Occupational Therapy Assistants

People in this career often have these skills:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Develop patient therapy programs.
• Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
• Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.
• Record vital statistics or other health information.
• Maintain medical records.
• Teach basic living or other adaptive skills to patients or caregivers.

• Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
• Implement therapeutic programs to improve patient functioning.
• Assist patients with daily activities.
• Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
• Administer screening tests to determine abilities or treatment needs.
• Attend educational events to update medical knowledge.
• Prepare medical reports or documents.
• Communicate patient status to other health practitioners.
• Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel.
• Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
• Perform clerical work in medical settings.
• Process medical billing information.
• Clean medical equipment.
• Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
• Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
• Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
• Move patients to or from treatment areas.
• Make patient-assistive devices or device models.

• Social and Human Service Assistants

• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary

• Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

• Registered Nurses

• Psychiatric Technicians

• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

• Physical Therapist Assistants

• Medical Assistants

• Speech-Language Pathology Assistants

• Residential Advisors