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Occupational Therapy Assistant
Associate in Applied Science Degree
Green River Community College's two-year Occupational Therapy Assistant
program prepares graduates for immediate employment in the field and
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.
The AOTA’s phone number is (301) 652- AOTA.
Occupational Therapy is a health discipline that provides services to
people whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury, illness,
and developmental, psychosocial, or aging-related problems. "Occupational"
in this sense does not necessarily refer to a person's employment. Instead,
it means therapy that enables a person to gain the functions necessary
to perform day-to-day work, self-care, and leisure activities as related
to one's roles. For example, a person with a disability may need to
relearn how to dress himself or herself, how to safely take a bus, or
how to prepare a basic meal.
Occupational therapy assistants are employed at public schools, long-term
care centers, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and geriatric day care
centers to name a few. Assistants work under the supervision and consultation
of an occupational therapist to provide patient treatments. They also
provide assistance with patient assessments.
Graduates of the program will be able to sit for the national certification
examination for Occupational Therapy Assistants administered by the
National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) located
at 800 South Frederick Avenue, Suite 200, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150.
After successful completion of this examination, the graduate will be
a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Washington state
requires licensure in order to practice.
NBCOT Certification Exam Pass Rates
The total number of graduates who passed the certification exam as first-time
new graduate test takers in 2005-2007 was 41 out of 43, which is a 95%
pass rate. During that 3-year time period, the program had 42
graduates.
Felony convictions may affect the graduate's
ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination and attain state
licensure. NBCOT offers an Early Determination Review to individuals
who (1) have been charged with or convicted of a felony, (2) have had
any professional license, registration or certification revoked, suspended
or subject to probationary conditions by a regulatory authority or certification
board, and/or (3) have been found by any court, administrative or disciplinary
proceeding to have committed negligence, malpractice, recklessness or
willful or intentional misconduct which resulted in harm to another.
An individual who is considering entering
the Green River Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant program,
or has already entered the program but is not yet eligible to apply
for the certification examination, may have his/her character information
reviewed prior to actually applying for the examination by requesting
the review. The fee for the review is $100; a payment form can be found
on NBCOT's Web site - www.nbcot.org
- under "Forms".
Prerequisites
Each student must complete the following:
- Submit a statement describing applicant's interest and knowledge
in the field.
- Submit evidence of academic preparation.
- Completion of the following college-level courses with a 2.0
grade or better:
- 10 quarter credits of Anatomy and Physiology. Must have been
taken within the last 5 years.
- English composition course
- Psychology, Sociology or Speech Communication
Program Options
Students have two options for enrollment
- The full-time traditional day program begins
fall quarter and takes seven quarters to complete. Courses
are offered during daytime hours and must be taken in an approved
sequence. Students are enrolled in full-time fieldwork during quarters
six and seven. Space permitting, qualified applicants may
enroll on a part-time basis with a maximum of 12 quarters allowed
for completion.
- The part-time evening option begins spring
quarter and includes flex on-line and possible weekend offerings
with completion taking nine quarters. Students must take courses
in an approved sequence and be available during day-time or weekend
hours for fieldwork completion. Students are enrolled in full-time
fieldwork during quarters eight and nine.
Level 2 full-time
fieldwork must be completed within 18 months of program academic coursework.
When can
new students enroll?
The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program will accept qualified students
until filled. Once the program fills, applicants will be placed on an
alternate list. Interested applicants should contact a program
advisor prior to applying for the program.
Special Fees
Besides tuition and general college fees, special program fees include:
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The National Certification Examination
fee of $525
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Clinical liability insurance of $15
per year
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Books and supply costs average $1,000
for the first year, $500 for the second year.
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Lab fees total $172
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State licensing fees are in addition
to the above
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The Certified Background Check fee of
$48
Factors that increase the chances of successful
program completion
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While a desire to help is a very important
attribute of a COTA, an OTA student should be able to subordinate
his/her personal needs to those of the patient and should be willing
to work with the faculty to develop those professional skills required
of a member of a health care team.
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Occupational therapy assistants should
have good communication skills, be friendly, and enjoy working with
people.
Does the Program transfer to four-year
schools?
In general, the classes for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program
are not designed to transfer. Students who seek occupational therapy
degrees should pursue a bachelor’s degree and then attend an occupational
therapy program.
Special program notes
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Students in the program benefit from
smaller classes.
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The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
requires a Certified Background check of each student to be in compliance
with the “Child/Adult Abuse Information Act RCW 43.43.830 through
43.43.840.” Each student is required to participate in an investigation
for criminal history prior to entry into the program. The clearance
must be free of any violations or convictions, including domestic
violence. The check will be done one month prior to the start of
the program. Students must have a clear record to be assigned to
fieldwork sites. A criminal record may prohibit a student from participating
in the fieldwork courses.
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Application for the national certification
exam and state licensure asks for information regarding legal conviction,
and drug/alcohol addiction conditions that may inhibit practice.
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Students must have appropriate immunizations
prior to all phases of fieldwork.
Employment outlook
Employment prospects are very good. U.S. Department of Labor statistics
report that employment of occupational therapy assistants is expected
to grow 25% from 2006 to 2016. (Occupational Outlook Handbook 2007-08).
Salary range
Current starting salaries usually range from $18 to $25 per hour. Many
employers offer excellent benefits.
For specific information about the Occupational Therapy Assistant program,
contact:
Noel Hepler
Ext. 4341
nhepler@greenriver.edu
Jennifer Lewis
Ext. 4839
jlewis@greenriver.edu
Jenny Nyblod
Ext. 4933
jnyblod@greenriver.edu
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OTA Application
Packet (PDF 167 KB)
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