What is Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is a well recognized health profession that assists people of all ages to gain the skills needed to complete meaningful daily activities known as occupations, such as eating, dressing, completing homecare, working, playing, and participating in school, leisure or social activities. When an individual’s life is disrupted because of a developmental or learning disability, a physical injury or illness, aging and or social and or psychological challenges, an Occupational Therapist may help by teaching new skills, adapting or modifying equipment or environments, or resolving barriers to independent functioning.
An Occupational Therapy Assistant works under the supervision of a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist to assist in the evaluation process and then may collaborate with the Occupational Therapist and other health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and social workers to develop a treatment plan. The Occupational Therapy Assistant then implements the treatment plan as outlined by the Occupational Therapist.
Where You Might Work
Occupational Therapy Assistants can be found working in medical facilities such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes and outpatient centers. They can also be found working in schools, pediatric facilities, private practices, mental health or community agencies, group homes, or in industries.
Job Demand
The Bureau of Labor and statistics reports that employment for an Occupational Therapy Assistant is expected to be “much faster than the average” for all occupations.
What You Could Earn
You can expect to see earnings ranging from $35,000 to $40,000 depending on location and area of specialization.
Enrollment
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is part of the Health Sciences Division with limited yearly enrollment. Applications must be completed by January of each year for admission to the program for the following summer term.
Contact the office of Health Sciences to find out about an information session with an OTA faculty member to learn about the admission process.
Program Progression
After acceptance into the program, students begin an eight term sequence of course work including general foundational coursework and Occupational Therapy technical coursework leading to an associate degree in applied science. Students may take the non-OTA course work prior to acceptance into the OTA program.
Fieldwork Experiences
Each student will have the opportunity to integrate academic skills with actual hands on experiences throughout the 2 year program ending with two, 8 week field work rotations which must be completed within 18 months following completion of academic preparation. All academic and fieldwork requirements must be completed before the student will be eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination.
Accreditation
The NCSC Occupational Therapy Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
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