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The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) 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:

• The National Certification Examination fee of $525
• Clinical liability insurance of $15 per year
• Books and supply costs average $1,000 for the first year, $500 for the second year.
• Lab fees total $172
• State licensing fees are in addition to the above
• The Certified Background Check fee of $48

Factors that increase the chances of successful program completion

• 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.
• 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

• Students in the program benefit from smaller classes.
• 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.
• Application for the national certification exam and state licensure asks for information regarding legal conviction, and drug/alcohol addiction conditions that may inhibit practice.
• 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.

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