# Occupational Therapy Assistants

> 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.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 31-2011.00
- **Summary:** 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.

## Aliases

- Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA)
- Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)
- Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant (LOTA)
- Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)
- Acute Care Occupational Therapy Assistant (Acute Care OT Assistant)
- Certified Occupational Assistant
- Licensed Occupational Therapist Assistant (LOTA)
- Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA)
- Registered Therapist Assistant
- School Based Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (School Based COTA)
- Certified Travel OTA (Certified Travel Occupational Therapist Assistant)
- Home Health COTA (Home Health Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant)

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment. | Core | 4.A.4.b.3.a |
| Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs. | Core | 4.A.4.b.2.a |
| Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently. | Core | 4.A.4.a.5.b |
| Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior. | Core | 4.A.3.b.6.f |
| Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement. | Core | 4.A.1.a.2.e |
| Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records. | Core | 4.A.1.a.2.e |
| Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities. | Core | 4.A.2.b.2.a |
| Attend continuing education classes. | Core | 4.A.2.b.3.a |
| Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves. | Core | 4.A.4.a.5.i |
| Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of clients with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities. | Core | 4.A.1.b.2.a |
| Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient. | Core | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments. | Core | 4.A.4.a.5.b |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Confer with other professionals to plan patient care. | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Attend educational events to update medical knowledge. | 4.A.2.b.3.a |
| Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments. | 4.A.1.a.2.e |
| Record vital statistics or other health information. | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Maintain medical records. | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Encourage patients during therapeutic activities. | 4.A.4.b.2.a |
| Develop patient therapy programs. | 4.A.2.b.2.a |
| Teach basic living or other adaptive skills to patients or caregivers. | 4.A.4.b.3.a |
| Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients. | 4.A.4.b.3.f |
| Administer screening tests to determine abilities or treatment needs. | 4.A.1.b.2.a |
| Assist patients with daily activities. | 4.A.4.a.5.i |
| Implement therapeutic programs to improve patient functioning. | 4.A.4.a.5.b |
| Prepare medical reports or documents. | 4.A.3.b.6.f |
| Communicate patient status to other health practitioners. | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Make patient-assistive devices or device models. | 4.A.3.a.2.q |
| Clean medical equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.i |
| Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use. | 4.A.3.a.2.k |
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments. | 4.A.3.b.4.f |
| Schedule patient procedures or appointments. | 4.A.2.b.5.c |
| Perform clerical work in medical settings. | 4.A.4.c.1.a |
| Process medical billing information. | 4.A.4.c.1.c |
| Move patients to or from treatment areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.m |
| Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel. | 4.A.4.b.3.f |
| Inventory medical supplies or equipment. | 4.A.4.c.3.g |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customer and Personal Service | knowledge | 4.68 |
| Psychology | knowledge | 4.3 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 4 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 4 |
| Education and Training | knowledge | 3.89 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 3.88 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 3.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 3.88 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 3.88 |
| Written Expression | ability | 3.75 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3.75 |
| English Language | knowledge | 3.74 |
| Therapy and Counseling | knowledge | 3.72 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 3.62 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 3.62 |
| Time Management | transferable_skill | 3.5 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.5 |
| Public Safety and Security | knowledge | 3.44 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 3.38 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3.38 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 3.38 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3.38 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 3.38 |
| Writing | essential_skill | 3.25 |
| Active Learning | essential_skill | 3.25 |
| Learning Strategies | essential_skill | 3.25 |
| Instructing | transferable_skill | 3.25 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 3.25 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3.25 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | knowledge | 3.14 |
| Administrative | knowledge | 3.13 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 3.12 |
| Fluency of Ideas | ability | 3.12 |
| Static Strength | ability | 3.12 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | knowledge | 3.04 |
| Computers and Electronics | knowledge | 3.01 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Systems Analysis | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 3 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Windows | Common Skill |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Access | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Facebook | Specialized Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Graphics Software | Specialized Skill |
| Email Software | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Database Software | Specialized Skill |
| DBase | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | Medical software | yes | no |
| Facebook | Web page creation and editing software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| Billing software | Billing and invoicing software | no | no |
| Bookkeeping software | Accounting software | no | no |
| BrainTrain Captain's Log | Medical software | no | no |
| BrainTrain IVA+Plus | Computer based training software | no | no |
| BrainTrain SmartDriver | Action games | no | no |
| Client caseload management software | Medical software | no | no |
| Database software | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| dBASE | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| Email software | Electronic mail software | no | no |
| Fifth Walk BillingTracker | Billing and invoicing software | no | no |
| FileMaker Pro | Data base user interface and query software | no | no |
| Financial record software | Accounting software | no | no |
| Graphics software | Graphics or photo imaging software | no | no |
| Laboratory information system LIS | Medical software | no | no |
| Language arts educational software | Computer based training software | no | no |
| Math educational software | Computer based training software | no | no |
| Patient documentation software | Medical software | no | no |
| Scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software | no | no |
| Screen reader software | Device drivers or system software | no | no |
| SpectraSoft DocuPRO | Medical software | no | no |
| Text scanning software | Optical character reader OCR or scanning software | no | no |
| TheraClin Systems iMAPR | Medical software | no | no |
| Visual Health Information VHI PC-Kits | Medical software | no | no |
| Web browser software | Internet browser software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | 4.94 |
| Contact With Others | 4.85 |
| Physical Proximity | 4.83 |
| Time Pressure | 4.7 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 4.68 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.67 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 4.64 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.6 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 4.55 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 4.49 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.49 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 4.47 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 4.3 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 4.25 |
| Spend Time Standing | 4.16 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 4.1 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 4.07 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 4.05 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 3.93 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 3.55 |
| E-Mail | 3.53 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 3.4 |
| Conflict Situations | 3.37 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 3.29 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 3.2 |
| Telephone Conversations | 2.99 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 2.97 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 2.87 |
| Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People | 2.81 |
| Level of Competition | 2.81 |
| Consequence of Error | 2.72 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 2.61 |
| Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions | 2.61 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 2.56 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 2.29 |
| Public Speaking | 2.24 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 2.21 |
| Spend Time Sitting | 2.15 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 2.11 |
| Degree of Automation | 2 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 3
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- **Experience:** Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- **Svp Range:** (6.0 to < 7.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 91.74 |
| Some College Courses | 5.07 |
| Bachelor's Degree | 2.74 |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 0.45 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dependability | work_style | 7 |
| Health Care Service | specific_interest_area | 6.38 |
| Social Service | specific_interest_area | 6.21 |
| Social | career_interest_type | 6.1 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 6 |
| Integrity | work_style | 5 |
| Teaching/Education | specific_interest_area | 4.72 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 4.21 |
| Cooperation | work_style | 4 |
| Professional Advising | specific_interest_area | 3.92 |
| Personal Service | specific_interest_area | 3.61 |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 3.53 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 3.48 |
| Social Science | specific_interest_area | 3.08 |
| Empathy | work_style | 3 |
| Social Orientation | work_style | 3 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-2012.00 | role-31-2012-00 | Occupational Therapy Aides | Primary-Short |
| 31-2021.00 | role-31-2021-00 | Physical Therapist Assistants | Primary-Short |
| 31-2022.00 | role-31-2022-00 | Physical Therapist Aides | Primary-Short |
| 29-2053.00 | role-29-2053-00 | Psychiatric Technicians | Primary-Short |
| 29-1126.00 | role-29-1126-00 | Respiratory Therapists | Primary-Short |
| 29-1141.01 | role-29-1141-01 | Acute Care Nurses | Primary-Long |
| 29-1124.00 | role-29-1124-00 | Radiation Therapists | Primary-Long |
| 29-2061.00 | role-29-2061-00 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | Primary-Long |
| 31-9092.00 | role-31-9092-00 | Medical Assistants | Primary-Long |
| 31-9011.00 | role-31-9011-00 | Massage Therapists | Primary-Long |
| 29-1122.00 | role-29-1122-00 | Occupational Therapists | Supplemental |
| 29-1125.00 | role-29-1125-00 | Recreational Therapists | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Healthcare & Human Services | healthcare-human-services |

