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Lifepoint Health
Escondido, California

Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), PRN

Occupational Therapy AssistantPer Diem

Listed compensation

$40 per hour

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 3mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) - Inpatient Rehabilitation

Per Diem

Wage scale: $40.00 per hour

Supportive Leadership, Superior Outcomes, Career Advancement

Your Experience Matters

At Palomar Health Rehabilitation Institute, we are driven by a profound commitment to prioritize your well-being so you can provide exceptional care to others. Here, you’re not just valued as an employee, but as a person.

As a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant joining our team, you’re embracing a vital mission dedicated to making communities healthier. Join us on this meaningful journey where your skills, compassion, and dedication will make a remarkable difference in the lives of those we serve.

How You’ll Contribute

The Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) provides direct patient care under the supervision of an occupational therapist, assisting with therapeutic interventions and documentation while supporting quality and compliance standards in rehabilitation services.

Essential Functions

  • Communicate patient progress or concerns to the supervising occupational therapist and interdisciplinary team.
  • Instruct patients’ families or nursing staff in follow-through programs and home exercises.
  • Assist with patient scheduling and post treatment charges to patient records daily.
  • Document patient care accurately and in accordance with all regulatory, licensing, payer, and accrediting requirements.
  • Maintain treatment equipment and work areas in a clean and safe condition.
  • Ensure compliance with the Company’s Code of Business Conduct, Corporate Compliance Agreement, and applicable laws and professional standards.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

What We Offer

Fundamental to providing great care is supporting and rewarding our team. In addition to your base compensation, this position also offers:

  • Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple levels of medical, dental and vision coverage for full-time and part-time employees.
  • Financial Protection & PTO: Life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid family leave and paid time off.
  • Financial & Career Growth: Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.
  • Employee Well-being: Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).
  • Professional Development: Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.

Qualifications and Requirements

  • License: Licensed and eligible to practice as a COTA in the state where services are rendered.
  • Certifications: CPR certification required.
  • Must pass background screen

About Us

Palomar Health Rehabilitation Institute is a 52-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital located in Escondido, California, and is part of Lifepoint Health, a diversified healthcare delivery network committed to making communities healthier® with acute care, rehabilitation, and behavioral health facilities from coast to coast. From your first day to your next career milestone—your experience matters.

EEOC Statement

Lifepoint Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Lifepoint Health is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity for all applicants and employees and complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in employment.

Lifepoint Health is a leader in community-based care and driven by a mission of Making Communities Healthier.

Our diversified healthcare delivery network spans 29 states and includes 63 community hospital campuses, 32 rehabilitation and behavioral health hospitals, and more than 170 additional sites of care across the healthcare continuum, such as acute rehabilitation units, outpatient centers and post-acute care facilities.

We believe that success is achieved through talented people. We want to create places where employees want to work, with opportunities to pursue meaningful and satisfying careers that truly make a difference in communities across the country.

We employ and provide care to people from all walks of life. We are committed to promoting healing, providing hope, preserving dignity and producing value with an inclusive workforce in which diversity is leveraged, respected, and reflective of the patients, family members, customers and team members we serve.

Key Responsibilities

The Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant provides direct patient care under the supervision of an occupational therapist, including therapeutic interventions and patient education. They are also responsible for accurate documentation, patient scheduling, and maintaining a safe treatment environment.

Requirements

Candidates must be licensed and eligible to practice as a COTA in the state of California. A current CPR certification is also required for this position.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Occupational therapy assistanceInterdisciplinary communicationHome exercise instructionRegulatory complianceEquipment maintenance

Occupational Therapist Career Context

In California, the Occupational Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$118k (797 salary observations; 2,326 listings), vs ~$97k nationally (5,562 salary observations; 29,543 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

What does the Occupational Therapy market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score7.2 / 10 · top 10% in occupational therapy assistantranked against 1,043 Occupational Therapy Assistant listingslisting-based score, 0–10
California vs national$118k median in California$97k nationally (+21%)797 state / 5,562 national salary observations
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Occupational Therapy listings in California903 active9,040 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia occupational therapist listings (all specialties): 17% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 5% offer loan repayment959 active listings, Nov 2026
New Occupational Therapy listings3,212 in the last 30 days1,658 the 30 days before (+94%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Occupational Therapy pay trend+3.8% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (1,043 Occupational Therapy Assistant listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), PRN at Lifepoint Health a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Occupational Therapy Assistant — ranked against 1,043 active Occupational Therapy Assistant listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top contract/1099 OTA Jobs

3 matches · ranked by pay
#1

Occupational Therapist AssistantPer Diem

Presbyterian Homes & Services · Dubuque, Iowa

$27.58-$31.88/hr
#2

Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) - (Full-Time) - Valley Health/Mary Free Bed

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital · Winchester, Virginia

$26.03-$34.93/hr
#3

Occupational Therapist Assistant | COTA

$30-$33/hr
+ 1 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Occupational Therapy Assistant listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,043 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Lifepoint Health logo

About Lifepoint Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Gallatin, Tennessee
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive Benefits: Multiple levels of medical, dental and vision coverage for full-time and part-time employees.
Financial Protection & PTO: Life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid family leave and paid time off.
Financial & Career Growth: Higher education and certification tuition assistance, loan assistance and 401(k) retirement package and company match.
Employee Well-being: Mental, physical, and financial wellness programs (free gym memberships, virtual care appointments, mental health services and discount programs).
Professional Development: Ongoing learning and career advancement opportunities.

Living in Escondido

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$800k
Typical market rent
$2,590/mo
Residents’ average commute
28 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.