Occupational Therapy Assistant

Department: Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Program Director: Marianne Christiansen
Program Option: A.A.S.

The College of St. Catherine founded the first two-year occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program in the country more than 40 years ago and has more experience educating Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs) than any other program in the Twin Cities. Our two-year, associate of applied science degree program will help you master occupational therapy skills and develop and refine leadership, interpersonal and communication skills.

You will benefit from personal attention in classroom and fieldwork experiences, including the guidance of a fieldwork educator. Each student completes more than 700 hours of directed fieldwork experience in a variety of healthcare and community settings. Students have practical experience opportunities at more than 70 sites in the Twin Cities, plus some out-of-state options.

As a COTA, you will make a difference in people’s lives. Occupational therapy assistants work in collaboration and cooperation with registered occupational therapists to help people engage in human occupations or “day to day” activities that contribute to their physical, psychological and spiritual health, well-being and overall quality of life.

You can interact with individuals and groups, including well populations and those with physical, psycho-social and developmental disabilities; work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, rehabilitation facilities, community centers and patients’ homes; and practice your profession in collaboration with other healthcare team members.

The College of St. Catherine Occupational Therapy Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, Md. 20824-1220. ACOTE’s number at AOTA is (301) 652-2682.

Graduates of the OTA program are able to sit for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, you will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Many states have some form of regulation in order to practice, and in Minnesota occupational therapy personnel must be licensed with the Minnesota Department of Health (www.health.state.mn.us). Generally, state regulations are based on the results of the NBCOT certification examination.

When graduates apply to take the certification examination with the NBCOTO, they are asked to answer questions related to the topic of felony convictions. For further information on these limitations, contact NBCOT at 12 South Summit Avenue, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150. The phone number for NBCOT is (301) 990-7979, the fax number is (301) 869-8492, and the Web site is www.nbcot.org. Graduates will also be asked questions about felony convictions as they apply for state licensure.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services requires that all students going into a clinical setting have a background check. Background checks are done within the first two weeks of class and the College provides all forms. There is no cost to you.

All OTA program students must be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). This must be an American Heart Association certification and must be completed by March 1 of your first year in the OTA Program. No other CPR certifications will be acceptable in meeting this requirement.

You can earn your associate of applied science degree in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program in a way that best fits your needs. Full-time students take two years to complete their studies. Students take liberal arts and science and OTA courses concurrently both years, and Level II Fieldwork is completed in the same semester following the appropriate course work in accordance with the curriculum design and the program policies. Part-time students can use the Extended Program option. Students start by taking liberal arts and science courses before beginning OTA courses. OTA students in this option take about three years to complete their studies.

See also: Occupational Science, Master of Arts in Occupational Therapy (Graduate catalog).

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

OSOT 1020 Role of the OTA
OSOT 1030 Human Occupations I
OSOT 1040 Clinical Conditions
OSOT 1050 Human Occupations II
OSOT 1210 Client Support Skills
OSOT 1250 Aging
OSOT 1270 Level I Fieldwork
OSOT 1300 Therapeutic Applications I
OSOT 2300 Therapeutic Applications III
OSOT 2330 Therapeutic Applications II
OSOT 2350 Level II Fieldwork
OSOT 2360 Level II Fieldwork
OSOT 2400 Practice Models and Professional Issues I
OSOT 2410 Practice Models and Professional Issues II
OSOT 3250 Group Dynamics and Leadership (register for section designated for OTA students)

Supporting courses:
BIOL 2000 Summer Science Immersion or BIOL 2400 Anatomy & Physiology I
PSYC 2020 Lifespan Developmental Psychology
HIMP 1020 Medical Terminology

Liberal Arts & Sciences core and CIL requirements:
PSYC 1000 General Psychology
ECOL 2000 Human Ecology
ENGL 1100 Composition I
PHIL 2000 Ethical Problems in Healthcare
SSCS 1000 Power and Social Change
CIL 1500 Transcultural Learning through Community Connections
ART elective
ENGL elective
THEO elective

(An additional SSCS elective must be taken if you transfer with only four credits in Anatomy and Physiology.)

URL: http://minerva.stkate.edu/academiccatalog0709.nsf/pages/occupational_therapy_assistant
This page was created on 05/02/2007 and last updated on 02/28/2009.
Comments, questions and feedback about this site may be addressed to registrar@stkate.edu.