COTA Jobs
COTA jobs are open across skilled nursing facilities, school districts, home health agencies, and pediatric clinics, at every level from new-grad to senior clinician, with common specializations in pediatrics, geriatrics, and hand therapy. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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Job ID JR207231
Date posted 06/15/2026
Location: San Diego, California
Job Type: Regular
Shift: Day
Responsibilities
Hours:
Shift Start Time: 7:30 AM
Shift End Time: 6 PM
AWS Hours Requirement: 10/40 - 10 Hour Shift
Additional Shift Information: Wednesday - Saturday
Weekend Requirements: As Needed
On-Call Required: No
Hourly Pay Range (Minimum - Midpoint - Maximum): $34.170 - $44.090 - $49.370
This position is covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with SEIU-UHW. As part of the terms of employment, employees in this role are required to join the union within 31 days of hire and remain a member (e.g. dues paying, fee paying, religious exception contributor) for the duration of the collective bargaining agreement.
This position was originally posted to ratified SEIU members from 06/5/2026 – 6/13/26. The position is now available to be filled by internal candidates that are not members of the ratified Bargaining Unit or External candidates to Sharp.
What You Will Do
Under the direction of an occupational therapist, provides occupational therapy care to patients with impaired functional mobility as a result of neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and/or cardiopulmonary involvement or injury.
Required Qualifications
- AHA Basic Life Support for Healthcare Professional (AHA BLS Healthcare) - American Heart Association - REQUIRED
- California Occupational Therapy Assistant - CA Board of Occupational Therapy - REQUIRED
Preferred Qualifications
- Associate's Degree In a COTA program.
- 3 Years Experience in all aspects of this discipline.
Essential Functions
Department development:
- Participates in departmental activities, such as CQI, staff meetings, and chart review.
- Participates in committees and system wide activities when requested as departmental representative.
- Present discipline specific resource information to patients and families.
Documentation:
- Documentation is completed in a timely, complete, legible, concise and accurate manner.
- Documentation follows Sharp HealthCare guidelines, professional guidelines, and meets third-party payor and regulatory requirements.
- Maintains records pertinent to departmental operations.
- Completes all documentation elements as appropriate (Interdisciplinary Plan of Care, Education record, billing, and others).
Operational efficiency:
- Communicates patient care and departmental issues.
- Accepts changes and demonstrates flexibility when asked regarding work schedules and assignments.
- Completes additional assignments in a timely manner.
- Offers suggestions for resolving operational issues within the department.
- Maintains departmental cleanliness and safety.
- Uses time effectively.
- As requested, assists in the ordering of all necessary equipment and supplies, submits all requisitions to the therapist, and consistently demonstrates a cost-conscious attitude in the ordering and usage of materials.
- Assists in continuous Quality Improvement Program.
- Provides supervision and clinical direction to other assistants in the department if needed.
- Has responsibility for one major departmental project.
- Is consulted as a representative of his/her profession.
- Shares ideas therapeutic principles.
- Provides in-service/education program or training.
- Participates in student program.
Patient care:
- Implements treatment following treatment plan reporting subjective/objective patient response.
- Reports patient pain that interferes with optimal level of function or participation in rehabilitation; and implements intervention.
- Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.
- Participates in utilizing a teaching plan based upon identified learning needs and reports effectiveness of learning; family is included in teaching as appropriate.
- Demonstrates knowledge and safe use of modalities, equipment and therapeutic procedures.
- Implements patient care to ensure patients' needs are met and hospital policy is followed.
- Implements plan with sensitivity to the comprehensive, age/culturally appropriate issues using patient care interventions with patient and family.
- Recognizes need for additional assessment by primary therapist.
- Under the direction of the therapist appropriately implements modified treatment plans adapting, within the capabilities of the patient in order to achieve the highest level of functioning.
- As directed by the therapist, assists in determination of and provides to patient available community resources in order to make appropriate referrals for service in areas of specific patient needs.
- Provides community resources and liaison contact with community agencies in order to make appropriate referrals for service in areas of specific patient needs.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Knowledge of occupational therapy treatment methods.
- Ability to keep neat, accurate, concise records. Ability to document patient care and progress efficiently in the electronic health record.
- Effective professional communication skills.
- Actively involved in professional development.
- Ability to direct work of aides and/or student interns.
Sharp HealthCare is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability or any other protected class.
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Find COTA JobsCOTA Job Market
A snapshot from current openings nationwide, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- HealthPRO Heritage6

