Occupational Therapy Assistant Jobs!
I have already written an article about how to find the perfect occupational therapy job—but frankly, it’s a little harder to find good information about looking for occupational therapy assistant (OTA) and certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) jobs.
That’s why I wrote this article—so you would have a one-stop resource to help you land the OTA job of your dreams!
We’ll help you find a wide variety of OTA jobs, including:
- Full-time, part-time, PRN, and entry-level jobs
- OTA travel jobs
- Non-clinical OTA jobs
- Telehealth OTA jobs
Plus, you’ll find resources and information about:
Find OTA Jobs on the OT Directory!
To begin, we recommend checking out the jobs shared by members of OT Potential. Discover OTA jobs near you, remote opportunities, and non-clinical jobs. To see only OTA jobs, select “OTA” under “degree level.”
Are you an OTA professional looking to post a job? Join the OT Directory!
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Job Boards for a Local OTA Job Search
You’ll find that some OTA jobs are cross-posted on multiple platforms, but I still recommend exploring each job site separately so you don’t miss anything. Here’s a quick run-down of what makes each platform unique.
- Pickle – Pickle is a fairly new player in the OTA job-hunting space. This resource piqued my interest because it was started by a physical therapist. I wanted to try it out, so I went ahead and created an account. It feels worthwhile so far, because they offer traditional OTA jobs as well as non-clinical and start-up jobs!
- Google Jobs – The world’s most popular search engine has actually become a major player in the job-hunting arena. You’ll find tons of jobs posted here, but not every available job is included. So, we encourage you to keep moving down this list!
- Indeed – Indeed is an extremely popular website that boasts the largest overall number of OTA jobs, so it’s a great place to start your search. The main drawback is that you’re competing with lots of other candidates due to the site’s popularity. For this reason, it is important to be selective and apply only for the newest jobs when possible.
- Glassdoor – Glassdoor offers a nice volume of jobs, but its special sauce is providing crowd-sourced interview questions, company reviews, salary estimates, and other information related to various organizations. This allows you to learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the company—and the role itself—before you apply.
- SimplyHired – SimplyHired is a centralized platform that amalgamates listings from other job sites. It also allows you to view shared Facebook and LinkedIn connections at each company, enabling you to quickly reach out if you find a mutual contact.
- Monster – Monster is only slightly less popular than Indeed. This website has a great mobile interface and plenty of helpful career-related content.
- CareerBuilder – CareerBuilder’s main benefit is that employers must pay to post jobs, which means there’s a better chance that the company is actually interested in finding an external candidate—rather than simply posting the job as part of an internal protocol.
- LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a robust social networking platform with a built-in job search engine. Once you find a job that interests you, you can see who in your network is connected to the company––and you can reach out to those people directly through the platform for more information.
- Higher Ed – If you’re looking for roles in academia, Higher Ed is a great website to explore. Keep in mind that many higher education roles require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, even if they consider assistants.
Facebook groups for OTA jobs
- The Occupational Therapy Job Seekers Facebook Group – I started this group in conjunction with OT Potential as a place for people to post jobs and ask job-hunting questions. OTAs will find plenty of roles across the US in this quickly growing Facebook group.
- Pediatric OT Jobs Facebook Group – With over 7,000 members (at the time of this article’s most recent update), this peds-specific group is a great place to find OTA roles focused on working with kiddos.
Networking to find OTA jobs
Networking is truly one of the best ways to land an OTA job that you love!
I recommend that you maintain ties with former classmates and colleagues, and reach out to OTAs and other healthcare professionals employed by facilities that interest you.
Networking can help you learn about jobs before they officially open, which gives you an edge in the application process. Keep an eye on facilities that interest you, and reach out to OT professionals who work there. Don’t discount the power of networking both in person and online; I’ve landed an interview through a Facebook message exchange!
To find an OTA doing the kind of work you aspire to, I recommend checking out our OT Directory. Here, you can see the types of jobs OTAs are doing in your region!
Find Traveling OTA Positions
Yes, occupational therapy assistants can travel! And they can make a good living in the process, so if you’re the type who enjoys change and wants to see the country, travel can be a great choice for you. Keep in mind that finding travel OTA jobs might be a bit more challenging than finding travel OT jobs—but the roles ARE out there!
Travel OTAs should really focus more on finding the right recruiter, rather than the right job. That’s because a good recruiter is key to finding good travel jobs—plus, you won’t have much time or desire to screen jobs when you’re busy living the traveler life!
If you’re not sure if travel therapy is right for you, check out my interview about life as traveling occupational therapist with Emily Butler, OTD.
