Job Shadow - Occupational Therapy Assistant
Occupational therapy assistants play a vital role in the healthcare system, helping patients heal and develop the skills they need for daily living. The demand for professionals in this field is higher than ever before. If you are compassionate and have a desire to help patients succeed, you should consider a career as an occupational therapy assistant.
Day in the Life
Occupational therapy assistants work under the direction of occupational therapists and spend their days helping people recover and improve the skills necessary to work successfully in society. Occupational therapy assistants typically work in an occupational therapist’s office, hospitals or in nursing care facilities with most
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Therapy can range from helping patients complete therapeutic stretches and exercises, leading children with developmental disabilities through play activities, to teaching patients with Parkinson’s disease how to use specialized equipment. An occupational therapy assistant works directly with an occupational therapist to create treatment plans, carries out the treatment and reports patient progress back to the occupational therapist.
This profession is typically full time and may require nights or weekends depending on the facility.
Education
This field requires the completion of an associates degree in occupational therapy and in most states occupational therapy assistants must be licensed. Occupational therapy assistant programs typically take two years to complete. Classes cover subjects such as psychology, biology and pediatric health. In addition to coursework, students must complete at least 16 weeks of hands-on fieldwork.
Salary and Job Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for an occupational therapy assistant was $54,530 in 2015 or $26.21 per hour. The field is expected to grow 43 percent over the next decade, making it the second fastest growing job in the
Observing therapy assistants in the field and seeing what they do in their jobs was an eye opener for me. Getting to experience on-the-job shadowing helped me to identify the roles of a therapy assistant better than reading or talking to people about the job description. First, I shadowed at Athletico Physical Therapy, an outpatient facility in Festus, MO. Paul Kohler is the Occupational/Hand Therapist that I shadowed during my experience. There were several different injuries that I saw, ranging from people with work related injuries to jamming fingers in machines. After observing Mr. Kohler throughout the day, I got to see him interact with patients and perform activities that helped his patients in their rehabilitation phase of recovery. He told me that the improvements he sees first hand from his patients is rewarding and he feels achieved when he sees patients make steady recoveries. From this experience, I also learned that occupational therapy offers a diverse number of avenues for employment. I was pleased to know that I can specialize in a specific area if I desire to do so in the
The Department of labor says that by 2020 occupational therapy is estimated to be one of the most in-demand job to be (htt1) . The salary ranges for entry-level vary from about $56,000 to $72,000. The Occupational Outlook Handbook shows that in 2009 the median varied between $ 72,520 per year, which is an average of about $35 an hour (htt). In otherwise the job market for Occupational therapy will be full of opportunity.
When searching for a career, many people want a job that will be rewarding. One job that fulfills this need is an occupational therapy assistant. An occupational therapy assistant, also known as an “OTA,” is someone who makes it possible for people to achieve everyday tasks which they normally could not do. These tasks include eating, getting dressed, bathing, and many more “typical” tasks. It is not easy to become an OTA. There is a long process that needs to be completed. This includes, difficult college classes, applying to an OTA program, licensing, training, and certifications. Many other factors come into play when deciding if being an occupational therapy assistant is the right career such as, salary, job outlook, job opportunities,
The profession of physical therapist assistant is a demanding and rewarding career. Physical therapist assistants work under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. Physical therapist assistants have the pleasure of helping patients regain movement and manage pain caused by injuries, illnesses or surgeries. There are a vast array of subjects to study on the road to becoming a physical therapist assistant. Palliative care, pediatric care and geriatric care, are endearing specialty areas for the physical therapist assistant.
The need for Physical Therapists Assistants is growing faster as are the kinds of locations and facilities where assistants can work hospitals , clinics , rehabilitation centers , trained nursing facilities and more. The wage that Physical Therapists Assistants earn is $46,000. As a Physical Therapy Assistant, you are in constant motion as you help people exercise, gather all therapy gear , keep the patients area clean and ready. You can also work career advancement as an assistant manager. A Physical Therapist Assistants help people of all ages medical problems , or other health related conditions that limit their ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.
