Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary
Going back to school can be a great thing. Upon making the important decision to further your education, you will be taking the first steps on the right path to a successful future. With a big occupational therapy assistant salary, you can change your life, and someone else’s as well. If you decide to go back to school and you decide that you want to become an occupational therapist’s assistant, you might find yourself wondering just how much money you will be banking annually. This question is one of great importance, because many factors will affect your salary. These factors can include your years of experience, the company you choose to work for, whether you get a bonus, and whether you work overtime or not.
Your Experience Matters
The first thing to take into great consideration when you’re going back to school to become an occupational therapist’s assistant is the number of years experience you have in the field. In some cases, people who go back to school to become certified occupational therapist’s assistants have previously volunteered their time helping those who need help regaining vital motor skills. This can affect your paycheck, because those people will have had prior experience before they became certified.
Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary Facts
The second thing that is important in determining the salary of an occupational therapist’s assistant is who you are going to work for once you have become a Certified Occupational Therapist’s Assistant, otherwise known as a COTA. Depending on what employer you choose, the amount of money you will make can vary. Aegis Therapies, Inc. pays an hourly rate to certified occupational therapist’s assistants of $19.10 to $33.59. This is currently the highest recorded pay rate in the nation. HCR Manor Care Inc. pays approximately between $17.83 and $32.32 per hour. Rehabcare Group, Inc. comes in on Aegis’ coattails, paying between $19.39 and $32.63 per hour. If you should choose to work in a private practice, supervised by an occupational therapist, you could make more money than you would working for a company, but the choice is entirely up to you.
Finally, working overtime can help you to earn more money per year than just working your designated number of hours. Overtime pay can range from $23.21 to $45.09 per hour. Working shifts for others or just working longer than is expected of you can help you to put quite a great deal of extra money in your bank account. If you get a bonus, which, according to statistics, can range from $1.26 to $2,607 on average can also affect your yearly salary as an occupational therapist’s assistant as well. Because there are so many factors that can help determine how much money you can make as a certified occupational therapist’s assistant, the amounts previously mentioned are just an approximate estimate. Chances are, you will make more money than the said amounts. By going back to school and earning your degree, you will be bettering your life, your bank account and the lives of so many others as well. A big occupational therapy assistant salary is important, but not as important as the job you will be doing.
