Occupational therapy is a vital health care service that uses ”occupation,” meaning purposeful activity, as the basis for treatment of people with a wide variety of physical, developmental, and emotional disabilities.
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help disabled people of all ages acquire or regain the skills they need to live independent, productive, and satisfying lives. They work in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, mental health facilities, public and private schools, and home health agencies.
Occupational therapy assistants work under the guidance of occupational therapists. They may choose or construct equipment that helps people to function more independently; they may carry out treatment activities for individuals or groups of patients; and they work closely with families of patients who are preparing to return home.
To become an occupational therapy assistant, you must complete an educational program. The majority of these are two-year associate degree programs like the one at Shawnee State University. Studies include basic academic subjects, human growth and development, the functioning of the human body, and occupational therapy principles and techniques. The OTA program requires two, eight-week rotations of supervised practical experience in a variety of health care settings.
After successfully completing the educational program, you are eligible to take the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant. Most states, including Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, also require licensing by their respective states to practice occupational therapy.
Accreditation
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 7501 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 501E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is (301) 652-6611 and its web address is http://www.acoteonline.org.
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)
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 graduate will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure to practice. However, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
For more information on these limitations, you can contact NBCOT at (301) 990-7979 or e-mail info@nbcot.org. To learn more about NBCOT certification and eligibility requirements, visit the NBCOT website: https://www.nbcot.org/en/Students/get-certified
Application Information and Minimum Admission Criteria
Prospective OTA students are required to progress through a selective admission process. The program is limited in terms of size, and the availability of clinical sites. In addition to being accepted to the University at large, the student must also apply to the OTA program. The application deadline is April 1st for the upcoming fall semester. The application may be accessed on our website. Continue to check for the most updated application information as it may change from year to year.
Minimum requirements to apply for admission to the OTA program are:
- 2.5 cumulative GPA (If applying with more than 20 college credit hours, college GPA will be used instead of high school GPA)
- Completion of Algebra, Biology and Chemistry (or other Physical Science course) with grade of ‘C’ or better in the last 5 years (Can be high school or college level courses but most recent grade will be considered)
- 18 composite score on ACT (or SAT equivalent) OR 18 on Science portion of the ACT and college-ready in all areas on the Accuplacer
- 20 observation hours under a licensed OT or OTA .
- Student must be 18 years of age or older to enter the program.
- ACT requirement may be waived if student has completed 20 or more hours of college credit with 10 or more credits in courses required for the OTA degree (MUST include BIOL1130 with a C or higher). Student must have a cumulative college GPA of 2.5 or higher and meet all other minimum requirements above.
Please note that meeting the minimum criteria for admission consideration does not guarantee admittance into the OTA Program. All candidates meeting the minimum criteria for admission consideration are subsequently ranked and only a selected number are admitted due to limitations of class space and clinical sites. In most years, the number of qualified applicants exceeds the amount of available seats in the program.
Criminal background checks and drug screening are required after acceptance into the OTA program prior to starting clinical affiliations.
Academic Requirements
To remain enrolled in the occupational therapy assistant program, you must:
- Not receive below a C in any course with the OTAT prefix.
- Maintain an overall GPA of no less than 2.5
- Successfully complete BIOL 1130 with a grade of a “C” or higher by the end of the (second) semester (spring) of the first year.
If any of these criteria are not met, you are dismissed from the OTA program. Conditions for readmission to the OTA program are specified by the Program Director at the time of dismissal.
Requirements for graduation and to remain in the program are listed in the OTA Student Handbook.
Clinical Requirements
Clinical placements for the OTA program in the Portsmouth area are limited and anre contracted with sites throughout the United States. It is the student’s responsibility to assure adequate funding for travel and/or room and board for clinical affiliations.
OTAT 2290 (Level 1 Fieldwork) is a course requiring the student to complete full time hours, one day per week at an assigned facility. These placements may be up to, and sometimes at distances greater than, 70 miles away from Shawnee State University. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from these facilities.
OTAT 2390 and 2490 (Fieldwork 2) consist of two rotations of eight weeks each. Students are required to be at that facility during normal working hours (usually 40 hours per week). The OTA program assigns each student two Level 2 Fieldwork placements. Students are responsible for all expenses incurred to complete the Level 2 Fieldwork 2 requirements of the OTA program.
