Becoming an occupational therapy assistant is a good career option for those who like working closely with people and helping them regain independence and function in their lives. An occupational therapy assistant often works for or under the supervision of an occupational therapist—and his or her services are needed for institutions, establishments, and organizations like schools, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, government agencies that specialize in healthcare services and support, and more. The occupational therapy assistant is directly involved in the clinical care and support of the patients requiring occupational therapy in their treatment. The occupational therapy assistant will also be required to help the occupational therapy to teach the patients to use, develop, and enhance muscles and limbs by engaging them in “occupations”—which are loosely defined as the active processes that living, capable humans perform—that will help them regain function and mobility in their lives. The occupational therapy assistant will be helping the therapist to design a rehabilitation plan for the patient, and implement it. Supervising and recording the progress of the patient is also part of the job description of an occupational therapy assistant, in addition to helping the patient learn work and life skills that will make him independent.
But how will one become an occupational therapy assistant? To qualify to become an occupational therapist assistant, one will need to earn an associate degree (which will be completed in two years) or a one-year diploma in an accredited physical therapy program. It is also important to make sure that the school is accredited to offer a physical education course—check if the school that you are looking into is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. If the school is not endorsed by this organization, your career as an occupational therapist assistant may be jeopardized. Finding an accredited school in your area will be an easy task with the American Occupational Therapy Association.
The second step to becoming an occupational therapy assistant is to take the licensure exam. The National Board for Occupational Therapy will provide certification for the occupational therapist assistant that passed their requirements. Filling out the application to become a certified occupational therapist assistant is usually done after you have earned your accredited degree in an accredited school. Without the certification provided by the National Board for Occupational Therapy, one will not be allowed (or even considered for employment) to practice being an occupational therapist assistant. Depending on which state you live, you might be required to update your certification as an occupational therapist assistant once every few years, to make sure that your skills and knowledge are still current.
Finding a job as an occupational therapy assistant is the final step. Once you have completed your education and certification, you will have a wide variety of options in employment. You can work in a hospital, a private clinic, or even an elementary or secondary school. Even if you are already working as an occupational therapy assistant, you must still continue your education either offline or online.