Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

It is sad to see that the two people on this forum that have actually been in the OTA profession and have given me some good advice are acting so unprofessionally. Neither of you should have to prove yourselves to one another or anyone else. Is this a reason to stay out of OTA???

I agree

Debbie P, COTA/L in Fayetteville, North Carolina said: I want to appolize for these people in the OT profession. The profession as a whole is wonderful, helping people try to gain or regain their independence in everyday living skills. I find it very rewarding and the pay isn't that bad either. You have to like working with people. Some of these people could be burned out and they may need to do something else. This can happen in any job profession anyway. You just have to learn how to prevent it and not allow it to happen. Anyway, I hope this helps.

Burnt Out?? Noooo... I just strive to better myself. Becoming a Doctor is something I have been wanting to do for a long time. Now I am there :) I have always enjoyed my job as a COTA and will miss helping people regain their independence. However, now I can help them even more as a Doctor, and my choice of Treatments will now be mine not some OTR's. Maybe you should not judge people before you know them

COTAMAN said: Burnt Out?? Noooo... I just strive to better myself. Becoming a Doctor is something I have been wanting to do for a long time. Now I am there :) I have always enjoyed my job as a COTA and will miss helping people regain their independence. However, now I can help them even more as a Doctor, and my choice of Treatments will now be mine not some OTR's. Maybe you should not judge people before you know them

For once, I have to say that I agree with COTAMAN on this one. I am not burnt out and actually quite love my job. In fact, I work for 6 other companies on an as needed basis in my area aside from my full time job. I absolutely love my patients. Unfortunately in my area there are more opportunities for rehab managers and OTRs in my area which is why I am working to better myself as well. I don't need you to apologize for me, Debbie but thanks anyway. COTAMAN and I just don't agree on some things. It doesn't make either of us bad people.

I think we all have our own opinions on what lies in the future for COTA's. After beening layed off from my job as a COTA three times in one year I decided to go back to school and get my Masters in OT. I worked as a COTA for 16 years and have seen the need for them decline over the years. I read an article on the NBCOT website that was written by the President of the NBCOT. He stated much concern about the drastic deline in OTA 's taking the national exam. I was shocked to see there was a 75% decline in the last seven years... 1999 to 2006.

Hey COTAMAN... congradulations! My brother is two years away from becoming a Doctor himself and know how difficult and stressful medical school is. I don't think I could deal with 12 years of college... six was enough for me.

Hey people... if you are thinking of a career as a COTA and not afraid to move listen. The hot spots for COTA's right now are. All other states are not so good.
1) Florida... A lot of jobs
2) California... expensive to live
3) Texas... Strict OTA supervision laws
4) New Jersey... How long do you want to wait for your license
5) Ohio... Long drawn out process to get a license

I am planning to start school in the fall to become an OTA. If I want to become an OT, can I just continue my education or will I have to start over?

All of your OTA classes will count toward your OTR, however, keep in mind that there are a few pre-requisite classes that you may not get with your OTA degree that you will need to complete before being accepted into OT school. Physiology is one of them for me.

Thanks, Jennifer, for your response. I'm not sure what I'll want to do after the 2 yr course, but I was glad to hear that I will be moving in that direction, if I choose to go on to OT.
By the way, congratulations to the new Dr. C!

Thanks SallyOTR and Karen...Friday was my last day as a COTA and will start my residency starting in August. It feels kind of strange leaving a field that I have known for 27 years and looking back at all the changes that have evolved along the the way. Kind of sad thinking about it... Oh well, here's to all those cranky COTA's out there... Bye!

Well after only a year working as a COTA I have had enough and have enrolled back into college. The OT/PT's were so arrogant and power hungry that I finally said enough is enough. I get tired of going to work and being degraded by these therapists. I have worked for five companies in the last year but they are all the same. I should have listened to my High School counselor and got my degree in Dental Hygiene. Next time I'll listen.

