook for this occupation in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Use the Certification Finder http://www.careertools.org/certification to find out what state and national certifications are offered in this field. Job Growing or Declining: Find out if the job you want to pursue is growing or declining by using the Demand Decline List: http://www.wilma.org/wdclists Occupational Therapist Assistant training is offered at the following colleges in the Northwest area of Washington State: None Search for additional colleges in Washington State offering training as Occupational Therapist Assistant: Eligible Training Providers See what graduates from the Occupational Therapist Assistant programs are earning by going to the Job Training Results Employers in Washington: Search by Industry   /   Search by Occupation Create new networking opportunities by finding Professional Associations in the area. Volunteer Opportunities may open new doors to new contacts. Student Budget Calculator  http://www.javacalc.com/java/StudentBudget.html Lunch Savings - Bring that Brown Bag http://www.javacalc.com/java/LunchSaver.html Financial Aid Finder http://www.hecb.wa.gov/Paying/index.asp

Growth Rates

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State Profile with Occupational Rankings: Washington

Wages for Occupational Therapist Assistants

A percentile wage shows what percentage of workers in an occupation earn less than a given wage and what percentage earn more. The Median Wage is the estimated 50th percentile of the distribution of wages; fifty percent of workers in an occupation earn wages below and fifty percent earn wages above the median wage. For the estimated 10th percentile of the distribution of wages, ten percent of workers in an occupation earn below and 90 percent earn wages above the estimated wage value. The 25th percentile estimate has 25 percent earning less than the estimate; 75 percent earn more. The 75th percentile estimate has 75 percent earning less than the estimate; 25 percent earn more. The 90th percentile estimate has 90 percent earning less than the estimate; 10 percent earn more.

Career Paths showing some lateral movement between related occupations. along with training needed
 

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The most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are listed for Occupational Therapist Assistant.

Career Video: View Career Video

Knowledge:

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

Skills:

• 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.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities:

• 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 there is a problem.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Memorization - The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.

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