How to hire occupational therapy aides

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Assist occupational therapists in planning, implementing, and administering therapy programs to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, using selected activities and special equipment.
• Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual and creative arts and games.
• Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
• Instruct patients and families in work, social, and living skills, the care and use of adaptive equipment, and other skills to facilitate home and work adjustment to disability.
• Observe patients' attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.
• Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.
• Report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments.
• Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong speaking, active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension and writing skills
• Working knowledge of therapy and counseling, English Language, customer and personal service and psychology
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $18.83 an hour ($39,160 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for occupational therapy aides

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to assist occupational therapists in planning, implementing, and administering therapy programs to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, using selected activities and special equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual and creative arts and games. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to instruct patients and families in work, social, and living skills, the care and use of adaptive equipment, and other skills to facilitate home and work adjustment to disability. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
6. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
7. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What occupational therapy aides do

• Assist occupational therapists in planning, implementing, and administering therapy programs to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance, using selected activities and special equipment.
• Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual and creative arts and games.
• Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
• Instruct patients and families in work, social, and living skills, the care and use of adaptive equipment, and other skills to facilitate home and work adjustment to disability.
• Observe patients' attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.
• Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.
• Report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments.
• Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area.

Skills that matter most

SpeakingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingMonitoringReading ComprehensionWritingTherapy and CounselingEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServicePsychology

Education, experience and outlook for occupational therapy aides

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 1 to 3 months (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +3.6% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 600 openings a year (BLS)

Related hiring guides

• Physical Therapist Aides
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Psychiatric Technicians
• Rehabilitation Counselors
• Psychiatric Aides
• Respiratory Therapists
• Nursing Assistants
• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Job duties and skills: 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; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.