An OT may only treat their patient for the evaluation, progress note updates, and discharge. However, it may be more difficult for a COTA to get into certain management positions if a bachelor’s or graduate OT degree is required. Regarding cons**,** patience and peace are the keys you must hold, because it takes a lot to explain the special individuals rather than normal ones. If you’re looking to become an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant, it’s important to know and anticipate these “ugly” types of situations. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. If you had it to do over again, would you do things differently? Many times, new graduate occupational therapists may ask the seasoned occupational therapy assistants in their department for advice on specific cases or difficult patients. Pros: 1) Steady hours/paycheck ... Cons: 1) Less flexibility in schedule As an employee, you generally don’t get to set the hours that you work. As you’re looking, you no doubt automatically gravitate towards working in one specific setting or another. Meanwhile, the COTA is the one handling the routine treatments day in and day out. As an occupational therapy assistant, you can enter the workforce with just an associate’s degree.This means less time in school, fewer student loans, and more people you could be helping sooner. If you decide to work as a COTA, there is certain amount of autonomy and responsibility that you lose. 4. Depending on the client’s needs and situation, you could work with any number of medical disciplines. With any profession, there are always going to be pros and cons. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It is only reasonable for the patient or family to want to know details about progress and discharge. Occupational therapy assistants work under the direct supervision of an occupational therapist and help patients learn techniques to improve activities of daily living like brushing their teeth, dressing, grooming and hygiene, feeding themselves and many other activities. According to the BLS, the median wage for OTAs is $60,220, though it varies considerably by location. Initially, it might look like an OT is better prepared to handle direct patient treatment than a COTA. That’s part of what makes it such a great field to get into right now. As an OTA, you will make a difference in people’s lives every single day — helping them to live better, maintain or regain independence, learn new skills, improve mobility, and adapt to or overcome disabilities, among other things. Pros and Cons. On top of that, an OT will also learn techniques for evaluation, billing practices, supervision, and the theory that makes occupational therapy work. This is due to a variety of factors, including (but not limited to) living in areas with too many OT and COTA programs, fewer settings hiring COTAs (due to needing evaluating therapists), upcoming Medicare changes, and so on. Occupational Therapy Assistants assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. So while OTAs are not in charge, they aren’t just order-takers, either. Becoming an OTA is a great way to experience the field of occupational therapy without needing to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree. If you are not OK with this, you can opt-out if you wish. Self-Care Tips & Strategies for Occupational Therapists and Students, 5 Hand Dexterity Assessments for Occupational Therapists, 12 Perfect Gift Ideas for Occupational Therapists [2020]. To help you make the best choice, we’ll be taking a look at the pros and cons of an occupational therapy assistant career. Learn more. OTA fieldwork at Mona’s Ark Mona’s Ark is one of St. Kate’s many fieldwork partnerships. ... Cons of OTA. work, life, and education). But if you can stomach through it, you’ll leave at the end of the day knowing you’ve made a difference. You might even reach out to local OTs and OTAs to get a feel for what’s available near you. Learn how your comment data is processed. Brittany Ferri is an occupational therapy consultant, certified clinical trauma practitioner, and certified light therapist. A COTA earns around $28/hr according to BLS 2018 median income data. For example, you might coordinate care with a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, speech pathologist, registered nurse, or doctor, just to name a few. A quick search of OTA jobs reveals a wide variety of full-time and part-time opportunities. OTs understand the challenges faced by physical therapy as well as speech therapy, making an excellent middleman. Evaluate the pros and cons of occupational therapy careers to decide if it's the right choice for you. When researching careers, there’s one thing everyone wants to know: What the job market looks like. But remember, every coin has two sides. The majority of the time, hands-on experience is even more valuable than classroom education. Are you a practicing certified occupational therapy assistant? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The growth projected in this field of occupation is 35 percent for the period 2008 to 2018. The cons involve more than just Occupational Therapy, it involves everyone who is a therapist or assistant... PT/OT/SPL. With St. Catherine University’s Online OTA program, you can study to become an OTA without needing to relocate, so long as you are willing to travel to one of our learning sites in California, Texas or Virginia. An occupational therapist can become a director of rehab or program manager, and honestly make some of the best DORs. In-Demand Career Field PRO: If you didn’t already know how in-demand Physical Therapy is, consider this: The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that 71,800 PT jobs would be created by 2024!. When it comes to creating effective treatment plans, COTAs are just as capable in implementing beneficial treatments. Her specialties are mental illness, health writing, and complementary modalities. In this article, I cover both the pros and cons of working as a PRN occupational therapist. Tuition Costs for Occupational Therapy Assistants. But one fact that needs to be considered is money. This is a major aspect to understanding how occupational therapy is provided in these settings. Some OTAs