What Is an Occupational Therapy Support Worker?

An occupational therapy support worker, sometimes called an occupational therapy assistant or occupational therapy technician, works under the direction of an occupational therapist to provide a treatment plan for each patient. This may include teaching patients how to move from a bed into a wheelchair, perform therapeutic exercises, or complete daily living tasks. Occupational therapy support workers may also work with those with developmental disabilities, teaching them skills to be more independent.

Is working as an occupational therapy support worker a good start to pursuing a career as an occupational therapist?

Working as an occupational therapy support worker will typically provide you with the skills and foundational education you need to advance in the career path to leadership positions within occupational therapy support work or to become an occupational therapist. You will usually gain the required experience should you decide to advance your education. 

What are the primary duties and responsibilities of an occupational therapy support worker?

Occupational therapy support workers are healthcare professionals who work under the supervision of occupational therapists to help patients recover from injuries and enhance their physical health so they can perform daily activities effectively. The occupational therapist diagnoses a patient and prescribes a treatment plan. The occupational therapy support worker then works one-on-one with the patient to perform therapeutic activities and exercises. 

Occupational therapy support workers may also perform basic clerical duties such as scheduling appointments, answering phone calls and emails, collecting patients’ medical histories, and ordering medical supplies.

An occupational therapy support worker supports the occupational therapist with:

• Helping patients with therapeutic activities

• Encouraging patients and ensuring they are doing their therapy exercises properly 

• Teaching patients how to manage their treatment programme

• Documenting a patient’s progress as required by the occupational therapist

Where do occupational therapy support workers work?

As an occupational therapy support worker, you can find work in various settings, such as health centres, NHS hospital wards and clinics, private hospitals, GP surgeries, residential homes, or clients’ own homes.  

How much do occupational therapy support workers earn?

According to the National Careers Service in the UK, the average salary range for occupational therapy support workers is £24,000 to £30,000 [1]. This will likely fluctuate depending on location, job environment, responsibilities, and years of experience. 

How do I qualify as an occupational therapy support worker?

The path to becoming an occupational therapy support worker typically involves a college course or apprenticeship. Training and licensing are generally completed on the job under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist. 

One of the most common ways to enter into an occupational therapy support worker role is through taking college courses and completing a relevant certificate or diploma such as:

• Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care

• Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support

• Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Health and Social Care

• Level 2 Certificate in Work Preparation for Health and Social Care

• Level 2 Certificate in Healthcare Support Services

Earning these qualifications typically includes placement in occupational support worker-related positions, which can be a great way to build your network and gain experience. To enter into these programmes, you will usually need between 2 to 5 GSCEs in grades 9 to 4, depending on whether you are entering level 2 or 3 courses.

A healthcare support worker apprenticeship or senior healthcare support worker advanced apprenticeship are also great ways to gain work experience and enter this role. You will usually need up to 5 GCSEs in grades 9 to 4 to enter these apprenticeships.

Career progression

Many occupational therapy support workers register with the British Association and College of Occupational Therapists (BAOT/COT) as associate members to open networking opportunities and gain support for continued education. The BAOT/COT has many courses and seminars to help occupational therapy support workers advance their skill sets. 

You can take several steps to progress your career as an occupational therapy support worker. As you gain experience, you can move into team leadership positions that involve managing and supervising groups of occupational support workers. 

Another career path is to begin training to become an occupational therapist. To pursue this option, study to obtain qualifications, such as the Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support, or complete a Foundation degree in Health and Social Care. From here, you could enter a degree or degree apprenticeship designed to help you start a career as an occupational therapist. In many cases, your employer may support your transition and help you manage work as an occupational therapy support worker while training to become an occupational therapist.

Get started

If you’re still considering whether becoming an occupational therapy support worker or pursuing another healthcare career is for you, explore what it’s like to work in the field by taking the Science of Exercise course offered by the University of Colorado Boulder on Coursera.