Hi, I just got accepted to a 2 year ota program this fall in san diego. I'm not that familiar with the payscale, but my director told me it's between $20-$32/hr? can ota work overtime as well? I was also wondering if you really have to clean patients BM like a CNA? Can someone tell me your daily activities? thanks

I think your director is daydreaming. I no of no COTA's that make that much here in So Cal. After eleven years of being a COTA I only made $23 an hour. I guess if you have twenty years or more experience then maybe, but don't count on it. Overtime... I was lucky to get 20-30 hours a week. Right now I am back in school and will be graduating next year.

I am basically thinking I will forget going for my COTA degree. This is sounding more and more awful. The OTA's who have supervised me have been very nice, and I have seen no arrogance - though, I guess, it might change once I am actually working in the field. I think I will pursue the personal training/rehab exercise route and simply continue to be self-employed.

Still, this all makes me kind of sad! I was hoping to have an "official" job title for once.

susan in Park City, Utah said: I am basically thinking I will forget going for my COTA degree. This is sounding more and more awful. The OTA's who have supervised me have been very nice, and I have seen no arrogance - though, I guess, it might change once I am actually working in the field. I think I will pursue the personal training/rehab exercise route and simply continue to be self-employed.

Still, this all makes me kind of sad! I was hoping to have an "official" job title for once.

Susan there are many rewarding careers in the Medical field, however, being a COTA is not one of them. Therapists have always had a bad ruputation within the medical community as being above everyone else and to some degree I agree. Go talk to a career counselor at a college, they can help you find a career that is right for you. Fluctuating cases loads leading to few hours and low pay are what's making me look into a new career as well.

Jasmine if BM and changing diapers bothes you, you will not like being a COTA. I've had to do this many times
to get my patients ready... it comes with the job. Sometimes CNA's are so lazy especially the PR and Cuban's.

Hey Carol,
where in california are u from? i'm really confused now because my cousin told me that her friend who works at the nursing home makes $30/hr as an ota. is it hard to get a job or get hours? do you like your job?

jasmine in Chula Vista, California said: Hi, I just got accepted to a 2 year ota program this fall in san diego. I'm not that familiar with the payscale, but my director told me it's between $20-$32/hr? can ota work overtime as well? I was also wondering if you really have to clean patients BM like a CNA? Can someone tell me your daily activities? thanks

I find working as a cota very rewarding. I do not clean patients BMs because that time is not therapeutic or billable if you work in a nursing home. The pay scale that you are quoting sounds very reasonable. The job market here is very demanding. Hopefully, cota's will be working in newer setting in the future.

jasmine in Chula Vista, California said: Hey Carol,
where in california are u from? i'm really confused now because my cousin told me that her friend who works at the nursing home makes $30/hr as an ota. is it hard to get a job or get hours? do you like your job?

I think your friend is lying ot you. I live in Los Angeles and know of no COTA's that make $30 an hour. If I was making that kind of money I would still being working as an OTA. I have also had the unpleasant experience of wiping patients bottoms to get my patients ready like Ben. Yes, CNA's can be realy lazy here in So. Cal., but then again what do you expect when you pay someone $10 an hour to wipe bottoms all day. Also new California OT laws are limiting
where COTA's can practice and the modalities they can utilize. This is why there has been a hugh decrease in the amount of OTA's here. There are currently 29,000 OTR's and 800 COTA's presently on active status in California as of March 2007.

thanks for all the info. i was really indecisive at first to start in the fall or do nursing. all the information helped a lot, especially coming to those who are or were otas

Medicare going broke in 2019 is a right-winged Wolf Blitzer false claim!
As the Social Security trustees' report explains, "Even if a trust fund's assets are exhausted ... tax income will continue to flow into the fund." For Social Security, under current law, "Present tax rates would be sufficient to pay 75 percent of scheduled benefits after trust fund exhaustion in 2041 and 70 percent of scheduled benefits in 2081."
Listen to that garbage if you like but it only gives me more work and patients with less care.

