OTA Job Salary & Outlook
Published - September 19, 2014
When you finish your occupational therapy assistant degree program, you could choose from a variety of positions within the medical field. The demand and job market of an occupational therapy assistant is constantly changing, which is why our program could change from time-to-time, to ensure that it reflects the current job market.
OTA Overview
Once you have successfully completed your Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate’s Degree Program at CBD, you should have the knowledge and experience necessary for a position within this field. You will be required to help patients develop skills, and in some cases, recover the skills that they lost; these skills are necessary for the patient to continue on with their daily routines, including their work routine. At times, you may need to help a patient improve these skills as well.
Before you can begin your position as an occupational therapy assistant in a nursing care facility, hospital, occupational therapist’s office, or any other healthcare facility, you will need to review the various positions that are available. At anytime that you are a student at CBD, you could ask for help pertaining to reviewing the salary and job outlook for an occupational therapy assistant. Again, the job market is constantly changing, and this includes the salary and job opportunities available to an occupational therapy assistant.
OTA Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wage for an occupational therapy assistant in southern California is $71,990 – between $34 and $35 per hour.
It is true that a lot impacts your salary, such as location. Another factor that impacts the amount you could earn as an occupational therapy assistant is the type of healthcare facility that you work in. For example, home health care service providers generally pay more than state, local, or private educational institutions.
The top five industries that an occupational therapy assistant could work in are:
- Home Healthcare Service Providers
- Residential Care Facilities
- Offices of Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapists
- Hospitals
- Educational Services
OTA Job Outlook
According to the BLS, the job outlook for an occupational therapy assistant is expected to grow at a faster rate than the average of all occupations. In fact, this career field is expected to see a job growth of 43 percent over the next eight years. There are many factors that will cause the job outlook for an occupational therapy assistant to rise over the next few years, such as:
- More adults may become prone to various conditions and ailments, including arthritis and strokes
- An increasing elderly population
- The aging baby-boom generation
- Healthcare providers will increase their demand of assistants to reduce the cost of occupational therapy services
- The need to replace occupants who leave their occupation
Sign up for the Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate’s Degree Program at CBD today. You could be one step closer towards beginning your career in this fast-growing industry!
OTA Job Salary & Job Outlook – Overview, Salary, and Job Outlook