Occupational therapy assistant classes at Ross campuses in Hopkinsville, KY or Quad Cities.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 2016-2018* was 59 with an overall graduation rate of 91%.
The total number of graduates from the Ross College – Hopkinsville, Kentucky, campus for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program during the three-year period of 2016-2018* was 33 with an overall graduation rate of 77%.
NBCOT Certification Examination Performance: For information pertaining to the most recent OTA graduates on the national certification examination, please refer to https://secure.nbcot.org/DATA/SCHOOLstats.aspx
| Graduation Year | Students Entering / Graduates | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 21/19 | 90% |
| 2018 | 14/13 | 93% |
| 2019 | 23/16 | 70% |
| Graduation Year | Students Entering / Graduates | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10/7 | 70% |
| 2018 | 23/17 | 73% |
| 2019 | 16/12 | 75% |
Ross College Official 3 year Cohort Default Rate (for all campuses under the main campus of Ross Medical Education Center – Brighton, MI) for 2015 is 23.1.
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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Kellie Smith Graduate Medical Billing Administrative Specialist student at Ross College Online campus Graduation: November 28, 2018
I've been in the program for the past five months and my time here at Ross has been awesome. When starting the program, I was nervous about what lie ahead, but after a few weeks, you get into the hang of things. I've made very close friendships in my time here and plan on carrying them outside of graduating. Ross has been one of the best decisions I've made. I'm looking forward to going on my externship and seeing what this career has in store for me.
Samantha Collins Graduate Medical Assistant student at Madison Heights, MI campus Graduation: February 13, 2019
During my time at Ross Medical I have learned the fundamentals of becoming a pharmacy technician, and I feel like I've been prepared to start my career properly. The staff is friendly, helpful, and always there when I need them. When I first started I was nervous and didn't know if I could do it, but because of all the factors that Ross offers I had a smooth transition. It's also great that they help you with the interviewing process and getting a job. My instructor Laura Cyphers was great! She had experience being a pharmacist, which gave a real-life perspective of how the field operates. She explained the curriculum well and I have the highest GPA I have ever had. I feel like I have received enough knowledge to succeed. The Campus Director, April Harr, is great, because you can always go talk with her and she's there to listen. Overall, my experience at Ross has been educational and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this school to other people, because Ross has helped me better my life.
Brisk Reed Graduate Pharmacy Technician student at Johnson City, TN campus Graduation: April 3, 2019
Ross allowed me the flexibility to continue to be a stay at home mom while going back to school. Bettering myself for my family was my main motivation.
Kailey Rahme Graduate Medical Assistant student at Lansing, MI campus Graduation: December 18, 2018
I thank Ross for everything that they have done, from the first time I stepped foot on their campus. I was so afraid, but not so much of starting school, but afraid of failure. That was my biggest fear until talking with one of the school's administrators. She made me feel so comfortable in becoming a student at Ross. Once I started and met my teachers it became so easy. They took time out to help me when I didn't understand things, which made it that much easier. Once I got to my externship I was so excited yet afraid at the same time. However, where they sent me for my externship is where I wanted to go and upon completion, I am very proud to say that I got hired and I am still working there to this day! Ross helped me with my career so much that I enrolled in the online school for Ross and received my associates degree. It was hard being a full-time mom, employee, and student, but I did it and so can you, thanks to Ross and its amazing team!
Shayla Hall Graduate Medical Assistant student at Portage, MI campus Graduation: November 9, 2016