I have been working as a traveling therapist assistant for since June 2000 and I make well over $100,000 annually and I have since passing my boards in June 2000. You get want you demand (within reason). I know COTA’s making less than $25,000 annually and I know COTA’s making what I make. Yes I have been replaced and I have also replaced registered therapists. Yes there are a lot more opportunities for OTR’s but being an assistant has many advantages and is a very excellent career choice.

Thank you, Keith. Finally someone else with some REAL knowledge about the Medicare situation. Great post. And I agree that OT is an excellent field and I look forward to continuing my education and excelling in this great field.

And you believe what is advertised on craigslist. I'm an COTA that used to work PRN for Healthcare Staffing Solutions and a few other Registry's in Cal. and don't no of any COTA's, including myself, that make $33.00 an hour. Also, this is a Registry staffing company that finds you work... kind of like day labor. Sometimes they find you work sometimes they don't. Luck of the draw. They can only guarantee you four hours when they do find you work. Sometimes these companies will post these outrageous salaries and benefits just to get you to sign up. When you do, they give you an offer letter that is a lot lower then what was advertised on the web site. They remind me of used car salesmen. There is an old saying in this field "People will promise you the moon but never deliver".

$100,000 a year!!!... who do you work for?! I have called every travel company out there and none of them pay nearly anything close to that. They tell me $18 to $25 an hour max from coast to coast.

Keith in Peterson, Alabama said: Medicare going broke in 2019 is a right-winged Wolf Blitzer false claim!
As the Social Security trustees' report explains, "Even if a trust fund's assets are exhausted ... tax income will continue to flow into the fund." For Social Security, under current law, "Present tax rates would be sufficient to pay 75 percent of scheduled benefits after trust fund exhaustion in 2041 and 70 percent of scheduled benefits in 2081."
Listen to that garbage if you like but it only gives me more work and patients with less care.

I have been working as a traveling therapist assistant for since June 2000 and I make well over $100,000 annually and I have since passing my boards in June 2000. You get want you demand (within reason). I know COTA’s making less than $25,000 annually and I know COTA’s making what I make. Yes I have been replaced and I have also replaced registered therapists. Yes there are a lot more opportunities for OTR’s but being an assistant has many advantages and is a very excellent career choice.

100K a year... Sign me up. I'm a starving COTA in Florida. Oooooh please tell me who you work for. Please, please, please,please!!!!

Terry in Riverside,
I really doubt you called every company because it would take many years to complete the calls and then a new company would open. There are more than 10,000 travel companies out there. I do not work for only one company, I work for whoever meets my needs at the time I need work. I post my resume on the Absolutely Healthcare website and sort through a lot of nonsense. Yes, there are many recruiters that will tell me right up front that I am over-paid and I need to work for them because they are honest, and that is when I tell them bye-bye. I do not focus on an hourly rate; I look at the bottom line, net pay. Per Diems along with my hourly rate are how I make my money. I know what the bill rates are, and I know how much of that can become mine. I also make sure that my overtime rate is time and a half of my total rate and also that my 40 hours are guaranteed in writing on my timesheet. I am willing to travel anywhere, any setting. Any length of time less than 13 weeks and at a moments notice. Ben in Daytona, if you really are a starving COTA you need to send me your number so I can get you to work and I can make a referral bonus.

Keith in Peterson, Alabama said: Terry in Riverside,
I really doubt you called every company because it would take many years to complete the calls and then a new company would open. There are more than 10,000 travel companies out there. I do not work for only one company, I work for whoever meets my needs at the time I need work. I post my resume on the Absolutely Healthcare website and sort through a lot of nonsense. Yes, there are many recruiters that will tell me right up front that I am over-paid and I need to work for them because they are honest, and that is when I tell them bye-bye. I do not focus on an hourly rate; I look at the bottom line, net pay. Per Diems along with my hourly rate are how I make my money. I know what the bill rates are, and I know how much of that can become mine. I also make sure that my overtime rate is time and a half of my total rate and also that my 40 hours are guaranteed in writing on my timesheet. I am willing to travel anywhere, any setting. Any length of time less than 13 weeks and at a moments notice. Ben in Daytona, if you really are a starving COTA you need to send me your number so I can get you to work and I can make a referral bonus.