- Riverview, LLP4

- Post Rehab3

- PruittHealth3

- Adventist Healthcare2

Top Industries Hiring
- Healthcare & Medical Services40
- Agriculture & Farming4
- Consulting & Professional Services3
- Education2
- Food & Beverage1
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in COTA jobs.
- Active state COTA licensure or eligibility for licensure in the state of employment
- Associate degree in occupational therapy assistant from an ACOTE-accredited program
- Current NBCOT certification or eligibility to sit for the NBCOT exam
- Experience with electronic documentation systems such as Meditech, Epic, or RehabOptima
- Ability to meet productivity standards set by the facility or home health agency
- Valid CPR and Basic Life Support certification maintained throughout employment
Tips for Your COTA Job Search
Tailor your resume to the setting
Skilled nursing, pediatrics, and outpatient ortho all want different things from a cota. Swap your skills section to match the setting you're targeting, highlighting sensory integration for pediatric roles and ADL retraining for SNF positions.
List your state licensure prominently
Employers filter candidates on licensure before reading anything else. Put your state license number, issue date, and expiration in your resume header so hiring managers confirm compliance in under ten seconds.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists cota openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings by patient population
Filter your job search by setting keyword, such as 'pediatric,' 'acute care,' or 'early intervention,' rather than just title. Settings drive caseload, productivity expectations, and schedule, so matching to population fit matters as much as geography.
Prepare a clinical scenario for interviews
Interviewers routinely ask how you'd handle a resistant patient or a productivity shortfall. Prepare one specific case from your fieldwork or current role that shows your clinical reasoning, patient communication, and documentation under pressure.
Negotiate your productivity standard at offer
Productivity benchmarks vary widely by employer and directly affect your daily workload. Ask the hiring manager for the expected units per day before you accept, and compare that figure to the industry norm for the setting.
COTA Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most cotas?
The companies hiring the most cotas right now include HealthPRO Heritage, Riverview, LLP, and Post Rehab, with the largest share of openings in California, Texas, and Illinois, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. Large post-acute and home health networks tend to post the most volume year-round.
How many cota jobs are remote?
About 0% of cota openings are fully remote or hybrid as of June 2026, with most of those roles concentrated in telehealth and early intervention services. Direct patient care positions in SNFs, hospitals, and outpatient clinics remain almost entirely in-person by the nature of the work.
How do you become a cota?
To become a cota, you complete an associate degree in occupational therapy assistant from an ACOTE-accredited program, which includes required Level I and Level II fieldwork placements. After graduating, you pass the NBCOT certification exam to earn the COTA credential. You then apply for licensure in the state where you plan to practice, as each state sets its own requirements before you can treat patients.
How do you get hired as a cota with little experience?
New-grad cotas get hired most often by leaning hard into their Level II fieldwork settings. List your clinical supervisors as references, name the specific patient populations and documentation systems you used, and target facilities in the same setting where you completed fieldwork. SNFs and home health agencies hire new grads regularly because their caseloads are large and training pipelines are well-established.
What does the cota interview process look like?
Most cota interviews start with a phone screen from an HR recruiter covering licensure status and availability, followed by a clinical interview with the rehab director or lead OTR. You'll typically face scenario questions about challenging patients, productivity, and documentation. Some outpatient clinics add a brief facility tour and a shadow session before extending an offer.
Where can I find and apply to cota jobs?
You can find and apply to cota jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States in one place. Search the listings for settings, locations, and schedules that match what you're looking for, then apply directly to each role that fits.
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