Occupational therapy assistants
Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, direct activity programs, and document the progress of treatments. Generally requires formal training.
BLS SOC 31-2011 · O*NET-SOC 31-2011.00 · BLS 2025–2035 · O*NET 31.0
Median annual wage, 2025
$72,300
Projected change, 2025–2035
21.5%
2025–2035 annual average openings
8,100
AI exposure
Moderate
Editorial analysis
AI can track progress. Occupational therapy is about making life workable.
Occupational therapy assistants help people regain or develop the ability to perform real activities: dressing, preparing food, using a hand after injury, navigating school, returning to work, or adapting to a disability. AI can support this work through motion tracking, adaptive devices, documentation, personalized exercises, and progress monitoring.
The goal is not a perfect movement score
Two people with the same diagnosis may need very different therapy because their homes, jobs, family responsibilities, interests, and abilities differ. Occupational therapy is built around those individual circumstances.
- Sensors and computer vision may provide more detailed movement feedback.
- Home practice can be monitored between appointments.
- AI can reduce documentation time and help therapists review progress.
- Hands-on assistance, adapting activities, motivation, safety, and understanding what matters to the patient remain central.
Assistants who become comfortable with adaptive technology and digital rehabilitation tools may gain useful new capabilities. The technology can add measurements and practice opportunities, while the therapist and assistant continue translating recovery into everyday life.
Labor-market picture
Two measures, different questions
These measures offer two different ways to understand the occupation: BLS projections show how national employment may change over time, while relative AI exposure highlights where tasks may intersect with AI-related capabilities. Read them with the work profile and your local context to decide what deserves closer investigation.
Employment
- Employment, 2025
- 52,200 jobs
- Projected employment, 2035
- 63,400 jobs
- Projected change, 2025–2035
- 11,200 jobs (21.5%)
Relative AI exposure
BLS category: Moderate. This is a relative task-exposure classification, not a forecast of employment change, automation, wages, or worker replacement.
Relative AI exposure · Moderate
Work profile
Representative tasks
These task statements come from O*NET 31.0. They are source facts, not labels assigned by the AI exposure measure.
- Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
- Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
- Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
- Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
- Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
- Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
Skills that matter
Skills in the source profile
Importance uses O*NET's 1–5 scale. Level uses its 0–7 scale. Select a skill to see its source definition and reported values.
Technology and tools
These technology records come from O*NET and show software or tools reported in the occupation profile. They describe work context, not a required checklist for every employer.
- Billing and invoicing software
- Accounting software
- Medical software
- Computer based training software
- Action games
- Data base user interface and query software
- Electronic mail software
- Web page creation and editing software
Preparation
- Typical entry education
- Associate's degree
- Related experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
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Source provenance
Labor-market and exposure facts: bls-ep-2025-35. Work profile: onet-31.0. Verify release details on the Sources page.