At 100K a year you would have to make about $48.00 an hour. I work as a traveling OTR and I only make $42.00 an hour with nine years travel eperience. Also there are not 10,000 travel companies out there... that is ridiculous. Give me a few names of some of the companies you work for so I can check them out. If they are paying for your housing, housewares, utilities, etc, then the facility you are placed in would be paying your travel company about $96.00 an hour. There is not a SNF
or any other facility out there that would be willing to pay that kind of money for a COTA.

Keisha in Flagstaff,
I truly believe you when you tell me you are a traveling OTR with many years experience and I have had contact with many just like you. You know everything; and a COTA is just something beneath you. I need not give you anything to check out. If you are so experienced why do you not know about traveling therapist per diems? Did you miss my statement that I do not focus on hourly rate? Do you really think housing costs $1600 a week? Besides I never said that anyone paid for my housing. I know how to drive my RV that I pay for and I that get to keep after it’s paid for. I do not need to explain anything to you, I am just letting my fellow professional therapist Assistants know that travel companies are quick to lie and steal your money and not to listen to negative experienced know it alls like yourself. If you are being paid $48 per hour and housing is paid for by your travel company your rate is closer to $57 per hour $9 an hour of which would be tax free money.

Hey looks like I found a good place to put my question in. All this talk about hourly rates for travellers--I have been out of the travel loop for about two years now and am getting back in. What is the going hourly rate for a OTR with 10 years strong experience and excellent references. I think I may have been taken in the past, because I have never made close to $42 per hour. (not including housing or per diem). /thanks

Holly in Benington, United Kingdom said: Hey looks like I found a good place to put my question in. All this talk about hourly rates for travellers--I have been out of the travel loop for about two years now and am getting back in. What is the going hourly rate for a OTR with 10 years strong experience and excellent references. I think I may have been taken in the past, because I have never made close to $42 per hour. (not including housing or per diem). /thanks

I think he's dreaming. Also I don't put COTA's beneath me. I think they are a very valuable assest to the Occupational Threapy field. Like I said I currently am a traveling OTR and I only make $42 and hour. I mainly travel in California and Texas which have the highest pay rates in the west. I have nine years experience so you might get a little more but I don't know. Right now, I am on a travel assisnment in San Diego, CA and I pay my own rent, etc. It costs me $1500.00 a month not including utilities. I have my own houswares so I don't need them. Holly, be careful of who you travel with, a lot of these travel companies are rip-offs.

I have been looking for a decent job for about a year now and all I can find is dead end work. I live in Orange County, CA and can't find anything with job security. One day I work eight hours the next they send me home after four. Sometimes I get 36 hours a week, sometimes I get 16. I have been giving it a lot of thought about moving out of So. Cal. or just going back to college and changing careers. I would like to travel but do not like what travel companies have offered me in the way of pay, housing, etc.

Terry:

You're calling the wrong travel companies. Either that or you are a COTA with no experience because that is a starting rate for a new grad in terms of travel therapy. I work just in the area for one company that is willing to pay me $35 an hour for covering for a facility that is slightly an hour from my home. Another offered me $32 an hour for guaranteed assignments if I came on for their company that were 1 to 2 hours from my home. Why did I turn them down? My kids...too far from my kids. However, my husband and I are thinking that this is a good retirement plan for the future especially since a lot of these companies also pay a housing allowance or provide a fully paid furnished apartment. You just have to know which ones are really legit. General Healthcare Resources is one of them. An excellent company to work for.