work weekends, and may even prefer it. © 2021 St. Catherine University | Privacy Policy, The Pros and Cons of an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career. If you’re ready to embark on your OTA school journey, give us a call today to learn more about our Online OTA program, or fill out the form to have an admissions counselor call you. As you consider a career as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or SLP, you want to think about the advantages and disadvantages. Our program is open to students of all educational backgrounds (so long as you meet the GPA requirements), whether you are fresh out of high school or have an existing bachelor’s degree. Before you even begin trying to decide where you want to work, you need to decide whether you want to become an occupational therapist or a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA for short). You may have read our previous article where we bragged about how excellent a home health therapy job can be. The work can also get hectic at times as you also take the role of caretakers for the special individuals during your therapy session. They may rely on physical therapist assistants, or PT assistants, to help with such tasks as observing patients, demonstrating assistive devices and recording progress. While being a COTA is a very rewarding job, there has been an increased difficulty for COTAs in many cities to find jobs right out of school. Just looking at that, it may seem like working as an OTR is the best choice for making money. It’s no secret that many people have never heard of occupational therapy. The OT will make the final decision for the OT department, but the treating COTA most likely knows the case of the patient and details better since they may work with the patient more regularly. According to the same 2010 report, occupational therapy assistants averaged $51,010 in annual income. Occupational therapists plan therapy programs and evaluate patients with injuries, illnesses or disabilities. Outpatient Therapy This is also the case for even seasoned COTAs in some cities and job markets. Though the majority of clients are gracious and appreciate everything you are doing for them, some are going to be negative about their conditions and need a lot of encouragement. What Are the Six Occupational Therapy Practice Areas? In all these instances, it’s important to remember why you got into this field in the first place: to make a difference. The future is bright for anyone considering becoming an OTA. All too often, occupational therapists come out of school and are eager to work with people, only to find that a majority of their time is spent handling paperwork, helping plan discharges, and doing other administrative things. An occupational therapist can become a director of rehab or program manager, and honestly make some of the best DORs. For example, you cannot simply begin working without an OT (in some states and rare cases, a COTA can work directly under the supervision of a doctor). by Morgan Kurtz, MS, OTR/L. So, here we expound on some of the cons of having a career in home health. Generally requires formal training. Ultimately, it comes down to what you want out of a career. As we previously discussed, the demand for occupational therapy services has never been greater, yet because occupational therapy is not as well-known as, say, nursing or physical therapy, a lot of people don’t pursue it as a career choice. I worked as an occupational therapy assistant for 9 months in 2018 and it was such a great job experience. • Caring colleagues because it’s kind of in the job scope to be caring and everyone wants what’s best for the patients. However, it’s not just the demand that makes this little-known field an attractive career option …. Pros and Cons of Being a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. On the other hand, it can be frustrating as a COTA in dealing with patient interactions. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. She is passionate about disease prevention and meeting the emotional and physical needs of … “There are certainly a lot of advantages. After searching and investigating professions, you settle on the wonderful field of Occupational Therapy. St. Catherine University’s online OTA program could have you graduating with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in just 16 months. In most companies and states, a certified occupational therapy assistant can also work in this position. If a patient’s treatment somehow causes harm (although unlikely), it is the role of the supervising occupational therapist to accept responsibility and make amends however necessary. As there is with any job, there are pros and cons to working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). All schooling is done within two years, as opposed to spending five years in college to become a PT. Here are a few of the advantages and drawbacks of working as a CNA. You might not want to take a home health therapy job for this and other reasons. Be sure to do some solid research beforehand on your city’s job market if you plan on staying there after you graduate. l would like assistant in obtaining reading materials and therapeutic equipments and tools since it is challenging to get them here. If you have no intentions of moving after school, you’ll want to research opportunities in your area. Or perhaps you had a loved one recover from a stroke or some other condition so now you want to help others in a similar way. There are a number of basic differences between the two outlined here, but we thought it would be great to share the experiences of an actual COTA. And on top of that …. These are the pros and cons of the career. That’s especially significant when you consider that the agency projects that the labor market as a whole will grow just 5% over that same time period. You might think of an OTA working in a rehabilitation clinic or hospital, but these healthcare professionals can be found in many other places! If so, do you have any other thoughts about the pros and cons of working as a COTA? This is a factor that has to be considered. 1. Therefore, therapy services are implemented alongside the roles they typically assume and occupations they engage in on a daily basis (e.g. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Pros and Cons of Online Occupational Therapy Programs No doubt, online programs offer great advantages to the would-be occupational therapists, but they also bring some disadvantages along with them. As with any job, there are pros and cons to an occupational therapy assistant career. 9 min read 8.3k views ... but after living in a condensed area with several occupational therapy (OT) schools, I opened my search up to contractor opportunities with apprehension. Pros and Cons of Becoming an Occupational Therapist. Once you begin working in the field of occupational therapy, you most likely are going to stay working in that position. Nor are OTA jobs confined to Monday through Friday. In fact, OTA regularly appears on lists of top-paying jobs that require an associate’s degree. For example, each state has different continuing education requirements. Hello friends, the medical sector many job opportunities. How is this possible? Just like any career, there are pros and cons of working in the nursing and occupational therapy … Of course, demand varies by state. For example, in labs, students practice helping clients out of wheelchairs and beds in ways that minimize the risk of hurting themselves in the process. Thanks to St. Kate’s convenient online coursework, much of your OTA education will take place on your time at your home, local library or favorite coffee shop. ... resume is more padded with relevant experience when you look to land a non-clinical physical therapy or non-clinical occupational therapy job.] Thanks to our Online OTA program, it’s possible to earn your Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in OTA in as few as 16–24 months. As with many healthcare careers, you can’t begin practicing as an OTA the day you graduate. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Additionally, while your fieldwork coordinator will work diligently to find you Level II Fieldwork opportunities near where you live, if nothing can be found in your immediate area, you may be required to commute or even relocate temporarily to complete the required 640 hours of supervised practice. “I always tell people considering being a travel therapist to think about the pros and cons,” said Host Healthcare recruiter Sarah Powell. However, keep in mind that this depends on where you live and what is in your area. As an OTA, you’ll work closely with not only occupational therapists, allowing you to continue learning after you graduate, but you’ll also get to see other medical practitioners at work. A COTA only has to have an associate’s degree in occupational therapy, while an OT has to hold at least a master’s degree or doctorate. These cookies do not store any personal information. assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures. Fortunately, students of St. Kate’s Online Occupational Therapy Assistant program have an advantage over OTA students at other schools. Good pay. They have more education, after all. It’s for this reason that students not only learn methods for helping clients overcome challenges, but also techniques for avoiding injury. Licensed nurses and with less than a 2 year degree are still called nurses, as well as RNs with AS degrees whereas Certified Nursing Assistants have less education than COTAs or PTAs. That isn’t necessarily the case. It is overall easier in general for occupational therapists to get hired on for a position compared to their COTA counterparts due to the OT being able to do all of paperwork components (evaluations, progress notes, and discharges). Regardless of what OTA program you could, you must pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and register with your state’s occupational therapy regulatory body to be licensed as a Certified OTA (COTA). While the true reward of being an OTA is going home knowing you are making a difference, you’ll be happy to know that being an occupational therapy assistant can pay quite well. Physical Therapist Assistants. Nov 11, 2016 - Considering becoming an OTA? The word assistant presumes that we are on equal footing with Teacher Assistants , MAs and CNAs who have certificates, rather than 2 year degrees. Positives. Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the professional interests and concerns of more than 213,000 occupational therapists, assistants, and students nationwide. ... Pros of OTA. In fact, we’ve had a number of students who chose our program because they wanted to get into this fast-growing field but were tired of sitting on occupational therapist program waitlists. Obviously, a registered occupational therapist (OTR) holding a master’s or doctorate degree is going to earn more per hour than an occupational therapy assistant with an associate’s degree. What other pros and cons would you add? For those who plan on returning to school later to become an occupational therapist, there are a number of OTA-to-OT bridge programs available to OTAs with experience in the field. Our innovative, online curriculum means that you can complete the majority of your studies on your schedule, where it’s convenient for you, while still getting the hands-on training and experience you need. Should I Become an OTA? As with any job, there are pros and cons to an occupational therapy assistant career. Certified occupational therapy assistants (COTAs) help patients recover, improve and develop skills that are crucial to working and living. If you do not live near one of our learning sites in California, Texas or Virginia, you’ll need to travel to the once-monthly skills labs and Level I Fieldwork. Additionally, the work of an OTA can be physically taxing. If you are considering becoming an occupational therapist, it can be helpful to know the pros and cons of the industry and field. A recent report by CareerBuilder ranked OTAs as the most in-demand, high-paying job in both California and Michigan right now. OTAs work within six practice areas, encompassing the full human life spectrum, meaning they can find work in a number of settings. Also, you need to pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) examination to be able to practice as a certified OTA. 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