Healthcare Support · Holland code SCR

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.

Also called: 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).

O*NET 31-2011.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $72,300; Middle half earn $61,710 to $79,160. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree; 92% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
Attend continuing education classes.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
Monitoring3.4 / 5
Writing3.3 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.7 / 5
Psychology4.3 / 5
Education and Training3.9 / 5
English Language3.7 / 5
Therapy and Counseling3.7 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic42
Investigative41
Artistic18
Social85
Enterprising2
Conventional54

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

occupational therapy assistant · DE Ergotherapieassistent/Ergotherapieassistentin · FR assistant ergothérapeute/assistante ergothérapeute
rehabilitation support worker · DE Sozialarbeiter im Bereich Rehabilitation/Sozialarbeiterin im Bereich Rehabilitation · FR conseiller en insertion professionnelle pour personnes handicapées/conseillère en insertion professionnelle pour personnes handicapées

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
Social workers (2461)139,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.32. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (31-2011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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