California is a totally different market for COTA's then PA. There are so many people moving here, incuding therapists, that the field is very competative. I have twelve years experience and I only make $28.00 an hour. This might seem like a lot but considering what the cost of living is here, it's more like $22.00 an hour if I lived back east.

Not a dream Keisha, it is reality. I make what I make and you make what you make. I am not an OTR so I really don’t know nor do I really care how much they get, just as I don’t know or care how much a fisherman makes. I have no reason to stretch the truth here.

Here is a little tidbit of info for my fellow COTAs. Travel companies do not care if you have 1 year of experience or 44 years of experience. They only care I f you are licensed and will complete the assignment. Yes some will try to make you believe you can only receive $18 per hour plus housing if you are a new grad. A bill rate is the amount the travel company charges the company with a need, and the bill rate is the same for a COTA with 1 year or 44 years of experience. A traveler is temporary labor. The higher the bill rate and the smaller amount that they can pay you, the more that they make. Bill rates for COTAs vary not only across the nation but also are dependant on the need. I have worked in places where bill rates are as low as $48 per hour and some as high as $72 per hour. When you have this info and the GSA Per Diem Rates you will be prepared to negotiate a contact. If you are only concerned with an hourly rate and housing then the travel companies have you right where they want you. Check out Healthcare Professional Staffing 800-706-5493 they will be happy to get you what you deserve.

Rick in Orange County, CA said: California is a totally different market for COTA's then PA. There are so many people moving here, incuding therapists, that the field is very competative. I have twelve years experience and I only make $28.00 an hour. This might seem like a lot but considering what the cost of living is here, it's more like $22.00 an hour if I lived back east.

Dude, you need to get out of this worthless field like I did. I worked as a COTA for 27 years and can tell you the jobs for COTA's in California are decreasing everyday. Go talk to a career counselor at any local college and they can get you pointed in the right direction. They helped me realize that I had what it takes to become a Doctor. Know I am Dr. C and will be making on average of 350K a year:)

COTAMAN said: Dude, you need to get out of this worthless field like I did. I worked as a COTA for 27 years and can tell you the jobs for COTA's in California are decreasing everyday. Go talk to a career counselor at any local college and they can get you pointed in the right direction. They helped me realize that I had what it takes to become a Doctor. Know I am Dr. C and will be making on average of 350K a year:)

Dr C needs to learn how to spell.

Dr C is no Doctor and should stop impersonating one. He is a terrible COTA that has burned all of his bridges and is now unemployable. He is attempting to damage this excellent field in any way he can.

Keith in Peterson, Alabama said: Dr C is no Doctor and should stop impersonating one. He is a terrible COTA that has burned all of his bridges and is now unemployable. He is attempting to damage this excellent field in any way he can.

I agree with you Keith. In fact, if you read the entire way through the forum it is insane how many times he has contradicted himself in regards to the field of OT. He says I am the one who is a terrible therapist but I am employeed by 1 full time company and 7 Per Diem Companies that feel very differently and am about to be signed on by an 8th at their request (as they bought out one of the buildings I currently work in). It is true that full time COTA jobs are decreasing in certain areas (mine is one of them) and the demand is more for an OTR/L (which is why I am working on furthering my degree) but I definitely love this field and do not intend on leaving it anytime soon.

COTAMAN... I don't think they know what they are talking about. The work in California is sporadic, the pays bad, I have arrogant and obnoxious therapists work overing me, etc. I think Keith and Jennifer29 are two desperate headhunters trying to keep COTA's in the field so they can fill their pockets. Also, if this fiels is so great why do so many others on this forum disagree with you two. 100K a year... LOL!!!!!

In the last three years I've had three of my friends leave this field and go back to school to pursue other careers. They tell me it was the best thing they ever did. I think it's time I do the same.

