Occupational Therapy Aides
Also known as: Certified Occupational Rehabilitation Aide (CORA), Direct Service Professional (DSP), Direct Support Professional (DSP) (+11 more)
Under close supervision of an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing patient and treatment room.
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What You'll Do
- Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
- Report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments.
- Observe patients' attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.
- Manage intradepartmental infection control and equipment security.
- Evaluate the living skills and capacities of clients with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities.
- Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.
- Instruct patients and families in work, social, and living skills, the care and use of adaptive equipment, and other skills to facilitate home and work adjustment to disability.
- Supervise patients in choosing and completing work assignments or arts and crafts projects.
- Assist occupational therapists in planning, implementing, and administering therapy programs to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, using selected activities and special equipment.
- Perform clerical, administrative, and secretarial duties, such as answering phones, restocking and ordering supplies, filling out paperwork, and scheduling appointments.
Essential Skills
Career Fit Overview
Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.
Top passions
- Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
- Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
- Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
Common styles
Empathy, Cooperation, Dependability, Attention to Detail, Social Orientation
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Key Abilities
This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:
Technologies & Tools
Work Environment & Strengths
Common Strengths for This Career
- Empathy (High importance: 4.69/5)
- Cooperation (High importance: 4.67/5)
- Dependability (High importance: 4.59/5)
- Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.28/5)
- Social Orientation (High importance: 4.28/5)
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Take Free 15-Min Assessment →How to Become One
This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.
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Also Known As
This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:
Career Fit FAQs
Is this career a good fit for me
This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.
Can this help if I want to stay in my field
Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.
What should I compare first
Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.
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