ROLES OF THE OTA

The OTA is a vital member of the treatment team. The role of the OTA and type of involvement is influenced by:

• The scope of practice of the state services are being provided

• The competency and experience of the OTA

• Third-party payer policy

• The policy of the organization

• The relationship between the OT and the OTA

The OTA has many roles within a department. They contribute to patient care and the daily functions of a department in a variety of ways.

Evaluation and Assessment

Though the evaluation is the primary responsibility of the OT, the OTA can contribute to the evaluation process by gathering information for the occupational profile and conducting specific assessments identified by the OT.

Group Treatment

This is a common function of the OTA. The type of group being run will vary considerably based on the population being served. For example, a group may address goal setting with individuals on an inpatient mental health unit with depression. The group activity may be a gross-motor obstacle course for children with sensory processing issues. The goals and the needs of the patient influences group activity selection. Reimbursement issues can also impact the use of group activity in certain settings.

Care Conference Reporting

In many settings the OTA will attend care conference meetings and report on the progress of a patient. Many of these meetings will include a number of other professionals (i.e. teacher, MD, RN, SW, SLP, PT), family, and caregivers.

Community Outings

In some settings the OTA will be involved in organizing community outings. This might include attending a career fair with a group of at-risk teenagers; going clothing shopping with a young woman who sustained a SCI needing to learn how to manage daily tasks from a wc; going to the grocery store with a man with COPD learning how to incorporate energy conservation techniques into daily activities.

Co-Treatments

There are times it is necessary for two disciplines to work with a patient simultaneously due to the acuity of the patient’s status. This must be performed judiciously and only when absolutely necessary. It may be required when the patient’s condition is complex and another set of skilled hands and eyes are required in order for therapy to occur.

For example, OT and PT may co-treat a patient with an involved patient with a newly acquired TBI and spinal fracture in order to get the patient into a wheelchair for the first time.

Individual Treatment

This is the primary function and experience of the OTA and involves providing direct OT service to the patient. This occurs in most treatment environments and requires the OTA to have strong clinical reasoning, interpersonal, observation skills. This tends to be what most therapists identify as the most rewarding part of the job.

Inventory and Equipment Management

Though not a glamorous part of the profession, all departments must maintain inventory of supplies and the condition of equipment to ensure safety and efficiency. This is typically a function of everyone in the department though the OTA may be more directly involved in ordering equipment and following up when equipment needs to be serviced.

Family/Caregiver Training

In many clinical settings, the OTA will be involved in providing education to the patient’s family and/or caregivers. This is an important part of part of facilitating continuity of care for the patient. This requires the OTA to understand the patient’s diagnosis, goals, plan of care, and possess strong communication skills.

Home Evaluations

The OTA may go to the patient’s home to assess the environment for safety and accessibility concerns, which may affect a successful transition home.

Inservice Training

In most departments, there is the expectation all staff will contribute to the education of the department and within the organization. The OTA will also be expected to attend inservices offered.

The OTA may be involved in training a shift of CNAs on a sensory protocol to use with an elderly resident with dementia to help her remain calm. A school system may want all new teachers to learn about how OT can help students succeed in the classroom and socially.  

Participation on Committees

In many settings, committees and teams form to address need areas or improve the quality of service provided. The focus of these committees might be to improve efficiency and timeliness, address a need area identified as a result of policy change, or design new programs to offer patients, for example.

The OTA may be directly involved in these planning committees and have a direct impact on creating policy and program which could positively impact OT service delivery.

Orientation Training

The OTA may represent the OT department in new employee orientation at a departmental or organizational level. This might involve discussing the role of OT in rehab to new hires or orienting a new therapist to the rehab department.

Quality Improvement

The OTA may be involved in quality improvement functions within a department. Organizations often require each department to monitor compliance with its policies. The OTA may be involved in collecting data to assess the degree of compliance to policies in place.

This might involve reviewing documentation in client records to determine is all therapists are documenting they have reviewed the wearing schedule and care of splints with each client. A rehab department may be asked to document the amount of time they spend looking for intact equipment to justify the need for new equipment. The OTA may review incident reports addressing resident falls to explore the need for fall prevention training in the facility.

Scheduling

The OTA may be involved in scheduling his/her schedule or that of the department.

Supervision

Many OT departments work with volunteers or have student programs. The OTA may be involved in providing direction and supervision to rehab aides, volunteers, or OT/OTA students. This role will be directly related to the competency and experience of the therapist to ensure required skills are in place.  

SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE

Please address the following questions based on your experience in the clinical site you are currently in.
Provide examples of how the OTA is involved in:

• documenting patient progress, services provided, and adherence to reimbursement requirements.

• the process of collecting information for the department’s quality improvement process.
• patient care coordination and case management activities
• transition services for patients
• advocacy for change in service delivery and policy development for the department or organization.
• addressing new practice area service provision or development
• marketing of OT service