Rick in Orange County, CA needs to learn how to spell.

the pays bad Should read “the pay is bad”

obnoxious therapists work overing me. Should read “obnoxious therapists hovering over me

if this fiels is so great. Should read “ if this field is so great”

Learn to communicate and a better salary will follow.

Rick in Orange County, CA said: COTAMAN... I don't think they know what they are talking about. The work in California is sporadic, the pays bad, I have arrogant and obnoxious therapists work overing me, etc. I think Keith and Jennifer29 are two desperate headhunters trying to keep COTA's in the field so they can fill their pockets. Also, if this fiels is so great why do so many others on this forum disagree with you two. 100K a year... LOL!!!!!

In the last three years I've had three of my friends leave this field and go back to school to pursue other careers. They tell me it was the best thing they ever did. I think it's time I do the same.

1.) I'm not a head hunter...just a regular therapist. Sorry to disappoint you.

2.) I have not been offered a salary that will make me $100,000 a year (until yesterday by a travel company...offered me up to $105,000) but I have been offered an hourly rate of $35 to work for facilities within an hour to two hours from my home (turned down because that if further from my kids than I want to be and with the cost of gas prices it's just not worth it. In the long run I won't be making any more than I am making working locally.)

I understand COTAMAN that the field is becoming more competitive and more difficult to find a job in in some areas, but I still do not believe that it is a bad move as a career decision. Again, there is simply more of a demand for OTRs in my area than for COTAs, but in other areas I'm sure it's quite the opposite. I decided to be a therapist because of a personal family experience years ago that attracted me to the field and I am not disappointed with the decision and would not change what I have done for anything. My patients are a joy to work with and I have built some very good relationships over the years. I plan to continue to expand my knowledge in this field and give my best to my patients. Your choice is up to you....this is mine.

Keith in Peterson, Alabama said: Dr C needs to learn how to spell.

I don't know how to spell... Where?
Keith wrote "obnoxious therapists hovering over me". Is this some form of UFO talk? are OTR's buzzing over your head everyday?
or is this how you redneck's talk in Alabama... LOL!!!

Where did I say I was unemployed?:p I said good-bye to my COTA career, not that I was unemployed. Maybe you should learn how to read. You should do like your Doctor told you and take your Lithium and your Eskalith, you will feel much better.

Keith in Peterson, Alabama said: Dr C is no Doctor and should stop impersonating one. He is a terrible COTA that has burned all of his bridges and is now unemployable. He is attempting to damage this excellent field in any way he can.

Damage this field... I don't think I have that much influence

Ok, I went and saw a career counselor yesterday and he talked to me for a while and then I took what they call a career assessment test. I found out that I am in the wrong field and will never be happy with being a COTA. I will be starting school this Fall in Electrical Engineering.
I just hate paying all that money for a new career.

Good luck Rick with your new career choice. If you will be happier as an engineer, whatever you have to pay for school will be well worth it. We work too many years of our life to be doing a job unhappily.

kandace price in Thibodaux, Louisiana said: I'm about to start my OTA program and i was wondering if you knew how was the pay in Houma?

Im not sure about there, but here in Florida i came out of school in 2004 and started at 20.00 per hour, I am now a rehab manger making 32.oo per hour as a cota.

Sarah from Little Rock, AR said: I Gave up being a COTA because I got tired of being treated with disrespect everyday. OTR's put themselves high on a pedestale, think they are God, and treat COTA's like they are their slaves. I am now in a new field and love what I do and am respected by those over me.

what field are you now in?