Students are required to have successfully completed all OTAT courses with a C or better and all other courses in the curriculum (maintaining a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA) prior to participating in OTAT 2390 and 2490. Students must complete all Level 2 Fieldwork (OTAT 2390 and 2490) must be completed within 12 months following completion of other OTA courses.
Off Campus Lab Requirements
Some OTA courses will have some off-campus labs for students to obtain hands-on clinical experience. Some of these labs/experiences may be up to an hour drive from SSU Campus. Students are responsible for transportation to and from all off-campus labs.
OTA Program Educational Goals:
1. Students will demonstrate technical competence in providing occupation-based and client- centered occupational therapy in a way that is always sensitive to cultural issues that may have an impact on clients and their caregiver’s occupational performance.
2. Students will demonstrate knowledgeable of a wide variety of treatment approaches and selection of therapeutic interventions that are based on the intervention plan for varied occupational therapy populations.
3. Students will demonstrate ethical occupational therapy practice and a commitment to the profession by acknowledging the value of becoming life-long learners.
4. Students will develop an understanding of the value of occupation and promote occupational therapy to the local, regional and national community.
Curricular Themes
The courses in this curriculum design are sequenced according to a design of simple to complex content. At the entry level the curricular threads are separate, but as the students’ knowledge increases to complex content the threads become connected together, representing integration of Leadership and Advocacy, Critical Thinking/Clinical Reasoning, Cultural Awareness and Experiential Learning.
Curricular Thread 1: Leadership and Advocacy
- Professional behaviors
- Lifelong learners
Curricular Thread 2: Critical Thinking/Clinical Reasoning
- Evidence-based practice
- Theory-based
Curricular Thread 3: Cultural Awareness
- Societal awareness
- Society’s changing needs
Curricular Thread 4: Experiential Learning
- Fieldwork
- Service learning
- Clinical lab experiences
Suggested Course Sequence
Fall - Year One
- First Year Experience: University Foundations (FYE) - for students enrolling Fall 2016 or later.
- AHNR1102 - Medical Terminology OR BUHE3000
- PYSC1101 - Introduction to Psychology
- BIOL1130 - Principles of Anatomy/Physiology 1
- ENGL1101 - Discourse and Composition (A) OR ENGL1102
- OTAT1101 - Introduction to OT
- OTAT1102 - Therap Intervention 1: Anaylsis of Occupation
- Total Lecture Hours: 16, Total Lab Hours: 4,
Total Credit Hours :18
Spring - Year One
- PSYC1130- Lifespan Development for the Health Sciences
- OTAT1103- Disability & Disease Processes
- OTAT1110 - Therap Interv 2: Individ/Groups
- OTAT1112 - Level 1- Biopsychosocial
- OTAT2109- Applied Anatomy and Movement
- OTAT2203- Occupations Through the Lifespan- Children
- Total Lecture Hours: 13 Total Lab Hours: 8
Total Credit Hours: 17
Summer - Year One
- STAT1150- Principles of Statistics
- SOCI1101- Introduction to Sociology
- ENGL1105- Composition and Argumentation
- OTAT2190 - Level 1- Community and Emerging Practice Settings
- OTAT2210- Occupations Through the Lifespan- Adults
- Total Lecture Hours 13, Total Lab Hours 5,
Total Credit Hours 15
Fall - Year Two
- xxxx- Global or Historical Perspective
- OTAT2108 - Occupations Through the Lifespan: Elders
- OTAT2206 - Therapeutic Interventions III: Enabling Participation
- OTAT2290 - Level I- Health Care and Education Settings
- OTAT2115- Professional Issues
- Totals Lecture Hours: 10, Total Lab Hours: 10
Total Credit Hours 13
Spring - Year Two
- OTAT2390 - Level II Fieldwork A
- OTAT2490 - Level II Fieldwork B
- OTAT2999- Special Topics (Optional)
Totals Lecture Hours 0, Lab Hours 80, Credit Hours 10-12
Total Degree Hours 73
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