Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Occupational Therapist

Summary: 3 of the 6 core skills listed for Occupational Therapist carry over directly from Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and 1 more build on related experience. The US median salary changes by +159% ($34K → $88K). Difficulty: Moderate, typically around 6 months of focused upskilling.

The two roles

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): Provide basic patient care under supervision of nursing staff.

Occupational Therapist: Help patients develop or recover daily living and work skills. Growth outlook +14%; AI-resistant. Typical education: master. Typical experience: Fieldwork + license.

Skills that carry over

• Patient Care
• Documentation
• Communication

Builds on related experience

• Treatment Planning — builds on Patient Care

Skills to learn for Occupational Therapist

• Assessment
• Adaptive Equipment

Salary comparison (median, estimated)

Salary figures are estimates benchmarked against public compensation data — see methodology.

Next steps

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Related

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) career guide | Occupational Therapist career guide

Other transitions to consider

• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Registered Nurse — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Physician/Doctor — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Phlebotomist — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) to Medical Assistant — 2 of the core skills carry over
• Speech-Language Pathologist to Occupational Therapist — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Physician/Doctor to Occupational Therapist — 3 of the core skills carry over
• Home Health Aide to Occupational Therapist — 4 of the core skills carry over
• Clinical Psychologist to Occupational Therapist — 3 of the core skills carry over