What do occupational therapy assistants do? Well, occupational therapy assistants help people with activities and exercises specific to a chosen treatment plan developed by the supervising occupational therapist. Occupational therapy assistants usually work preparing materials, preparing equipment, and also sometimes perform clerical duties. In order to become an occupational therapy assistant, most states require students to pass the occupational therapy assistant national certification exam. Students entering this field should also know that occupational therapy assistants usually make around $42,000/year (from Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006). A typical day for occupational therapy assistants will include preparing materials and assembling equipment that will be used during the day for different treatments, then scheduling appointments, answering the telephone, restocking or ordering supplies that have run out, and then filling out insurance forms or doing other types of paperwork. Usually the first year of the occupational therapy assistant degree program will include courses like introduction to healthcare, basic medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology. The second year will go into more in-depth studies that will be tougher and more rigorous such as mental health, adult physical disabilities, gerontology, and pediatrics. Some occupations that are similar to the occupational therapy assistant field are careers as dental assistants, medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy aides, and physical therapist aides.  You may also want to take a look into online exercise science colleges.  Because of everyone's demanding schedule, many students are now resorting to online programs because it offers convenience and time management.  Online occupational therapy assistant degrees offer students to work from anywhere and achieve the same degree many others obtain from an on-campus university.