Susan in Park City, Utah said: I am very frustrated right now. I am 52 years old, have a bachelors degree, paralegal degree, EMT certification, and worked as a personal trainer. Most of the time, however, I raised 3 children. I was working toward going back to school to get an OTA degree, thinking I might earn decent money and possibly do some travel work stints. Now I am having second thoughts. It sounds like there is no money in this field, that it is nothing to strive toward doing, and I am back to square one. I spent a sleepless night after reading this, thinking that I have applied to schools for the fall term 2007 for nothing. I am ready to back out. I thought working with individuals with traumatic brain injuries or accident rehabilitation might be rewarding and I might be able to use some of my past experience. Geriatrics and mental illness are not for me - I have dealt first-hand with this in my immediate family and don't want to be immersed in that arena.
Are there really no satisfying and well-paying jobs as a travel Cota either? Is this occupation really so disatisfying? At aged 52, am I stupid to do this? I have always worked on my own, and I wanted to implement some of my own thoughts and stragegies into the work. Please provide some advice!

I feel for you. Probably it is best NOT to go into the O.T. field. I also went back to school and went into this field. I absolutely can not stand anything about it. The only jobs that are prelevent are in nursing homes. If you really enjoy changing diapers, dealing with gagging smells, being bossed around, trying to force tired patients to keep doing mindless exercises, and feeding pureed foods to braindead people then you may enjoy this field. Otherwise go into something more rewarding and certainly more interesting. The only good thing is you can always get a job though if you live in an area that has many schools it will be competive. Good luck. I wish I could be more encouraging.

As a part time per diem job to supplement your income I would say it's fine. As a full time COTA or OTR I wouldn't reccommend the profession at all. All of my OTR and COTA friends want OUT in a Big way! The j0b is physically and mentally draining! The atmoshere in SNFs is depressing! There is a reason you don't see many therapists over their early 30s in the field. Yes, you can become a DOR and have a lot of paperwork and meetings to attend. Or you can become an area manager and drive all day in the traffic from building to building meeting with DORs and having meetings. Not all that rosey of a picture for anyone in rehab except the owners of the companies:-) I had a PTA friend who made 120,000 last year running from building to building doing per diem work..along with her full time job! Yes, she made good money
( more than the DOR actually), but she is now totally burnt out.
I've never worked in the field full time, only per diem weekends. I've noticed that when you have another profession, the therapists speak to you more freely about their future in the field. I haven't met one who has not told me they were searching for something else, working on something else, or how much they envied me that I had another profession. So far as money is concerned, experienced Per diem COTAs (that I know) make from $32-$40 here in S. California. An OTR friend of mine who works full time with 15 years experience is making $39.00 hrly with benefits as a full time employee...and yes she still has to change diapers if an accident happens when a CNA is not available...and yes, she is still standing sinkside with a patient in the bathroom and instructing them how to safely stand and brush their teeth. I have a friend, at the age of 43, who just completed a COTA to OTR program. She now wishes she spent that time learning something that was more of a desk job, not so much manual labor. In the pre-PPS days, OTRS could assign a lot of the work to COTAs, now they have to work harde

Rick, check out Pratt&Whittney they build jet engines. Last time I heard they were paying and training people like yourself to be engineers. They also have their own engineering school that will give you a Bachelor's degree, and they will pay for it.

Lynn and Janet... you nailed it right on the bullhead. By 2011 baby-boomer's will be 65 y/o or older. Jobs for COTA's and OTR's will skyrocket out of control. However, there will not be enough young people to pay into the system. In the end there will be many unemployed therapists
like it was with PPS. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with it anymore.

Thanks COTAMAN! I checked out their website, and this is something I would really like to pursue. I am not a big fan of Connecticut, but I am willing to do whatever it takes to get there. I just want to be happy and have a job with security and decent pay.

I was talking to a recruiter this morning about a job in Reseda. When I told her I wanted $34.00 an hour I thought I was going to have to call the Paramedics to do CPR on her. She told me that no COTA for their company makes that kind of money. Highest pay is per-diem at $32.00 an hour. Average pay is $28.00 an hour. I have called many companies in the last month and have been very disappointed in what I've found. The only other gripe I have besides the low pay is having too deal with all the non-english speaking patients I have to work with everyday.
Does anyone else have this problem in their facilitiy or state? Please voice your opinion as I am really interested in knowing.