# Occupational Therapy Aides

> Under close supervision of an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing patient and treatment room.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/occupational-therapy-aides
- SOC code: 31-2012.00
- Career family: Healthcare support
- Median annual pay: $39,160 (10th percentile $29,430, 90th percentile $70,200)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.6%
- Openings a year: 600
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SRC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 49 |
| Investigative (I) | 26 |
| Artistic (A) | 12 |
| Social (S) | 83 |
| Enterprising (E) | 14 |
| Conventional (C) | 45 |

## What you'd do

- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 96/100)
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public (importance 88/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 85/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 83/100)
- Getting Information (importance 81/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 78/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 75/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 74/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 73/100)
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (importance 73/100)

## Skills

Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, Writing

## Knowledge

Therapy and Counseling, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training, Medicine and Dentistry, Public Safety and Security, Administrative, Administration and Management

## Also called

Certified Occupational Rehabilitation Aide (CORA), Direct Service Professional (DSP), Direct Support Professional (DSP), Independent Living Specialist, Occupational Rehabilitation Aide, Occupational Therapist Aide (OT Aide), Occupational Therapy Aide (OT Aide), Rehabilitation Aide (Rehab Aide), Rehabilitation Nursing Technician (Rehab Nursing Tech), Rehabilitation Services Aide

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5126) (CIP 5126, 93 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Piedmont Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/piedmont-technical-college-2110) | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | $35,288 | $48,358 | $16,369 |
| [Carrington College-Mesa](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carrington-college-mesa-415) | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | $30,467 | $34,955 | $9,500 |
| [Central Louisiana Technical Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/central-louisiana-technical-community-college-464) | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | $21,709 | $27,344 | $9,500 |
| [Northwest Louisiana Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northwest-louisiana-technical-college-1949) | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | $21,845 | $23,162 | not reported |
| [Louisiana Delta Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/louisiana-delta-community-college-1540) | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | $24,088 | $22,738 | $9,500 |
| [Northshore Technical Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northshore-technical-community-college-1942) | Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | not reported | $19,442 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Physical Therapist Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-therapist-aides): $35,240 median pay
- [Occupational Therapy Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/occupational-therapy-assistants): $72,300 median pay
- [Physical Therapist Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-therapist-assistants): $68,380 median pay
- [Psychiatric Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/psychiatric-technicians): $45,130 median pay
- [Rehabilitation Counselors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rehabilitation-counselors): $46,850 median pay
- [Psychiatric Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/psychiatric-aides): $44,910 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.