Reasons to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant

Many people know what an occupational therapist does, but only a handful are familiar with the duties and responsibilities of an occupational therapy assistant (OTA), much less the fact that such a position exists. This is a great career choice with one of the most in-demand jobs in the healthcare field. There are plenty of reasons to become an occupational therapy assistant.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Career

In this post, we’ll discuss some reasons to become an occupational therapy assistant. We’ll highlight benefits ranging from increasing quality of life, to the high demand and creative potential of the job.

Increasing the Quality of Life

An OTA helps patients with disabilities, have been injured or lost function through disease or age to perform normal day-to-day functions. And when these patients are able to perform some of these functions, which improves their quality of life, it’s a major win. An occupational therapy assistant, therefore, contributes significantly to improving people’s lives and helps them find meaning and rebuild confidence in their lives.

Working with The Whole Person

Plenty of professionals in the healthcare industry don’t have the quality time to deal and interact on a one-on-one level with their patients. An occupational therapy assistant, on the other hand, has the time to develop a special relationship with their patients that develops over time. They get to watch their patients improve by the day and keep helping them to better their lives.

Working with Anyone

Occupational therapy assistants aren’t restricted to working with only one age group. They’re able to work with people of all ages, from young kids to much older patients. This job holds the title for diversity of clients.

Responsibility and Oversight

Many jobs give you plenty of responsibility but little to no oversight. Occupational therapy assistants work closely with occupational therapists, almost always getting help and guidance, while still directing much of their own sessions with their patients.

Creative Potential

An OTA will never find their job to be dull and mundane. The job typically requires a great deal of creativity and chances are no two days will be the same. There are even plenty of smartphone apps and toys that can help both patient and practitioner.

High Demand

The demand for OTAs is growing tremendously. Close to 80% of trained OTAs find a job within six months of graduating from school. Salaries are also on the rise and you can usually find work with just an associate’s degree.

Low Stress

In addition to growing job security in this field, OTAs roles are growing much faster than the national average for other careers, with day-to-day work also remaining rather low-stress when compared to other jobs in the healthcare industry.

Getting Into Occupational Therapy

Those are some reasons to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant. It goes without saying that the job is quite rewarding and people who choose this career path gain a lot of fulfillment from performing their day-to-day duties. If you’re interested in a career in the occupational therapy field, the experts at Theracare can help you choose a position that best fits your interests, learn the various roles of an OTA therapist or bring insight to pediatric occupational therapy services.