After a person reads this article, I can highlight some of the main points in the article to give them a better understanding of what is occupational therapy is in the psychosocial aspect. It is important for me to keep this article on hand because if someone wants to look up what I do and they do not know where to begin, I can give them this article to read to get a basic understanding of what I do and they can get an idea of what to research. This article is not only for clients and client’s friends and family, but it can be used for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistances. This article can be used as a refresher for a therapist if they are having a hard time remembering something about this
Occupational therapy is projected to be one of the fastest growing jobs in the upcoming years. This job has the potential to be an exciting career for someone interested in a healthcare profession. One of the rewarding things about being an occupational therapist is the ability to help people reach their goals while earning a good salary and benefits. Occupational therapists help people across their lifespan by increasing their range of motion on their joints and helping people get back to their daily lives. Learning more about the origins of occupational therapy, what an occupational therapist does, how to become an occupational therapist, and what the job outlook is for this career may help someone make an informed decision about their potential career path.
Occupational therapy has a multifaceted nature providing endless opportunities to serve a wide range of people within many environments, which is just one of the reasons I love this occupation. My long term goals enlist the desire to maximize my knowledge and abilities to care and supplement the lives of anyone that may cross my path in this career. I have seen occupational therapy positively impact the lives of people around me, and I strive to be a bigger role on the team helping make that happen.
I find occupational therapy to pique my drive to teach people valuable life skills as well as learn from those people and their experiences. Being an occupational therapist would allow me to have one-on-one interactions with patients and establish meaningful relationships over the course of time. It would also give me the dutiful privilege and responsibility of instilling confidence in others and helping them realize their full potential in self-suffiency. All of my personal experiences, challenges, educational backgrounds, and professional interactions have guided me toward pursuing my goals of gaining experience working in all populations, enabling patients to thrive in their daily lifestyle, and spread public awareness of what OT has
Occupational therapy made its first appearance in a modern-day setting during the 18th century; however, occupational therapy dates back to 100 BC. The United States medical system adopted occupational therapy in the 19th century. In 1910, occupational therapy became a realized profession. Then, the main focus was working with individuals to get them to a fully functional state. Around 1930, standards of practice were developed for occupational therapists (OT’s). The career continues to evolve and change as new illnesses and disabilities arise. Even with all the changes, the main focus remains intact: helping people.
In 2012 nearly 205,000 people were employed as a physical therapist in the United States. The average salary of a physical therapist in 2012 was $79,860 per year. The number of jobs is estimated to grow 36% from 2012-2022. This job of physical therapy involves many and very important tasks to fulfill the needs of their patients. It requires many different educational requirements and you must have strong people skills.
An occupational therapist becomes trained and licensed in the healthcare profession and obtains the credentials to make a complete assessment of the impact of an injury that is causing the activities of the patient at home and in work situations
OT was founded in 1917(Barker Schwartz, 2003). Since then, the paradigm has shifted twice, resulting in three different paradigms. Kielhofner (2009) describes the first paradigm as paradigm of occupation that prevailed within occupational therapy from its founding until the 1940s. This paradigm views occupation as an essential part of life and health and focuses on the environment and mind rather than body and impairment. Occupation was seen as a therapeutic tool and a way of achieving dignity for the individual. These values arose due to the influences of social and health care movements of pragmatism, Arts and Crafts movement, and moral...
A Physical Therapist Assistant is a job occupation that involves assisting a Physical Therapist who helps with the rehabilitation of individuals who have past injuries or are working towards strengthening what they are weak with. They help people get back to their normal self and ready to operate in society normally. The Physical Therapist Assistant mostly helps with the workouts and stretches that patients have to do. They help with impairments, disabilities, and their mobility(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). A Physical Therapist Assistant can work in hospitals, schools, and any average therapy location. There is a lot of information about being a Physical Therapist Assistant including their day to day routine,salary, schooling, and employment rates (APTA).
Some schools do offer an undergraduate/doctoral degree program that allows any student to graduate with both, bachelor's and doctoral degrees. This may give the student an extra advantage when it comes to applying for a job. Volunteering is something that many doctoral programs may require, so any student that volunteer in a hospital or clinic not only allows them to enter the program, but also gives them experience that will be useful later on in his or her career. In the end all students must earn a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy in order to actually practice as a therapist. These programs last around 3 years. As part of training you are supervised for seven months in a clinical setting that includes lab and classroom instruction in medical diagnostic, patient examination and evaluation, orthopedics, prosthetic, and medical screening. Clinical experience,as i have said before, is the best way in preparing people that are pursuing this career. If they wish, therapist can then specialize in a particular area, allowing them to apply for a residency program. “The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) offer eight designations for physical therapist seeking advancement in the field. The eight specialties include: sports, orthopedics, geriatrics, neurology, clinical electrophysiology, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and women’s