Onboarding plan
Occupational Therapy Aide Onboarding Plan (30-60-90 Days)
A practical, printable plan to take a new occupational therapy aide from first day to full productivity.
Occupational Therapy Aide onboarding at a glance
Week one covers orientation, safety and shadowing. Days 1–30 build vocabulary and supervised practice on core procedures; days 31–60 move to independent work with competency sign-offs; days 61–90 focus on full productivity, cross-training and a credential plan.
Before day one
- Confirm start date, schedule, pay and supervisor in writing
- Verify required credentials: CPR, Safe patient handling (as applicable)
- Prepare equipment and access: therapy equipment; wheelchairs; cleaning supplies; scheduling software
- Assign a buddy or preceptor
- Enroll the new hire in Occupational Therapy Aide training so foundations are covered before or during week one
Week one: orient and protect
- Workplace tour, emergency procedures and incident reporting
- Use safe patient handling
- Follow infection control
- Lock brakes
- Report hazards
- Shadow an experienced occupational therapy aide through a full shift
- Training modules 1–3: role foundations, a day on the job and essential vocabulary (15 terms)
Days 1–30: learn
Goal: perform core tasks safely under supervision.
- Supervised practice: prepare a therapy station
- Supervised practice: clean equipment
- Supervised practice: transport a patient to therapy
- Training modules 4–7: duties, step-by-step tasks, tools and safety
- 30-day check-in: confidence, questions and early wins
Days 31–60: contribute
Goal: handle a regular workload independently.
- Prepare treatment areas: independently
- Clean and organize equipment: independently
- Transport patients: independently
- Schedule appointments: independently
- Competency sign-offs completed (see checklist below)
- Training final knowledge check and certificate of completion
- 60-day check-in
Days 61–90: own
Goal: full productivity and a growth plan.
- Meet productivity and quality targets for the role
- Begin cross-training on a secondary task
- Agree on a credential goal (for example, CPR)
- Discuss the career path: OT Aide → Rehab Technician → OTA
- 90-day review
Competency checklist
| Skill or task | Trained | Observed | Signed off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepare a Therapy Station | |||
| Clean Equipment | |||
| Transport a Patient to Therapy | |||
| Equipment setup | |||
| Patient transport | |||
| Infection control | |||
| Scheduling |
How to measure onboarding success
- Days until the new hire works without a preceptor
- Competency sign-offs completed on time
- Documentation or charting error rate
- 90-day retention
How Occupational Therapy Aide training maps to this plan
- Introduction to the Occupational Therapy Aide Role
- A Day on the Job
- Essential Occupational Therapy Aide Vocabulary
- Core Duties and Responsibilities
- Common Tasks, Step by Step
- Tools, Equipment and Technology
- Safety, Compliance and Professional Standards
- Skills Employers Look For
- Launching Your Occupational Therapy Aide Career
- Final Knowledge Check