Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary
Occupational therapy assistant salary ranges are excellent right now. The reason for this is that there are many people in need of ota services. This high demand has caused a shortage in the supply of qualified occupational therapist assistants available for hire. If you are an OTA this is a good thing.
The average amount for the occupational therapist assistant salary is close to $50,000. Starting pay range falls in the $33,000 to $40,000. But experienced occupational therapy assistants make over $60,000 in many areas. Some of the highest paying employers are the home health care services.
The lower paying employers are typically the public school systems. Nursing homes also pay high occupational therapist assistant salary amounts. Hospitals surprisingly fall in the middle of pay range for an occupational therapy assistant.
An occupational therapy assistant works under supervision of a licensed occupational therapist. The OTA assists in the rehab services for physical, mental, and developmental problems. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to improve a client’s quality of life. This is achieved through the therapy therapists provide. Successful therapy results in happy and productive people. Often overlooked, the independence a client regains through occupational therapy sessions is life changing. To see a child that cannot properly walk or tie their shoes to overcome this obstacle will make you cry with joy.
Occupational therapy assistants use materials and equipment during therapy sessions. This equipment can be as simple as a ball or as complicated as some electronic medical device. Therapy can be complicated or so simple you would think anyone could perform the treatment. But assessing what is needed and how the patient progresses is one of the most important parts of therapy.
Another factor in the occupational therapy assistant salary is the amount of collaborative skills the employee has. Occupational therapists work closely with the assistants to determine the best path to recovery for the patient. If an OTA is good at this then they can make their employer more profitable.
These are things that are looked at when determining the occupational therapist assistant salary. One more skill that is desirable in an ota is that of documenting the needed billing of the patient’s health insurance provider. This must be submitted for reimbursement and the better this is done the more money the business will get. If you are good at documenting you may get a higher occupational therapy assistant salary.
Most occupational therapy assistants work fairly regular business hours. Some must work odd hours if they work in a hospital. The ota does need to have enough strength to carry and lift equipment and assistant patients when needed. Weekend work may occur if the patient needs this to happen.
So we have gone over the traits that make an ota valuable in order to attain the highest occupational therapy assistant salary. This ota salary will top out around $30/hour. Good news for therapists is that they are in high demand and not likely to lose their job due to lack of need. In this economy that is something we all can be thankful for. And the pleasure an occupational therapy assistant will feel when they help a person to do the most simple tasks in life will be worth more than money.
If you are considering becoming an occupational therapist assistant, don’t just consider the monetary benefits. Serving others is also a huge benefit. The payoff for those that improve the lives of others will continue long after the salary is spent. Consider a career as an OTA and you will not regret it.
