Occupational Therapy Assistants

• Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
• Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
• Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
• Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
• Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves.
• Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
• Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient.
• Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients.
• Attend continuing education classes.
• Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
• Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect.
• Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments.
• Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions.
• Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games.
• Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings.
• Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use.
• Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans.
• Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.
• Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.
• Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Occupational Therapy Assistants.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Occupational Therapy Assistants.