Career Explorer Healthcare support
Human edge, growing
Occupational therapy aides
Under close supervision of an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing patient and treatment room.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 82% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +3.6% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and ethical judgement.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $39,160
- Job growth to 2035
- +3.6%
- Openings a year
- 600
- People doing it (2025)
- 4,400
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Provide support or encouragement to others
- Perform administrative or clerical activities
- Teach life skills
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Train others on health or medical topics
- Maintain medical equipment or instruments
- Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use
What the work looks like
- Encourage patients and attend to their physical needs to facilitate the attainment of therapeutic goals.
- Report to supervisors or therapists, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, attendance, and accomplishments.
- Evaluate the living skills and capacities of clients with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities.
- Observe patients' attendance, progress, attitudes, and accomplishments and record and maintain information in client records.
- Prepare and maintain work area, materials, and equipment and maintain inventory of treatment and educational supplies.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as payer restrictions in the reimbursement of services provided by occupational therapy aides dampens demand for the occupation.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Home health and personal care aidesHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +18.1%
- Psychiatric aidesHuman edge, steady, Index 86, +1.9%
- Medical assistantsHuman edge, growing, Index 89, +12.9%
- Healthcare support workers, all otherHuman edge, growing, Index 83, +4.8%
Also known as: Occupational Therapy Aide (OT Aide), Rehabilitation Aide (Rehab Aide), Rehabilitation Services Aide, Restorative Aide, Certified Occupational Rehabilitation Aide (CORA), Direct Service Professional (DSP), Direct Support Professional (DSP), Occupational Rehabilitation Aide.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.