Program Design
The Occupational Therapy Assistant associate degree program enables the graduate to treat patients who are impaired by a physical illness or injury, an emotional disorder, a developmental disability or the aging process. Working under the supervision of an occupational therapist, an occupational therapy assistant uses activities and modalities as treatment to help people gain optimal function in their everyday life tasks. Specific services that an occupational therapy assistant provides may include training in activities of daily living, fabrication of splints, adapting home and work environments and tools, and therapeutic use of crafts and games.
Scholastic Preparation and Admission Process
If you are a high school graduate or hold a state equivalency certificate, you may submit an official application to the Admissions office. Admission to a Health Careers Program requires a separate application. You may request this application by contacting the Mathematics, Science and Health Careers Division at 860-512-2704.
To qualify for admission to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, students must have a grade point average at or above 2.5., be eligible for ENG* 101 , MAT* 109 , and have taken a college level lab science, earning a minimum grade of C. Interested students are required to attend an information session about the OTA Program. The OTA program director may be reached by email at mmoriarty@mcc.commnet.edu or 860-512-2719.
Curriculum
Because of the flexible nature of the program, students may select an accelerated, a full-time or a part-time plan of study. Courses with an OTA designator are offered only during the day. All course work must be completed with a grade of C or better and a GPA of 2.5 must be maintained throughout the program. The clinical semester, which is offered both semesters, provides a four-month, full-time, supervised learning experience with a focus on psychosocial, physical and developmental areas of practice. Students must complete the clinical semester within 18 months of the completion of academic work. Due to standards set by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), students are advised that the fieldwork sites to which they are assigned for clinical rotations, as well as state regulations, may require that they submit to a criminal background check before beginning their clinical experiences. Manchester Community College cannot be responsible for finding an alternate clinical placement for a student who fails to pass the background check. A student who is unable to complete the required clinical experience will be unable to complete the requirements for the associate degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant but may be able to apply some or all of the credits completed to an associate degree in General Studies. Students are advised to meet with an MCC counselor to discuss degree completion requirements.
Accreditation
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is 301-652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.
Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, Connecticut, as well as most states, requires licensure in order to practice. Note that a felony conviction may be affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
NBCOT Certification Results
Graduates of the program are eligible to take the national certification examination to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Note: A felony conviction may prevent an individual from being able to sit for the exam.
The total number of graduates from Manchester Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program during the 3-year period of 2014-2016 was 60, with an overall graduation rate of 91%.
|
Graduation Year
|
Students
Entering/Graduating
|
Graduation
Rate
|
|
2014
|
19/18
|
95%
|
|
2015
|
21/19
|
90%
|
|
2016
|
26/23
|
88%
|
|
Total
|
66/60
|
91%
|
Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NCBOT) can be found online at https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx
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