3 Things to Know About OTA

“Occupational therapy practitioners know that hope still glimmers in the darkest hour”- Florence Clark, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA.

My senior year of high school was the first time I seriously started to think about what type of career I wanted to pursue. I knew what skills I had, but I did not know what job was the right fit. One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to help people and make a difference in their lives.

I started to research careers where I could make a difference. When I was presented with occupational therapy, I was intrigued. I felt in my heart that this could be the perfect fit for me. At first, it took some time for me to understand what occupational therapy is and how it works. Thankfully, occupational therapy is an ideal career if you want to make a difference in someone’s life.

Here are three things to know about if you’re thinking of a career as an occupational therapy assistant (OTA). 

OTAs Can Work Pretty Much Anywhere

An OTA can work in many different places, often in conjunction with an occupational therapist and/or physical therapist. Common places you can find OTAs are in occupational therapy clinics, hospitals, schools and nursing homes. You might also encounter OTAs at medical rehabilitation centers, in-patient drug and alcohol rehab centers, and in the military.

Creativity is Key

If you are a creative thinker and want to help people, occupational therapy can be the perfect career. Occupational therapy is often structured, but also allows lots of room for creativity.

When I was first thinking about going to school for occupational therapy, I had a hard time determining the difference between physical and occupational therapy. When shadowing the OTA program at a college, I asked a professor about the difference between the two professions, and she said occupational therapy was ideal for people who enjoy being creative.

There are many different types of therapy that an OTA can use, from play-like therapy for a child to the more straightforward work with an adult recovering from a severe work injury. In occupational therapy assistant school, you learn how to improvise different ways to meet therapy goals to help a client make progress.

Works with Mental Health 

An occupational therapist and OTA help people with physical as well as mental health challenges. Occupational therapy can help people with anxiety, depression, ADD disorders and more. Occupational therapists also help people become more aware of themselves and the tools they need to help achieve their goals. This type of treatment might include helping people acquire skills such as organizing their thoughts and using strategies like writing and self-talk. 

These three aspects of working as an OTA are important for people to understand if they want to choose occupational therapy as a career. I am currently pursuing my associate degree to become an occupational therapy assistant. I look forward to applying my creative style to my future jobs and to be able to help people with their physical and mental health.