As a guy, you may have missed hearing about an excellent choice in healthcare beyond doctor, physician assistant, or nurse. It’s the role of an Occupational Therapy Assistant – an OTA. It’s challenging, exciting, and pays a very competitive wage. Best of all, the occupational therapy profession needs more men. Right now, 79% of all occupational therapy assistants are women. So yeah, going to occupational therapy assistant school for a two-year OTA degree is a great career move.
In simple terms, what an OTA learns in occupational therapy assistant school is to help people with developmental, emotional, cognitive, and long-term or short-term challenges achieve the goals in life they want.
Consider becoming an occupational therapy assistant like becoming a coach/teacher…a specialist who helps people find victories when life doesn’t seem to be playing fair.
As you’ll learn in occupational therapy assistant school, people who benefit from OTAs are everywhere.
Guys who are OTAs say they love the coaching/teaching/encouraging aspects of the job and find satisfaction in keeping their clients on track for success.
Here are five good reasons you’re likely to find personal and career satisfaction after you complete occupational therapy assistant school.
1. It’s a team game
The OT and OTA may have distinct roles in an occupational therapy team, but they both have the client’s best interests as a common goal.
An OT develops the treatment plans, often with input from the OTA, who typically gets to know a lot about the strengths and preferences of a client. The OTA has the primary responsibility to carry out those plans. OTs and OTAs meet regularly to evaluate progress and adjust strategies and tactics as needed.
2. Male OTAs can relate well to men’s conditions
Let’s face it. Just as women are sometimes more comfortable with women therapists, men are sometimes more comfortable with male therapists. When the client’s goal is to live a more fulfilling life, having choice between a male or female OTA can make a huge difference.
3. It’s a fulfilling profession
With an OTA career, you get to see the results of your work nearly every day, earn a salary you can take pride in, and know that it only took two years of specialized college study to get there.
4. It’s a career with lots of potential
OTAs can advance by adding new specialization areas and attending professional training workshops. OTAs also can advance into leadership roles – managing staffing a rehab center, or directing a return-to-work program for a company.
If administration is a core talent, you can continue your education by earning your occupational therapist degree.
5. It’s a role that pays well
National statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that a newly certified OTA with a two-year A.A.S. degree can earn right at $46-$48,000 per year – even more in high-need states.
Meanwhile, OTAs with a few years of experience can earn salaries averaging $53,587 to $65,349, according to the data site Salary.com.
Taylor G. says going to OTA school was the right choice.
What Taylor G. Says About Earning the 2-year OTA Degree
“In my clinical settings, the amount of gratitude people express to us therapists is pretty satisfying,” says Taylor G., who entered occupational therapy assistant school in 2019. “That drive to help people is what drew me to this profession. Like me, if you find pleasure in helping improve people’s lives, this is something to look into.”
Want to build people up and find happiness in sharing their successes? Look into a two-year occupational therapy assistant school.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a healthcare-focused, private, nonprofit university offering an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S degree) in Occupational Therapy Assistant.
CUKC links the teaching and learning processes used by occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants to ensure a high-quality educational experience. Most students complete their degree within two years.
In 2020, our students had a 100% pass rate on the national exam to become Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTA).
Other features of the CUKC program:
For more information about the occupational therapy assistant school at CUKC, contact our admissions advisors to get this free eBook: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.
