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.
I really enjoyed getting to talk to and interact with other students and getting to work with my instructors.
Mary Tate Graduate Online - Medical Office Management student at Ross College Online campus Graduation: November 27, 2018
Why do I like Ross? I like Ross because it has been one of the best programs I have attended. It?s very informative and my instructor makes everything so easy to understand. Having a great instructor makes a world of difference. I have always wanted to be in the medical field but never really had the time to go to a four year college. Ross has given me the opportunity to get in the medical field without having to attend a four year college program. Being able to be done with school in as little as six months has to be one of the best things about Ross.
Kendra Chaffee Graduate Medical Assistant student at Brighton, MI campus Graduation: April 24, 2019
The main reason I would recommend Ross College is the atmosphere! All the staff members are caring and helpful! The instructors are knowledgeable in the fields they are teaching. As a result, students are passing and wanting to come to class!
Tonya Shaffer Graduate Medical Assistant student at North Canton, OH campus Graduation: April 24, 2019
Being in the VA program instructed by Ms. Shevock has re-affirmed my dreams of becoming a veterinarian.
Paige Meyers Graduate Veterinary Assistant student at Canton, MI campus Graduation: May 8, 0019
I'm thankful for Ross for giving me this great opportunity to learn and become a great medical assistant. The teachers and staff are very friendly and want you to succeed.
Kayla Wimberly Graduate Medical Assistant student at Ann Arbor, MI campus Graduation: April 5, 2019
