Mississippi In Demand Career Highlight: Occupational Therapy Assistant
Summary
TLDRTalisha Davis, a certified occupational therapist assistant (COTA), shares her passion for helping patients improve their daily living skills. She was inspired by her great-grandmother's experience with dementia and the therapies she received. Talisha encourages aspiring COTAs to complete a two-year degree and certification exam, highlighting various specializations and the potential to work with diverse age groups. She emphasizes the rewarding nature of the job, which typically involves working with 6-10 patients daily in settings like hospitals and home health, with an average salary of $60,710 per year.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Talisha Davis is a certified occupational therapist assistant (OTA).
- 🔑 The role of an OTA is to help patients develop, recover, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
- 👵 Talisha's interest in occupational therapy was sparked by her great-grandmother's experience with dementia and the decline in her independence.
- 🏫 To become an OTA, one must complete a two-year degree from an accredited occupational therapy assistant program.
- 📝 After degree completion, one must pass a national certification exam to become a certified OTA, also known as a COTA.
- 🤝 There are specialized certifications available, such as certified hand therapy, for those interested in specific areas of occupational therapy.
- 🕗 The average workweek for a COTA is 40 hours, with some home health workers having more flexible schedules.
- 💰 The average salary for a COTA is $60,710 per year across the state.
- 📈 COTAs typically see between six to ten patients a day, with sessions ranging from 15 minutes to 60 minutes.
- 🏥 Occupational therapy assistants can work in various settings including hospitals, rehab facilities, nursing homes, therapy clinics, home health, and pediatric settings.
- 👶👵 COTAs work with a wide range of ages, from children to the elderly.
- 🎓 High school students interested in this career path are advised to take as many prerequisites as possible to get a head start and save on costs.
- 💖 Talisha loves her job and finds it fulfilling, which has given her a different perspective on life, teaching her patience and empathy.
Q & A
What is Talisha Davis's profession?
-Talisha Davis is a certified occupational therapist assistant.
What role do occupational therapy assistants play in patient care?
-Occupational therapy assistants help patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
What personal experience influenced Talisha Davis's career choice?
-Talisha Davis's interest in occupational therapy was sparked by her great-grandmother's experience with dementia and the decline in her independence, which required occupational and physical therapy.
What is the educational requirement to become an occupational therapy assistant?
-To become an occupational therapy assistant, one must complete a two-year degree from an accredited occupational therapy assistant program.
What certification exam must be taken after completing the educational program?
-After completing the educational program, one must take a national certification exam to become a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA).
Are there any specialized certifications available for COTAs?
-Yes, there are specialized certifications available, such as certified hand therapy, which focuses mainly on the hands.
What is the average weekly work schedule for a COTA?
-Most COTAs work a total of 40 hours a week.
How flexible are the schedules for COTAs working in home health?
-COTAs working in home health may have more flexible schedules compared to those working in other settings.
What is the average salary for a COTA across the state according to the script?
-The average salary for a COTA across the state is sixty thousand seven hundred ten dollars per year.
How many patients does Talisha Davis typically see in a day?
-Talisha Davis typically sees between six to ten patients a day.
What is the range of time Talisha Davis spends with each patient?
-The longest amount of time Talisha Davis spends with a person is 60 minutes, and the shortest is 15 minutes.
In which settings can COTAs find work opportunities?
-COTAs can find work opportunities in hospitals, rehab facilities, nursing homes, therapy clinics, home health, and pediatric settings.
What advice does Talisha Davis give to those considering this career path straight out of high school?
-Talisha Davis advises getting as many prerequisites as possible in high school to get a head start and save money.
What personal growth has Talisha Davis experienced in her career as a COTA?
-Talisha Davis has experienced personal growth in patience and empathy through her career as a COTA.
What is Talisha Davis's perspective on pursuing a career in occupational therapy assistance?
-Talisha Davis encourages pursuing a career in occupational therapy assistance if it is something one truly wants to do, as it has given her a different perspective on life.
