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 Admissions office or by calling 860-512-3210 or 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 biology course. Interested students are required to attend an informational session about the OTA Program. The OTA program coordinator 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. Students with prior college credit may complete the program in a three-semester sequence. 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 Occupational Therapy Assistant program is a accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). They can be contacted at ACOTE c/o Accreditation Dept. American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) which is located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20824-3449. The ACOTE website is http://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
For the three most recent calendar years (2010, 2011, and 2012) the performance of the graduates of the occupational therapy assistant program at Manchester Community College, on the national certification exam, was as follows:
- Total number of graduates: 46
- Total number of first-time test takers of the NBCOT certification exam: 45
- Total number first-time test takers who passed the NBCOT certification exam: 45
- First time test taker percentage pass rate: 100%
Click on secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx to compare Manchester Community College’s OTA Graduates’ performance on the NBCOT Certification Exam with exam pass rates for all OTA programs. Additionally, MCC’s past 3 years, as reported in the aggregate, remains at 100%, well above the national average.
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