An exciting job description. A balanced work environment. Great pay. A bright job outlook. A highly respected title in the healthcare field. Not to mention a rewarding career with the everyday opportunity to improve someone’s quality of life. There are so many reasons to become an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) today.

As an OTA, you’ll discover a career that blends professional fulfillment with tangible impact, offering competitive compensation, remarkable growth potential (projected at 21%), and the profound satisfaction of witnessing daily patient breakthroughs. Few roles balance clinical expertise with transformative human connection like an OTA, a career that’s achievable with approximately two years of education and training.

But what does an occupational therapy assistant do day-to-day? Let’s look at what this career entails, where you can work within the field, and why there are so many reasons to become an occupational therapy assistant.

What does an OTA do?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupational therapy assistants help patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working, such as writing or getting dressed each day. OTAs work under Registered Occupational Therapists while actively participating in treatment planning—serving as vital connectors between clinical expertise and patients’ everyday victories.

OTAs work with patients of all ages in all types of scenarios. As an occupational therapy assistant, you may help patients rehabilitate from an injury, manage chronic illness, live with a disability, or help elderly patients adjust to the natural aging process. Every day is different for the occupational therapy assistant.

The OTA job description will vary from place to place. In general, occupational therapy assistants can be found:

• Helping patients perform therapeutic activities, such as stretching and other support exercises
• Encouraging patients to complete activities and tasks as part of their treatment plan
• Teaching patients how to use special equipment when needed — for example, showing a patient with Parkinson’s disease how to use devices that make eating easier
• Leading children with developmental disabilities in play activities that promote coordination and socialization – for example, picking up small foods and eating them, building block towers, or matching games with colors and shapes
• Recording patients’ progress throughout treatment and reporting back to Occupational Therapists
• Occasionally performing administrative tasks, such as scheduling appointments or helping patients with insurance forms
• Preparing treatment areas prior to appointments (e.g., setting up therapy equipment for a specific patient) and cleaning treatment areas and equipment between appointments
• Transporting patients when needed, which may involve supporting patient weight, bending, and lifting
• Instructing patients, families, and other caregivers how to carry out the skills and techniques of the occupational therapy treatment plan

Occupational therapy assistants collaborate with OTs to develop treatment plans for each patient, as well as coordinate on carrying out each plan. Treatment plans are all unique, depending on a patient’s needs and capabilities:

For someone who has been bedridden due to illness or injury, an OTA may coordinate a plan that involves a lot of stretching and progressive movements from a bed to sitting, standing, or getting into a wheelchair. For someone who injured their hand (and therefore range of motion) working a manual job, an OTA can help them regain lost motor skills. For someone with a learning or emotional disability, an occupational therapy assistant may teach them the skills needed to live more independently.

It is the occupational therapy assistant’s job to ensure that patients are carrying out their activities and therapies correctly. This enables them to properly monitor the progress of each patient. If an OTA is not seeing desired results in a patient, the OT and OTA can then work together to adjust the treatment plan.

Learn about becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant through Goodwin University.

Where can OTAs work?

Occupational therapy assistants find meaningful careers across diverse settings and in specialized facilities, including:

• Assisted Living Facilities: OTAs design adaptive strategies that preserve older adults’ dignity and independence amidst changing capabilities, enabling meaningful participation in daily living activities despite physical limitations.
• Assistive Technology Consultation: Specialized OTAs identify and implement supportive devices that enhance clients’ functional capabilities across home, educational, and workplace environments, bridging technological gaps that limit independence.
• Community Mobility Programs: OTAs help individuals with mobility challenges navigate their broader environments through transportation strategies and community access techniques, expanding their horizons beyond home settings.
• Health and Wellness Centers: As wellness coordinators, OTAs design preventative programs promoting ergonomic awareness and stress management—shifting occupational therapy’s focus from treatment to proactive wellbeing.
• Home and Workplace Modifications: OTAs assess living and working environments to recommend thoughtful modifications that transform ordinary spaces into enabling ones, removing barriers to functional independence.
• Hospitals: OTAs collaborate with acute care teams to help patients regain functional independence following medical interventions, bridging the critical transition between hospital treatment and returning home.
• Nursing Homes: OTAs provide compassionate support for residents facing physical and cognitive changes, creating adaptive approaches to daily activities that maintain dignity and meaningful connection.
• Pediatric Centers: OTAs craft playful, developmentally appropriate interventions helping children master essential life skills and navigate sensory challenges, building foundations for educational and social success.
• Schools: School-based OTAs create supportive interventions for students with special needs, developing fine motor, sensory processing, and social skills crucial for classroom participation and broader educational engagement.

What Do Occupational Therapist Assistants Do to Get a Job?

Becoming an OTA requires at least an associate degree in Occupational Therapy Assisting from an accredited college or university.

Candidates should enroll in an accredited, two-year program that combines classroom learning with clinical rotations.

Upon graduation, aspiring OTAs must then pass state licensure exams (like Connecticut’s) to practice, ensuring competency in both therapeutic techniques and the compassionate patient relationships central to occupational therapy.

Licensure can be earned by passing the NBCOT examination, which will grant you the official title of “Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant” (COTA), a credential that represents not merely technical competence, but your commitment to upholding the values of empowerment, independence, and human dignity that lie at the heart of occupational therapy practice.

Here’s what an OTA program can do for you at Goodwin University

Goodwin University in Connecticut offers a flexible, hands-on learning experience for aspiring OTAs in the state. With classes offered seven days a week, you can complete your OTA degree in as few as 16 months full-time. Our program will also qualify you to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), which will enable you to become certified in CT. So, what does an Occupational Therapy Assistant do to get started?

Contact us to learn more about the OTA program at Goodwin University and see if an Occupational Therapy Assisting is a good career choice for you.