Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. · 3.4%
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Occupation · SOC 31-2011.00
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: Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) · Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) · Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant (LOTA) · Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) · Acute Care Occupational Therapy Assistant (Acute Care OT Assistant) · Certified Occupational Assistant · Licensed Occupational Therapist Assistant (LOTA) · Occupational Therapist Assistant (OTA) · Registered Therapist Assistant · School Based Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (School Based COTA) · Certified Travel OTA (Certified Travel Occupational Therapist Assistant) · Home Health COTA (Home Health Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant)
Job family: Healthcare Support Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-31-2011-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. · 92.7% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+19.2% by 2034)
- 7,200 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Median pay $68,340/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
31st-percentile task overlap — yet about 7,200 openings a year (+19.2% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 7084% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 40th | -0.3 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 35th | 0.3 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 25th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.3). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 17th percentile among occupations · Low
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. | 1.9% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +19.2% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 7,200 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 49,200 → 58,700 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Occupational Therapy Assistants sits at the 57th percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
30% mean task exposure (2025)
57th percentile of 427 placed occupations
+4 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Health Associate Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified · 3259 | 30% | Minimal |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 70.8% working with AI · 23.3% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Learning · you ask AI to explain or teach |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 8.8% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. | Learning | 3.4% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. | 92.7% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions.From: Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. · 3.4% of measured AI use · learning
Tasks
All 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment. Core · importance 4.8
- Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs. Core · importance 4.8
- Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently. Core · importance 4.8
- Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior. Core · importance 4.8
- Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement. Core · importance 4.8
- Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records. Core · importance 4.7
- Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities. Core · importance 4.7
- Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves. Core · importance 4.7
- Attend continuing education classes. Core · importance 4.7
- Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabled clients. Core · importance 4.6
- Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient. Core · importance 4.6
- Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments. Core · importance 4.6
- Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect. Core · importance 4.5
- Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use. Core · importance 4.5
- Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments. Core · importance 4.4
- Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area. Core · importance 4.4
- Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans. Core · importance 4.3
- Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games. Core · importance 4.2
- Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. Core · importance 4.2
- Order any needed educational or treatment supplies. Core · importance 4.0
- Perform clerical duties, such as scheduling appointments, collecting data, or documenting health insurance billings. Core · importance 3.8
- Assist educational specialists or clinical psychologists in administering situational or diagnostic tests to measure client's abilities or progress. Supplemental · importance 3.7
Work activities
- Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
- Attend educational events to update medical knowledge.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Record vital statistics or other health information.
- Maintain medical records.
- Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.
- Develop patient therapy programs.
- Teach basic living or other adaptive skills to patients or caregivers.
- Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
- Administer screening tests to determine abilities or treatment needs.
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Implement therapeutic programs to improve patient functioning.
- Prepare medical reports or documents.
- Communicate patient status to other health practitioners.
- Make patient-assistive devices or device models.
- Clean medical equipment.
- Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
- Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
- Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
- Perform clerical work in medical settings.
- Process medical billing information.
- Move patients to or from treatment areas.
- Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel.
- Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.4 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.4 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.4 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 3.9 | |
| Speaking | 3.9 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 | |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.9 | |
| Time Management | 3.5 | |
| Instructing | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 45.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 91.7% | |
| Some College Courses | 5.1% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 2.7% | |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 0.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 7.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 6.0 | |
| Integrity | 5.0 | |
| Cooperation | 4.0 | |
| Empathy | 3.0 | |
| Social Orientation | 3.0 |
Interest areas
| Health Care Service | 6.4 | |
| Social Service | 6.2 | |
| Teaching/Education | 4.7 | |
| Professional Advising | 3.9 | |
| Personal Service | 3.6 | |
| Social Science | 3.1 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Social | 6.1 | |
| Conventional | 4.2 | |
| Realistic | 3.5 | |
| Investigative | 3.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $49,070 |
| 25th percentile | $59,950 |
| Median (50th) | $68,340 |
| 75th percentile | $77,340 |
| 90th percentile | $86,930 |
| People employed | 47,910 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 43,050 | $69,650 |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 19,370 | $65,590 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 3,490 | $59,240 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 550 | $75,500 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 470 | $75,130 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 460 | $63,440 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 140 | $65,520 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 90 | $47,650 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 90 | $62,400 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | — | $72,800 |
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry | — | $45,830 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 130.8× | 19,370 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 6× | 43,050 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 1.16× | 140 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 0.82× | 3,490 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 0.61× | 460 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.57× | 470 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.2× | 550 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Occupational Therapy Aides · 31-2012.00 Compare →
- Physical Therapist Assistants · 31-2021.00 Compare →
- Physical Therapist Aides · 31-2022.00 Compare →
- Psychiatric Technicians · 29-2053.00 Compare →
- Respiratory Therapists · 29-1126.00 Compare →
- Acute Care Nurses · 29-1141.01 Compare →
- Radiation Therapists · 29-1124.00 Compare →
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses · 29-2061.00 Compare →
- Medical Assistants · 31-9092.00 Compare →
- Massage Therapists · 31-9011.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapists · 29-1122.00 Compare →
- Recreational Therapists · 29-1125.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Occupational Therapy Assistants — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 57th percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Occupational Therapy Assistants show 31st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,200 annual U.S. openings
- Occupational Therapy Assistants rank in the 31st percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 7,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+19.2%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $68,340, across about 47,910 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 71% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Occupational Therapy Assistants show 31st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 7,200 annual U.S. openings • Occupational Therapy Assistants rank in the 31st percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 7,200 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+19.2%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $68,340, across about 47,910 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 71% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Occupational Therapy Assistants". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2011-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Occupational Therapy Assistants." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2011-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Occupational Therapy Assistants. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2011-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-31-2011-00,
title = {Occupational Therapy Assistants},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2011-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.