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Boston Career Explorer

Healthcare Support

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.

Also called: Acute Care Occupational Therapy Assistant (Acute Care OT Assistant), Certified Occupational Assistant, Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), Licensed Occupational Therapist Assistant (LOTA), Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant (LOTA)

Compare with my current job (Recreational Therapists)
Median pay in Greater Boston
$75,300
$36.20/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
850
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+16.3%
220 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$42,120$60,820$75,300$80,350$83,550

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure42 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 38
  • Language-model AIOE 46
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 41

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is moderate, but observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools could help with writing progress notes and reports to supervisors. They do not do the hands-on work of coaching patients, teaching families, and carrying out treatment plans.

Likely to change

  • Writing progress notes and reports
  • Summarizing patient progress for supervisors

Still relies on people

  • Coaching and encouraging patients in person
  • Teaching families to use adaptive equipment

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

1 program near Boston

Related occupations

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