Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Occupational Therapy Assistants treat and care for individuals across the lifespan who are impaired in their ability to participate in everyday activities, or “occupations”, due to neurological, physical, psychological or developmental dysfunctions.  An occupation is simply an activity that has meaning or value to an individual as they function in their home, work, school or community.

Occupational Therapy Assistants:

• work under the direction of Occupational Therapists to help assess individuals and implement treatment plans for individuals impaired by disability
• offer creative and adaptive approaches to help individuals remediate, rehabilitate, or compensate for their loss of function
• offer a holistic view of individuals to promote the healthy balance of self-care, work, and leisure activities for improved quality of life

The OTA Program at St. Louis College of Health Careers successfully equips students as they make their transition from student to entry-level clinician through carefully selected curriculum and courses designed to build upon prior knowledge and experiences as they progress through each sequence.  After successful completion of all didactic and clinical fieldwork experiences, the OTA student will be eligible to sit for the National Certification Exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) in order to become certified as an Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).  After passing the National Board exam, graduates may file for state licensure as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant with their appropriate state board of Occupational Therapy.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Developing Program Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, PO BOX 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA. Once accreditation of the program has been obtained, its graduates 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, 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.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is only offered at the County Campus.