Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Home :: More Career Profiles
Occupational Therapy Aide |
Career OverviewOccupational therapist aides assist occupational therapists in their efforts to rehabilitate disabled patients and encourage the emotionally, mentally, and physically disabled patients.
In their capacity as assistants to occupational therapists, aides use a variety of activities to improve the lives of patients who have mental, emotional, developmental, or physical disabilities. They use educational, vocational, and rehabilitative techniques to improve their patients’ ability to function and carry out daily tasks, as well as to recover and maintain their work skills.
For the most part, they help patients to develop their motor functions and reasoning capacities or they teach patients to compensate for a permanent loss of function. Their treatment goal is to facilitate patient recover to the fullest extent possible so that they can achieve independence, be productive, and enjoy as satisfying a lifestyle as possible.
They may assist occupational therapists during physical exercise routines that are designed to increase patients’ strength and manual dexterity. They may also assist with activities such as pencil-and-paper games, list-making games, and eye-hand coordination activities designed to help various patients gain coordination and memory abilities. They also use computer programs to help various patients improve their decision making, abstract reasoning, and memory, as well as their perceptual, sequencing, and coordination making.
They may also act as assistant teachers to help patients with permanent disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, and cerebral palsy. They may teach those with such disabilities to use wheelchairs, splints, and specialist equipments designed to help them dress and eat.
|
Career RequirementsMost occupational therapist aides hold associate degrees, having undertaken a minimum of two years study in occupational therapy. Many community colleges offer courses for occupational therapist aides and certification is also available.
For more information contact the following organization:
The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.,
4720 Montgomery Ln.,
P.O. Box 31220,
Bethesda, MD 20824
www.aota.org
|
Advertisement
|
Job OutlookOccupational therapist aides can rest easy. They are in one of the top ten fastest-growing occupations. Between 2000 and 2010, a 50% increase in jobs is expected for occupational therapist aides.
|
Career TrackOccupational therapist aides work with occupational therapists in hospitals and nursing homes, however, many others work in rehabilitation centers, clinics, retirement communities, senior citizen centers, and special camps.
For the most part, occupational therapist aides advance to become occupational therapists by undertaking additional training and adding to their experiences.
|
CompensationStandard compensation for occupational therapist aides ranges between $30,000 and $45,000 per year depending upon experience and the precise nature of the job. Additional benefits may include paid vacations, medical and dental insurance, and disability insurance.
|
|