Not only do you work with your patient, but you will work closely with an occupational therapist to develop and carry out treatment plans also known as OT intervention plans. Our guest blogger shares some information on the relationship between an occupational therapist and an occupational therapy assistant. Many occupational therapists, upon graduating from occupational therapy school, have to supervise a certified occupational therapy assistant COTA working at their facility.
This experience can be daunting to some, however, if built on communication and realistic expectations it can be a less stressful situation.
Occupational therapists are involved in all of the evaluation and setting goals for patients, and certified occupational therapy assistants use the information gleaned from the evaluation and goals of the treatment plan. At some facilities, the certified OTA may have a greater caseload than the OT due to the extra paperwork required of the occupational therapist.
Both the COTA and OT needs to be strong communicators to allow each professional to treat their patients to the best of their ability. For example, after an occupational therapist completes an evaluation on a patient to be seen by the COTA, the OT needs to make sure the COTA is aware of the identified deficits and the goals for the patients.
The COTA then can make treatment plans as appropriate to address the identified deficits. Along the way during treatment, if the COTA or OT feels like the treatment plan or goals need to be updated, they work together to make those adjustments.
The COTA is allowed to spearhead this, however, the OT is responsible for the changes and has to document the changes made. Communication is also important if the COTA and OT are in disagreement with parts of the treatment and discharge planning process. As therapists, we all come from different backgrounds and have participated in different continuing education courses, all of which afford us different levels of expertise in a variety of areas.
It is important to capitalize on your areas of expertise. To become a COTA, you are learning a lot of the same information in a condensed amount of time.
You will definitely still have to buckle down. This is the average across all settings, locations, years of experience, and education levels. This also includes all settings, locations, years of experience, and education levels. We hope this article helps you get a basic idea of some of the main differences between the OTR vs.
COTA career paths. The best choice is the one that you feel will work best for you given your life circumstances. Whatever you decide, be sure to take a good look at the job market in your area, tuition rates, accreditation, curriculum, and program length to make sure you get the best fit for you.
If you have anything to add about your experience considering becoming an OTR vs a COTA or vise-versa, please share in the comments below! COTAs do progress notes as well, and honestly my schooling was at least 20, though the associates and OTA program was incorporated together. It was a fast track program, still 2 years, but why it was longer.
Though according to my OTA professor, she had to obtain an associates in the program she was at before entering in the OTA program. Plus, the salary is different than what is being stated, it is more, though this also depends on what state your in…. Thanks so much for your input, Amanda! I agree that each school and state will have different rates so it is best for those still in the deciding process to do some extra research before making a decision.
So you can decide which path you should pursue! OT stands for occupational therapy. Occupational therapists treat people who have injuries, disabilities, or illnesses that impact their daily living.
Through their care, patients can recover and improve the skills they need to become more independent in their daily activities. An occupational therapist works independently with their patient or client in helping them to improve their daily living. Occupational therapists work in a range of settings with a variety of populations. Some occupational therapists work in educational settings with children, helping schools better accommodate children with disabilities.
They can even do early intervention care for infants and toddlers who have developmental delays. Some people choose to get a doctorate degree in OT if they desire to teach at colleges and universities or do research. However, a doctorate degree is not required to practice. Every academic program requires supervised fieldwork or clinical experience for at least 24 weeks or 6 months.
After passing the Board exam you will need to be licensed in the state where you plan to practice. How much an occupational therapist makes depends on the industry in which they work.
Occupational therapists tend to make more in skilled nursing care facilities, and less in the state, local, and private schools. These rates will differ depending on the state you live. An OTA is an occupational therapy assistant. Their work is similar to that of an occupational therapist in many ways but the OTA works under the supervision of the occupational therapist. In general, the occupational therapy assistant carries out the treatment plan created by the occupational therapist.
The duties of an OTA differ depending on the population you work with and the treatment setting. An occupational therapy assistant works under the supervision of an occupational therapist to carry out the treatment plan.
The OTA also documents treatment in the patient chart and collaborates with the OT regarding patient progress.
0コメント