Another great resource for travel OTAs is the Travel Therapists Facebook Group. This supportive community boasts nearly 15,000 members at the time of this article’s latest update. Here are some of the travel companies I see mentioned regularly:
- Anders Group
- Ardor Health Solutions
- Aureus Medical Group
- Comp Health
- Core Medical Group
- Fusion
- Jackson Therapy Partners
- MedTravelers
- Pioneer Healthcare Services
- Supplemental
Just let Nomadicare do all of the vetting for you!
As much as I’ve gushed about the benefits of travel, it CAN be a bit scary in the beginning. The travel therapy industry is known to be kind of shady, and some recruiters see you as a cash cow—rather than a human being who deserves to be placed in roles that won’t suck you dry.
I am so grateful to know Laura Latimer, OTR/L, who has been working for years to improve transparency within the travel industry. That’s exactly why she created Nomadicare, an organization that matches travelers with carefully vetted recruiters.
Let a seasoned OT traveler vet the recruiters for you
Laura Latimer, OTR/L, created Nomadicare to help you navigate your therapy traveling adventure.
Find Non-traditional OTA Jobs
There’s no law saying that you need to treat patients directly until you retire. OTAs have several options for working in the healthcare space without the physical burden of direct patient care.
One thing to keep in mind about non-clinical OTA jobs is that they can be a little elusive, and some of them do require a bachelor’s degree. You might need to do some digging to find the ones that are right for you. That said, here are a few non-clinical job titles that frequently go to OTAs. To narrow your results, I strongly recommend including “COTA” or “OTA” in your search queries.
- Director of Rehabilitation
- PPS Coordinator
- DME Coordinator
- DME Sales Representative
- Clinical/Rehab Liaison
- Recruiter
- Clinical Support Coordinator
- Care Manager
- Clinical Researcher
OTAs can also teach at the assistant level. Each state has different regulations and requirements, so definitely check with your state board to learn more. However, generally speaking, a bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred), NBCOT registration, state licensure, and 3-5 years of clinical experience are the minimum to become an OTA instructor.
You can also check out the resources offered by The Non-Clinical PT, which was founded by our friend Meredith Castin. This website is devoted to helping all rehabilitation professionals (not just physical therapists) transition out of patient care and into non-traditional roles. There are tons of helpful free resources and articles on the site.
The Non-Clinical PT also runs this free group:
Pro tip: If you get on the non-clinical PT mailing list, Meredith actually sends out non-clinical jobs she has found from around the country. It is awesome!
See all of our advice about pursuing a non-clinical role in our post: Find your Dream Non-Clinical OT Job!
Find Telehealth/Teletherapy OTA Jobs
Whether you have health issues, live in a saturated market, or are simply intrigued by the idea of telehealth, remote occupational therapy (also called telehealth OT) is gaining a lot of traction.
You can either serve clients in remote portions of your state or apply for a license in a state where there is a need, but you do need to be licensed where you live and where you are providing therapy.
You may also need to have experience in pediatrics, though adult teletherapy is on the rise. While some companies only hire OTs, quite a few do hire OTAs to perform teletherapy.
Here are some of the teletherapy companies that hire OTAs:
Creating the Perfect OTA Resume and Cover Letter
I would also like to caution against using the same exact OTA resume for every job you pursue. It’s always wise to tailor your resume to the job at hand, so you can show why you’re a great match for that specific role.
If you’re already squirming because you know your resume could use some work, don’t worry—I’ve got you covered! I created this article on How to Make Your OT Resume Stand Out to provide some pointers on how to create a stellar occupational therapy resume.
The article includes tips and tricks for using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to quickly jumpstart your job applications as well as a sample occupational therapy resume and cover letter.
Interviewing for OTA Jobs
I am always so nervous before job interviews, which is why I wrote the article 86 Occupational Therapy Job Interview Questions! This article has lots of great tips to help OTs and OTAs alike feel prepared and confident walking into their next job interview, regardless of setting.
Negotiating Your OTA Salary
I am a firm believer that you should always try to negotiate your salary. Most employers expect a little negotiation, and they will often offer you a salary that they expect to bump up a bit.
It’s important to note that your location, experience, setting, and patient population will affect your salary offer for a given position. When you receive your job offer, do some digging to explore whether the salary is in line with what you’d expect for someone with a similar level of experience in your location.
Check out our Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary Guide (for OTAs/COTAs) to help you with this research.
Conclusion
This article is quite comprehensive, but I realize that the OTA job market is always in flux, which is why we update this resource on a regular basis.
If you think of anything I should add in the meantime, contact us!
Disclaimer: I am an affiliate of Nomadicare. When you utilize these links provided, you are supporting us in the creation of more content that is carefully crafted to empower OTs and OTAs!