Employment
Occupational therapist assistants and aides hold
about 27,000 jobs.
Occupational therapist assistants hold about
21,000 jobs, and occupational therapist aides hold
approximately 5,400.
About 30 percent of jobs for assistants and aides
are in hospitals, 23 percent are in offices of
occupational therapists, and 18 percent are in
nursing care facilities.
The rest are primarily in community care
facilities for the elderly, home health care
services, individual and family services, and State
government agencies.
Future Outlook
Employment of occupational therapist assistants
and aides is expected to grow much faster than the
average for all occupations through 2014. The impact
of proposed Federal legislation imposing limits on
reimbursement for therapy services may adversely
affect the job market for occupational therapist
assistants and aides in the short run.
Over the long run, however, demand for
occupational therapist assistants and aides will
continue to rise because of the increasing number of
individuals with disabilities or limited function.
Job growth will result from an aging population,
including the baby-boom generation, which will need
more occupational therapy services. The increased
prevalence of sensory disorders in children will
increase the demand for occupational therapy
services.
Increasing demand also will result from advances
in medicine that allow more people with critical
problems to survive and then need rehabilitative
therapy. In an effort to control rising health care
costs, third-party payers are expected to encourage
occupational therapists to delegate more hands-on
therapy work to lower-paid occupational therapist
assistants and aides.
Earnings of Occupational Therapist Aides and
Assistants
Median annual earnings of occupational therapist
assistants are $38,430. The middle 50 percent earn
between $31,970 and $44,390. The lowest 10 percent
earn less than $25,880, and the highest 10 percent
earn more than $52,700. Median annual earnings of
occupational therapist assistants are $40,130 in
offices of other health practitioners, which
includes offices of occupational therapists.
Median annual earnings of occupational therapist
aides are $23,150. The middle 50 percent earn
between $19,080 and $31,910. The lowest 10 percent
earn less than $15,820, and the highest 10 percent
earn more than $41,560.
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