## Education Level

- **Category:** Associate's degree

## Study Programs

| Title | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Health Professions and Related Programs | health-professions-and-related-programs |

## Market

- **Median Wage:** 68340
- **Mean Wage:** 68540
- **Pct10Wage:** 49070
- **Pct25Wage:** 59950
- **Pct75Wage:** 77340
- **Pct90Wage:** 86930
- **Employment:** 47910
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 43050 | 69650 | 6 |
| 621340 | 621340 | Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | National industry | 19370 | 65590 | 130.8 |
| 61 | 61 | Educational Services | Sector | 3490 | 59240 | 0.82 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 550 | 75500 | 0.2 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 470 | 75130 | 0.57 |
| 624120 | 624120 | Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities | National industry | 460 | 63440 | 0.61 |
| 623210 | 623210 | Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities | National industry | 140 | 65520 | 1.16 |
| 621420 | 621420 | Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers | National industry | 90 | 47650 |  |
| 623220 | 623220 | Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities | National industry | 90 | 62400 |  |
| 55 | 55 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | Sector |  | 72800 |  |
| 621330 | 621330 | Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) | National industry |  | 45830 |  |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 621340 | 621340 | Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | National industry | 19370 | 130.8 |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 43050 | 6 |
| 623210 | 623210 | Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities | National industry | 140 | 1.16 |
| 61 | 61 | Educational Services | Sector | 3490 | 0.82 |
| 624120 | 624120 | Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities | National industry | 460 | 0.61 |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry | 470 | 0.57 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 550 | 0.2 |
- **Count:** 11

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.028 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -0.3153762 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -0.7619311 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -0.0745205 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 33
- **Percentile:** 31
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 40 | felten_aioe |
| 35 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 25 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -0.3153762 | 40 | Moderate | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.3488372093023256 | 35 | Moderate | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.08638723315427897 | 25 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.028
- **Percentile:** 17
- **Band:** Low
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.18604651162790697
- **Beta:** 0.26744186046511625
- **Gamma:** 0.3488372093023256

### Usage Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Importance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. | 0.019000940803339236 | 4.19 |
- **Usage Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** 19.2
- **Growth Percentile:** 98
- **Direction:** Growing fast
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 7.2
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 56
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 49.2
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 58.7

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Ai Playbook

- **Trusted Task Count:** 1
- **Task Count:** 1
- **Total Sample:** 343
- **Autonomy Median:** 4
- **Dominant Collaboration:** learning
- **Automation Share:** 23.32
- **Augmentation Share:** 70.84
- **Work Use Percent:** 8.75

### Collaboration

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| learning | 54.81 |
| directive | 18.95 |
| task iteration | 11.66 |
| none | 5.83 |
| feedback loop | 4.37 |
| validation | 4.37 |

### Use Case

| Label | Percent |
| --- | --- |
| personal | 88.34 |
| work | 8.75 |

### Delegated Tasks

| Task | Usage Percent | Collaboration | Autonomy Median | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. | 0.0343042880360045 | learning | 4 | 343 |

### Boundary Tasks

| Task | Human Needed Percent | Sample Count |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. | 92.71137026239067 | 343 |

### Seed Prompts

| Prompt | Collaboration |
| --- | --- |
| Teach me how to teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions, then check my work as I try it myself. | learning |
- **Release:** 2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 22
- **Skills:** 45
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 33
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** b4015b37bbf23c05