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Occupational Therapy Assistant

Link to website maintained by the School of Health

Occupational therapy practitioners help clients across the life span reach functional goals related to play, work, education and self care. The roles and skills which underlie these goals are in essence one's occupation and occupational tools. For example, a certified occupational therapy assistant may help an individual who has had a stroke re-learn to dress him/herself, or may help a child with cerebral palsy learn to operate a computer with adapted equipment, Occupational therapy serves those with psychosocial as well as physical health problems in a variety of settings such as hospitals and clinics, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care facilities, extended care facilities, sheltered workshops, schools, camps, private homes and community centers.

The 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. AOTA’s phone number is (301) 652-AOTA. For certification, graduates of the program will be able 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). Most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.

All accepted students must undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information or other check. Depending on the findings, the student may not be allowed to continue in the program of study. For further information, please contact the Office of the Dean, School of Health and Patient Simulation. http://health.stcc.edu/  A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. Please contact NBCOT at (301) 990-7979 or see http://www.nbcot.org/  for more information.

The certified occupational therapy assistant will be able to provide direct service to the client under the supervision of the Registered Occupational Therapist. The level of supervision is dependent on the specific service provided and the competency of the occupational therapy assistant.

The occupational therapy assistant curriculum is competency-based. It prepares the graduate to participate in a comprehensive care plan for the client. A three-fold program is utilized: prevention, remediation, and compensation for occupational life tasks and activities lost to illness, injury or delay. The student must complete one semester in supervised practice, level II fieldwork, which will require travel and related expenses. It must be completed within 20 months of the didactic coursework.

Clinical rotations are an integral part of the occupational therapy assistant program curriculum. The clinical component is based on contracts negotiated with area health care and educational facilities. It should be noted that all students may not have clinical placements confirmed prior to graduation. Some students may need to attend fieldwork during the summer.

Admission Standards and Criteria

Applicants must have completed four years of high school English, algebra 2, biology with lab and chemistry with lab, all with no grade lower than a "C". If an applicant has not completed or met the grade requirement for these courses at the high school level, they must do so through comparable college coursework. An applicant must have scored above 350 on each (verbal and math) section of the SAT1 exam. Candidates can waive the SAT criteria if they can document a 3.0 or better QPA in at least 15 college credits, including English Composition, with no grade lower than a "C" (2.0). Students must submit a short essay discussing why they think they would be an effective occupational therapy assistant to the Admissions Office and attend an information session with the Department Chair. On the STCC placement tests, student must demonstrate competencies for algebra 2 and admission to college level English (ENGL-100). Students must also have an physical exam which states that they are physically fit for the program and subsequent clinical fieldwork.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Occupational therapy assistant students must achieve a minimum grade of “C” (73%) in all required courses.  The student who is unable to meet this minimum requirement will be withdrawn from the program and must reapply with the Dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation. http://health.stcc.edu/

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Goals

At the completion of the program graduates will:

1. Demonstrate effective critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to provide entry-level occupational therapy services.
2. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills with clients, families and other team members.
3. Promote health, wellness, and prevention in the community.
4. Adhere to ethical, legal, and safe occupational therapy practice.
5. Demonstrate appropriate professional behavior.
6. Manage the delivery of occupational therapy services.
7. Advance the effectiveness of the profession of occupational therapy through research and continued professional development.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Outcomes

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) department uses level II student fieldwork performance evaluations, student evaluations of the fieldwork experience, employer and graduate surveys, faculty evaluations, student opinion surveys, and aggregate information from the National Certification Examination for the three most recent calendar years to assess the effectiveness of the program.  For calendar years 2006 – 2008 the OTA department graduated 13 students who all wrote the National Certification Examination.  Eight (61.5%) of the 13 first time candidates passed the examination and the remaining candidates (100%) passed on subsequent attempts.

Programmatic Technical Standard (PDF)

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Upon successful completion of the requirements, the degree of Associate in Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant will be awarded.

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