Outlines
🤗 Introduction to Occupational Therapy Assistant Career
Talisha Davis, a certified occupational therapist assistant (OTA), introduces the profession, explaining that OTAs help patients develop, recover, and maintain skills for daily life and work. She shares her personal motivation for entering the field, inspired by her great-grandmother's experience with dementia and the subsequent need for occupational and physical therapy. Talisha outlines the educational path to become a certified OTA, which includes completing a two-year degree from an accredited program and passing a national certification exam. She also mentions additional certifications like certified hand therapy and discusses the typical work schedule, salary, and patient interaction times.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Certified Occupational Therapist
💡Occupational Therapy Assistant
💡Daily Living Skills
💡Dementia
💡Physical Therapy
💡National Certification Exam
💡Certified Hand Therapy
💡Work Schedule
💡Average Salary
💡Patient Interaction
💡Career Path
Highlights
Introduction by Talisha Davis, a certified occupational therapy assistant.
Occupational therapy assistants help patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain skills needed for daily living and working.
Talisha's interest in occupational therapy began with her great-grandmother's dementia and the therapy she received.
To become an occupational therapy assistant, you need to complete a two-year degree from an accredited program at a community college.
Upon completion of the degree, you must take a national certification exam to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).
There are additional certifications available, such as certified hand therapy, depending on your area of interest.
Most COTAs work 40 hours a week, but those in home health may have more flexible schedules.
The average salary for a COTA across the state is $60,710 per year.
A typical day involves seeing between 6 to 10 patients, with session times ranging from 15 to 60 minutes.
Occupational therapy assistants work in various settings, including hospitals, rehab facilities, nursing homes, therapy clinics, home health, and pediatric settings.
COTAs have the opportunity to work with a wide range of ages, from children to the elderly.
High school students interested in this career should focus on completing as many prerequisites as possible to get a head start.
Talisha emphasizes the importance of patience and empathy in this career.
Talisha expresses her passion for her job, mentioning how she goes to bed thinking about her work and wakes up excited to start the day.
The career has provided Talisha with a different perspective on life, teaching her patience and empathy.
Final encouragement: If you're passionate about this career, go for it.
Transcripts
[Music]
hello my name is Talisha Davis and I'm a
certified occupational therapist
assistant occupational therapy
assistants help patients develop recover
improve as well as maintain the skills
needed for daily living and working your
fit for this career if you have a desire
to help others live their best life my
great-grandmother she had dementia so
she started to decline in her
independence and we would have
occupational therapy physical therapy
and that's how I got interested in it
and became well aware of it launch your
career as an occupational therapy
assistant by completing a two-year
degree from an accredited occupational
therapy assistant program at your local
Community College upon completion you
will take a national certification exam
to become a certified occupational
therapy assistant or Coda as they are
referred to with being in this field you
can have other sort of applications like
certified hand therapy where they focus
mainly on the hands there are other
certifications that you could obtain
while you have this degree it just
depends on what you're interested in
most codas work a total of 40 hours a
week though some who work at home health
may have more flexible schedules the
average salary across the state is sixty
thousand seven hundred ten dollars per
year
typically I see between six to ten
patients a day and for the longest
amount of time I see a person would be
60 Minutes in the shortest amount of
time I could possibly see a person would
be 15. believe it or not it is busy it's
a very upbeat job there are a lot of
settings you can find in occupational
therapy assistance such as hospitals
rehab facilities nursing homes therapy
clinics home health and pediatric
settings this allows CODIS to work with
a wide range of Ages from children to
the elderly if you do want to follow
this career path straight out of high
school I would say go ahead and get as
many prereqs as you can in high school
that way you can get kind of a head
start and then it's cheaper I love what
I do I go to bed thinking about what I'm
gonna do the next day and I wake up
ready to do it being in this career
field it's given me a different
perspective on life it has taught me
patience empathy and if it's something
that you truly want to do I would say go
for it
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