Having a disability or an illness can be tough in your daily life when it comes to doing your usual activities. Things like eating, bathing, or reading can be hard for people with special conditions, resulting in future problems and even trauma. However, not all is lost, as occupational therapists’ assistants tend to find a way to help you.

Occupational therapy assistants work under the direction of an occupational therapist and administer therapy treatments and procedures to help patients recover. To develop, or improve skills needed for daily living and working.

Just taking a closer look with Pritish Kumar Halder at the occupational therapy assistants interview.

File Name: Occupational therapy assistants – Child patient

Alt-Text:  Occupational therapy assistants may work with children who have developmental disabilities.

 

They work primarily in occupational therapists’ offices, hospitals, and nursing care facilities. They spend much of their time on their feet while setting up equipment and, in the case of assistants, providing therapy to patients. Overall employment of occupational therapy assistants is projected to grow 34% from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Occupational Therapy Assistants’ Interview: the Basics

To be successful as an occupational therapy assistant you should be compassionate and enjoy working with people. An excellent candidate should maintain a positive attitude and be able to provide the highest degree of quality care to patients.

It is not that simple, if you are interested in this branch of medical healthcare, you need to possess at least a master’s degree in occupational therapy. It’s always best to have some knowledge about the most common areas of study such as psychology, biology, and pediatric health. In addition to taking coursework, they must complete at least 16 weeks of fieldwork to gain hands-on work experience. People interested in becoming occupational therapy assistants should take high school courses in biology and health education.

The level of the interview will directly depend on the experience you have, followed by your qualification and work skills. However, if the candidate is an experienced person, the process can tricky and technical to test the applicant’s true abilities.

List of Topics to Prepare

Occupational therapy assistants are directly involved in providing therapy to patients; occupational therapy aides typically perform support activities. Assistants work under the direction of occupational therapists. There are many concepts that the interviewer can question you about. While the level of questions does depend on the experience of the candidate, it usually revolves around these topics:

  • Knowledge of psychology, biology, and pediatric health
  • Knowledge of coursework, at least 16 weeks of fieldwork to gain hands-on work experience
  • Understanding of high school courses in biology and health education
  • Knowledge of accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
  • Knowledge of certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR)
  • Accredited by ACOTE and must have passed the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant exam
  • Experience community college or technical school program by doing volunteer work in a healthcare setting, such as a nursing care
  • Understanding of helping patients do therapeutic activities, such as stretches and other exercises
  • Knowledge of leading children who have developmental disabilities in play activities that promote coordination and socialization
  • Encourage patients to complete activities and tasks
  • Teach patients how to use special equipment
  • Understanding of Record patients’ progress, reporting to occupational therapists, and doing other administrative tasks

When interviewing for an Occupational therapy assistant interview position, your interviewer will ask questions to assess your performance in regional knowledge and experience. The answers you give can be a deciding factor in whether you receive a job offer.

Learn More about the Job

Anyone serious about landing a job or acing an Occupational therapy assistant’s interview should have adequate knowledge about the concepts mentioned above. More importantly, the applicant should know what position they are applying to and the nature of the job to prepare accordingly.

File Name: Occupational therapy assistants – Hospital

Alt-Text: Understanding of helping patients does therapeutic activities, such as stretches and other exercises.

 

However, if you feel overwhelmed, get in touch with Pritish Kumar Halder to help you nail the interview. With his expertise in Occupational therapy assistant’s interview preparation, from core Occupational therapy assistant’s interview questions to advanced Occupational therapy assistant’s interview questions, you’ll have brilliant responses ready.

Get in touch with us today!

 

Composed by: Suma Sarker

Reference:

  1. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/occupational-therapy-assistants-and-aides.htm#tab-2