Occupational therapy assistant classes at Ross campuses in Hopkinsville, KY.

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Study to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant at our Hopkinsville Ross campus.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate of Applied Science degree program can prepare you for the opportunity to help improve the quality of a person’s life and ability to perform daily activities through rehabilitative exercises and activities. Working as part of a rehabilitation team and under the supervision of an occupational therapist, you will find occupational therapy assistants in a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, home health care, early intervention, school systems, and psychiatric hospitals.

The goal of occupational therapy is to help clients return to every day activities such as work, play, leisure, and home activities. In order to accomplish this, occupational therapy assistants think creatively to help clients with disabilities.

What is an Occupational Therapy Assistant?

Occupational therapy assistants work alongside and under the supervision of occupational therapists. They assist occupational therapy clients as they relearn and develop typical daily life skills like eating, getting dressed, working, driving, etc. Occupational therapy assistants can be found in a variety of settings and working with many different types of patients.

Some choose to work with the elderly in their homes, nursing homes, or clinics. Others work with children, helping them to expand their skills in accomplishing fundamental activities. Still others may decide to work with patients that have disabilities that challenge their ability to perform necessary tasks.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Fieldwork

Students enrolled in the Ross Occupational Therapy Assistant program are required to successfully complete two different fieldwork components. The first fieldwork experience is a one week full time observation based experience in a psychosocial setting. This one week fieldwork is scheduled during the same month as Intervention in Mental Health allowing students to apply academic principles to real world settings. Once students have completed all academic courses, students are required to complete two 2-month full time fieldwork experiences.

This fieldwork experience allows students to follow and learn from experienced, well respected occupational therapy assistants and occupational therapists. Not only do students build necessary clinical skills, but more importantly gain valuable patient interaction skills. In summary, the four months of fieldwork allows students to apply academic principles to real patient care. The combination of the academic coursework and the fieldwork experience serve as an appropriate starting point for students to pass the certification exam allowing them to be practicing occupational therapy assistants.

Certification for Occupational Therapy Assistant Graduates

Once a student successfully completes the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Ross, they are eligible to take the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) exam through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). In order to be able to work as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, graduates must take and successfully pass the exam.

In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

NBCOT Certification Examination Performance: For information pertaining to the most recent OTA graduates on the national certification examination, please refer to https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.

Occupational Therapy Assistant graduate information for Ross College Hopkinsville, KY, and Ross College Quad Cities, IA

The total number of graduates from Ross College – Quad Cities/Bettendorf, Iowa, campus for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program during the three-year period of 2020-2022 was 41 with an overall graduation rate of 83%.

The total number of graduates from the Ross College – Hopkinsville, Kentucky, campus for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program during the three-year period of 2020-2022* was 43 with an overall graduation rate of 79%.

Graduate Performance Information

Quad Cities, Iowa
Graduation Year Students Entering / Graduates Graduation Rate
2020 12/12 100%
2021 15/13 86%
2022 10/6 60%
Total 37/31 83%
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Graduation Year Students Entering / Graduates Graduation Rate
2020 15/10 67%
2021 19/15 79%
2022 20/18 90%
Total 54/43 79%

Graduation Requirements, Tuition and Fee

Graduation Requirements

An Associate of Applied Science Degree will be awarded to each student who successfully:

  1. Complete all program requirements in the specified time.
  2. Have earned all credits required by his or her program within the maximum program length (1.5 times the number of credit hours in the program).
  3. Have a cumulative grade point average 2.00 or higher with no less than a final grade of a D/1.0 in any individual course.
  4. Have satisfied the residency requirement.
Tuition and Fees
Program Credit Hour Program Length (Quarters) Tuition per Credit Hour General Fee Total*
Occupational Therapy Assistant 96 8 $411.00 $0.00 $39,456.00

* There is an optional technology kit that would add $395.00 to the cost of the program if selected. Published fees for the program are subject to change

Cohort Rate

Ross College Official 3 year Cohort Default Rate (for all campuses under the main campus of Ross Medical Education Center – Brighton, MI) for 2019 is 3.8.

The Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Program at Ross College – Ross College Hopkinsville and Ross College Quad Cities locations accredited by The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (Acote).

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200 North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929 (301) 652-2682 acoteonline.org

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Jade Ostman

I am so thankful I chose to attend this school. The staff here makes coming to school everyday enjoyable and there is always something to look forward to. Whether it's a Thanksgiving potluck or Christmas cookie decorating, this campus knows how to make you feel warm and welcomed. They really take the time to get to know you and make sure you succeed in your career. I couldn't have chosen a better school. I love our Ross community!

Jade Ostman Graduate Dental Assistant student at Grand Rapids, MI campus Graduation: May 28, 2019
Kylee Talmadge

I love coming to Ross, because the teachers are great and the students create a bond. Since coming to Ross, my confidence has risen and I can't wait to start my externship.

Kylee Talmadge Graduate Medical Assistant student at Johnson City, TN campus Graduation: April 24, 2019
Chana Ware

My name is Chana Ware. I attended Ross Medical In Portage, MI. Ross is an awesome school to attend. They have great instructors, as well as a great staff. They were very helpful and inspirational. I would not have made it without the staff at Ross. And now because of all of the support that I received from them, I can say that I have a great career as a Registered Medical Assistant.

Chana Ware Graduate Medical Assistant student at Portage, MI campus Graduation: November 27, 2018
Kimberly Garner

I began my journey of becoming a medical assistant at the age of 49 years young. I chose Ross in Portage and my instructors were polar opposites but they both had my success and best interest at heart. I am now a medical assistant at one of the major hospitals in the area, working in orthopedics. Ross helped me have a successful career because they trained me to be the best I could be. Thank you, Ross, for allowing me to be part of your family.

Kimberly Garner Graduate Medical Assistant student at Portage, MI campus Graduation: November 3, 2017
Tamika Newsome

I'm a single mother of four children and my four children inspire me every day. My children are my greatest inspiration and I want to show them that they can do whatever they set their minds to. I want to show them that even though there may be bumps in the road, they should never give up on their dreams. Their dreams are worth fighting for. I'm glad to be attending Ross Medical Center because the staff is always there to lend a helping hand to their students, regardless if it has to do with their education or personal lives. Ross staff is another addition to my family because they make me feel like I'm a part of something that's bigger than I am.

Tamika Newsome Graduate Medical Assistant student at Flint, MI campus Graduation: April 20, 2020
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Medical Insurance Billing and Office Administration Certificate online program
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