Occupational Therapy Assistant

Program Code: SAC.OTA.AS

Program Control Number: 07485

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program provides a strong foundation in the skills and knowledge necessary for entry-level occupational therapy assistant competencies.

Occupational therapy is a discipline that focuses on function as well as quality of life. Occupational therapy assistants provide service to individuals with physical, mental or developmental disabilities, across life phases that need to remediate skills of everyday tasks of self-care, home management, community skills, work, and leisure. The major requires general education courses including biological, social, and behavioral science, in addition to, occupational therapy courses. The program utilizes classroom instruction, online classes and fieldwork experiences to prepare the student to meet certification and employment standards.

The associate-degree-level 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 Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. 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), One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, phone number (301) 990-7979 and web address www.nbcot.org. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Students who have completed all requirements will also need to apply for a license to practice in the State of California through the California Board of Occupational Therapy, 1610 Arden Way, Suite 121, Sacramento, CA 95815, phone number (916) 263-2294, and web address www.bot.ca.gov. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Finger printing is a requirement to apply for state licensure with the California Board of Occupational Therapy (BOT) and for placement in most level II fieldwork sites. For information about limitations based on felonies, students are advised to contact NBCOT and BOT any time prior to the application process. Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II Fieldwork within 18 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program.

REQUIREMENTS:

PREREQUISITES:

Satisfactory completion of all prerequisite courses, or their equivalents, with a grade of “C” or higher posted to the official transcript. Applicants with AP Exam taken in lieu of a prerequisite course must have a score of at least a 3.

• Biology 149, Human Anatomy & Physiology (can be taken as a part of a combined course or separately) This course has to be taken within the last 10 years. *Courses without a lab component are not equivalent to this prerequisite*
• Communication Studies 101 or 101H, Introduction to Interpersonal Communication or Communication Studies 102, Public Speaking or Communication Studies 103 or 103H, Introduction to Intercultural Communication or Communication Studies 140, Argumentation and Debate or Communication Studies 145, Group Dynamics
• English 101 or 101H, Freshman Composition
• Psychology 100 or 100H, Introduction to Psychology

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Each semester has a separate application period. Check the website for the dates as they become available. For questions regarding the application process, please attend an information session. Completed applications will be accepted in the following format:

SPRING semester — a randomization selection process (lottery).

FALL semester — an Associate’s degree in OTA to a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Studies (OS). Students will earn both degrees. The selection for this program will be criterion base. This program is for applicants without a Bachelor’s Degree awarded from another college/university.

1.     Apply to Santa Ana College to obtain a student ID #.
   

2.     Download and complete the OTA application from our website.  Incomplete application will not be reviewed and will be returned.
   

3.     Obtain official high school transcripts (for applicants without an AA/AS or BA/BS degree awarded from an accredited United States Institution).
   

4.     Ensure satisfactory completion of all prerequisite courses, or their equivalents, with a grade of “C” or better.  A letter grade of “C-” is not acceptable.   Applicants must have completed all prerequisite courses and the grades must be posted to the official transcripts before submitting an application.
   

a. Applicant with AP Exam taken in lieu of a prerequisite course must have a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP test. Submit a sealed copy of the official AP Score Report from the College Board with the application.

5.     Obtain official college transcripts from every college attended and include them in the application packet.  DO NOT send the transcripts directly to Admissions & Records and DO NOT submit unofficial transcripts in the packet.  Transcripts must be in sealed envelope from the college.
   

6.     Deliver the application materials in one sealed envelope to the OTA program by the deadline.
   

7. This is only for students who have been selected to begin the enrollment process. Approximately 2 months prior to starting the program, students will be sent information for completion of the following:

• Background check via CastleBranch

• Provide CPR (BLS for Healthcare Providers)

• Certification from American Heart Association

• Obtain professional liability insurance

• Report of Medical Screening

• Provide documentation of various medical immunizations:

* Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

* Varicella (Chicken Pox)

* Hepatitis B

* TB Skin Test, OR quantiFERON Gold blood test, OR clear chest X-Ray

* Completed DTP (Tdap) Series

* Influenza Shot

Learning Outcome(s):

1. Be prepared for employment as Occupational Therapy Assistants.
2. Pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification examination for occupational therapy assistants within 1 year of graduation.