Some of the highest paying practice settings for both occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are home health agencies and skilled nursing facilities. Therapists and assistants working in hospitals and outpatient also benefit from competitive pay, but not as high as nursing facilities and home health. Occupational therapists and assistants who work their way up to positions such as therapy manager, clinic director, CEO, founder, and other management-level titles typically receive higher salaries due to their additional responsibilities.

One of the most important aspects of these jobs is the total time commitment involved. Individuals who wish to become occupational therapists must consider if they have the time and resources to cover other life responsibilities such as childcare, pet care, additional income needs, or even household tasks during this stretch of time.

They also must consider their financial ability to take on debt or bills for that length of schooling. Due to the complexities involved with planning your life around going to school to become an OT, I have found that occupational therapists are often creative and excellent at critical thinking.

These traits not only assist them in completing OT school but translate wonderfully into the field when they begin treating patients.

Despite OTAs having a shorter time requirement to complete their schooling, these professionals must demonstrate similar levels of critical thinking and creativity to excel in their role.

OTAs also use skills such as adaptiveness and flexibility to provide patients with the best care possible. Each of these traits sets the field of occupational therapy apart from other professions and allows our providers to make a unique and lasting impact in the lives of others.

While there are some differences in pay between an OTA and OT, both professionals have similar daily responsibilities. Those duties include treating patients, communicating with other healthcare professionals, and documenting patient progress to modify goals or determine the need for discharge. Individuals who are looking to enter the field sooner than later should consider pursuing an OTA certification due to its lesser time commitment.

One of the benefits of taking this route is the ability to re-enter school and become an OT at a later time if you change your mind. Individuals who can swing a longer upfront commitment or have longer-term income goals are oftentimes better suited to pursue an OT designation. Getting on-the-job experience and learning the ins and outs of the industry at the ground level is the best way to make an educated decision on if this is the best pathway for you.

Both occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants make significant differences in the world. Each of these professions allows individuals great career mobility, work opportunities, and the development of specialties. Both professions provide excellent opportunities to help others and make a positive difference in healthcare and beyond. Brittany is a licensed and registered occupational therapist specializing in behavioral health. She is also the owner and founder of Simplicity of Health, LLC where she provides services such as health writing, guest lecturing, program development, consulting, and community wellness education.

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These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Both the COTA and OT needs to be strong communicators to allow each professional to treat their patients to the best of their ability. For example, after an occupational therapist completes an evaluation on a patient to be seen by the COTA, the OT needs to make sure the COTA is aware of the identified deficits and the goals for the patients.

The COTA then can make treatment plans as appropriate to address the identified deficits. Along the way during treatment, if the COTA or OT feels like the treatment plan or goals need to be updated, they work together to make those adjustments. The COTA is allowed to spearhead this, however, the OT is responsible for the changes and has to document the changes made.

Communication is also important if the COTA and OT are in disagreement with parts of the treatment and discharge planning process. As therapists, we all come from different backgrounds and have participated in different continuing education courses, all of which afford us different levels of expertise in a variety of areas.

It is important to capitalize on your areas of expertise. For example, the COTA may have greater knowledge in a certain area. The supervising OT needs to respect that and get an understanding of why the COTA feels the treatment should go in a certain direction. It was hard to remember to do everything I needed to do at first, such as co-signing notes, writing progress reports and communicating with the COTA about the evaluation and treatment plan.

As time went on, you develop a routine and a strong relationship with the COTA, which makes it easier to be more productive. It is was especially nerve-wracking when you are supervising a COTA who has more experience than you, as it makes you have to have more of an open mind since they have worked in the field longer than you have. The professional and legal difference for a COTA and an OT vary from state to state, so it is important you take the time to look up what your requirements are in your state to make sure you are doing everything you are supposed to.