OTA role in assessments

Should OTA's be allowed to perform an assessment? As a professional, both OTs and OTAs are ALWAYS "assessing" their clients. We will be assessing our clients each and every session, for progress, decline and all factors influencing their performance.

In terms of a formal assessment, I think that OTAs are and should be allowed to do them, only after establishing competency in that area. As a student, I feel confident in the assessments I have learned, and feel that I should be allowed to use my knowledge in these areas just as an OT would. As an OTA, we are still under the "legal" responsibility of our supervising OT, so it is both the OT and OTAs responsibility to make sure competency is established. It is important to remember that there is a huge difference between assessing someone, and doing an evaluation.