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Occupational Therapy Assistant - A.A.S.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant A.A.S. program provides you with the skills and experience needed to become a licensed occupational therapy assistant, working with individuals of all ages to help them live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

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Program Information for Occupational Therapy Assistant - A.A.S.

Program Description

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Full Description

The Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant prepares students for a career as an occupational therapy assistant. Occupational therapy services are provided for habilitation, rehabilitation and promotion of health and wellness, while emphasizing participation in meaningful occupations for clients and groups in a variety of settings. Occupational therapy assistants work under the direction of and in partnership with occupational therapists.

The degree program prepares students with a sequential curriculum, including lectures, labs and a variety of fieldwork experiences. Graduates are eligible to take the national certification exam and obtain state licensure. After passing the exam, the student may obtain licensure in any state(s) of their choice to practice in the field of occupational therapy.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

Admissions for Occupational Therapy Assistant - A.A.S.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning a minimum 71 TOEFL iBT score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 47 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score, or by completing the ELS level 112 Intensive English Program. For more information on international admission visit the admissions website for international students.

For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Engage in ongoing professional growth and development as an occupational therapy assistant practitioner.
  2. Apply clinical reasoning by integrating clinical experiences with evidence-based practice and personal experience to provide best-practice occupational therapy services.
  3. Implement occupation-based, client-centered practice to support clients' desired occupational roles and participation.
  4. Promote community engagement through connecting resources to identified groups and populations to facilitate healthy, productive and satisfying lives.

Coursework

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Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA; min C/S grade required in all courses)
OTA 10000FOUNDATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 2
OTA 10002OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH 3
OTA 10003OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE I 1
OTA 10010OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE II 3
OTA 10192FIELDWORK 1A (ELR) 1
OTA 20001OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS 2
OTA 20002OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH 3
OTA 20003OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE III 3
OTA 20004OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PEDIATRIC POPULATIONS 3
OTA 20006OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH II 3
OTA 20392FIELDWORK 1B (ELR) 1
OTA 20492FIELDWORK 1C (ELR) 1
OTA 21092CLINICAL APPLICATIONS I (ELR) 4
OTA 21192CLINICAL APPLICATIONS II (ELR) 4
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA; min C grade required in all courses)
AHS 12005CONCEPTS IN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT 3
or NURS 20950 HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
AHS 12010PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTHCARE 1
AHS 22002CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY 3
AHS 22003CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY LABORATORY 1
AHS 24010MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY 1
BSCI 11010FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) 13
BSCI 11020FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) 13
PSYC 11762GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
PSYC 21211PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS) 3
or PSYC 40111 PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
Kent Core Composition3
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning3
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts3
Minimum Total Credit Hours:65
1

Students who have successfully completed ATTR 25057 and ATTR 25058 (or EXSC 25057 and EXSC 25058 or BSCI 21010 and BSCI 21020) may use those courses in place of BSCI 11010 and BSCI 11020.

Progression Requirements

To be able to register for Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) courses, students must be accepted to technical study. Acceptance to technical study is a selective process. Criteria for acceptance are the following:

  • Completion of prescribed developmental coursework
  • Minimum 2.700 overall GPA

Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
2.000 2.000
  • Clinical education must be successfully completed within 18 months of the didactic coursework.
  • Portions of the program's courses incorporate the use of technology and/or may be offered in a distance learning format. Under certain circumstances, students are required to attend clinicals on days outside of the academic calendar. These circumstances may occur on scheduled or unscheduled campus closures or on days when classes are cancelled, but the campus remains open. Examples include certain holidays, spring recess and/or prior to the start of semesters. Students are notified in advance of these dates.
Roadmap

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
AHS 24010 MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY 1
BSCI 11010 FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY I (KBS) (KLAB) 3
 Credit Hours4
Semester Two
AHS 12010 PROFESSIONALISM IN HEALTHCARE 1
BSCI 11020 FOUNDATIONAL ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY II (KBS) (KLAB) 3
OTA 10000 FOUNDATIONS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 2
OTA 10003 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE I 1
PSYC 11762 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) 3
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Three
AHS 12005
or NURS 20950
 CONCEPTS IN LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
or HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
3
AHS 22002 CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY 3
AHS 22003 CLINICAL KINESIOLOGY LABORATORY 1
OTA 10002 OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH 3
OTA 10010 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE II 3
OTA 10192 FIELDWORK 1A (ELR) 1
PSYC 21211
or PSYC 40111
 PSYCHOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE (KSS)
or PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
3
 Credit Hours17
Semester Four
OTA 20002 OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH 3
OTA 20003 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTIONS FOR PRACTICE III 3
OTA 20392 FIELDWORK 1B (ELR) 1
 Credit Hours7
Semester Five
OTA 20001 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS 2
OTA 20004 OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PEDIATRIC POPULATIONS 3
OTA 20006 OCCUPATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN PHYSICAL HEALTH II 3
OTA 20492 FIELDWORK 1C (ELR) 1
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Six
OTA 21092 CLINICAL APPLICATIONS I (ELR) 4
OTA 21192 CLINICAL APPLICATIONS II (ELR) 4
 Credit Hours8
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:65

Program Delivery

  • Delivery:
    • Mostly online
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Ashtabula Campus (mostly online)
    • East Liverpool Campus (in person)

Accreditation for Occupational Therapy Assistant - A.A.S.

The A.A.S. degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE's telephone number, C/O AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA(2682) and the website is www.acoteonline.org.

Examples of Possible Careers and Salaries for Occupational Therapy Assistant - A.A.S.

Occupational therapy assistants

19.2%

much faster than the average

49,200

number of jobs

$68,340

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
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