An occupational therapy assistant is a person who has graduated from an occupational therapy assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or predecessor organizations, has successfully completed a period of supervised fieldwork experience required by the accredited occupational therapy assistant program, has passed a nationally recognized entry-level examination for occupational therapy assistants, and fulfills state requirements for licensure, certification, or registration. An occupational therapy assistant provides interventions under the supervision of an occupational therapist which emphasize the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (i.e., occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of facilitating participation in roles and situations and in home, school, workplace, community and other settings. Occupational therapy services are provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness and are provided to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational therapy assistants address the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of occupational performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.
Notes / sourceSource: The Guide to Occupational Therapy Practice, 2nd edition. Bethesda: American Occupational Therapy Association, 2007. [7/1/2008: definition changed, source changed]
About Taxonomy Code 224Z00000X
The taxonomy code 224Z00000X identifies Occupational Therapy Assistant within the Respiratory, Developmental, Rehabilitative And Restorative Service Providers provider grouping. It is a Level II — Classification code, which names a provider's occupation or service within the broader provider grouping.
NPI records show 46,257 registered providers whose primary or secondary taxonomy is this code. Of these, 1,800 (4%) are registered as organizations and 44,457 (96%) as individual providers. The states with the most occupational therapy assistant providers are Texas (4,497), Florida (4,329), New York (2,922).
Taxonomy codes are self-selected by the provider based on their education and training; they describe the provider's type and specialty, not the specific services rendered.
Provider Composition & Statistics
46,257Total providers
1,800Organizations 4%
44,457Individuals 96%
39,184Female
5,157Male
116Undisclosed
96% Individuals
Among individual providers:
88% F12% M
Gender is recorded for individual providers only; organizations are not gendered. Source: NPPES, last updated 2026-08-16T00:00:00.