occupational therapy assistant

Occupational therapy assistants support occupational therapists by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement. They work under the supervision of an occupational therapist.

Scope note

Includes people working with students. Includes people performing staff supervision.

Alternative Labels

assistant in occupational therapy

occupational therapy rehabilitation assistant

OT assistant

OT support worker

support worker in occupational therapy

technician in occupational therapy

Regulatory Aspect

To see if and how this occupation is regulated in EU Member States, EEA countries or Switzerland please consult the Regulated Professions Database of the Commission. Regulated Professions Database:

http://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/services/free-movement-professionals/qualifications-recognition_en

Skills & Competences

Essential Skills and Competences

advise healthcare users on occupational health apply techniques of occupational therapy assist healthcare users achieve autonomy communicate in healthcare develop therapeutic relationships empathise with the healthcare user ensure safety of healthcare users exercise patience follow clinical guidelines instruct on the use of special equipment for daily activities interact with healthcare users listen actively monitor patients' progress related to treatment remediate healthcare user's occupational performance

Essential Knowledge

community-based rehabilitation ergonomics health care occupation-specific ethics hygiene in a health care setting movement techniques occupational health occupational physiology occupational science supervision of persons vocational rehabilitation

Optional Skills and Competences

assist in performing physical exercises create individual treatment programmes deal with emergency care situations develop a rehabilitation programme perform occupation analyses perform patient activity analyses provide health education provide stroke rehabilitation services record healthcare users' progress related to treatment work in multidisciplinary health teams

Optional Knowledge

first aid general medicine geriatrics health care legislation human physiology kinesiology mechanotherapy neurology occupational therapy theories orthopaedics physical medicine rehabilitation

Skills & Competences

Concept URI

Concept Uri

http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/82cbe20d-967c-4161-9ecd-eafc724d171c

Status

released

Occupations