What is a day in the life of an Occupational Therapy assistant?
Well personally, a day for me can completely vary. It can start anywhere from assisting an occupational therapist at assessments or completing interventions with children to support them in areas they may need. No two days are the same, nor are two weeks. That’s what I love, consistently on the go, helping to make a difference.
Supporting Occupational Therapists
Let’s start with the wonderful occupational therapists and how myself as an OTA helps assist. When my day consists of helping an occupational therapist this can start with anything from helping them with different assessments in or around schools or helping them with general office admin or assisting them during teacher and parent presentations. I will also spend time discussing intervention plans, and children’s goals that the OT will have set.
Supporting Children and Young People
When it comes to delivering support to children and young people my days begin in my car travelling to the school where I start my day. Then from here I deliver a range of support depending on the day.
It could be a 1:1 intervention with a child that has set goals made in the OT assessment, that I’m trying to help the children meet based on the OT’s report and plan. Or it could be a group session with 2-3 children with generalised skill development. This can be anything from sensory circuits to fine and gross motor skills. It can also be helping to support staff, demonstrating strategies that I’ve been using in interventions, or OT recommendations. Or even helping schools with sensory paths, and walls.
Then typically I can be at up to 2 different schools in a day, seeing lots of different little characters, and delivering lots of different support.
A Typical Day for an OTA
You also have the laptop side of things! Replying to emails, sending over resources, and writing up detailed notes after interventions. Then you have the planning side of things too, ensuring I’ve got all the resources I need, and I’m prepared for any sessions.
No 2 days are the same for me as an OTA, and it’s brilliant in my opinion. Constantly changing, adapting and on the go. One minute I’m delivering a fine motor intervention, then I’m doing sensory circuits and walking around like a bear, next I’ve got gross motor skills involving a crocodile party and helping children cross the plank! Then off to help a group of children with their prewriting shapes, then sit down to complete my notes. My days are full packed with assisting OT’s and delivering interventions with children, and young people, in a range of settings and environments across Liverpool. No two days are the same, but every day is brilliant!