Occupational Therapy Assistant

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a health care profession that focuses on helping people – The practice of occupational therapy involves the therapeutic use of everyday life activities - or “occupations” - with individuals or groups for the purpose of participation in roles and situations in home, school, work place, community, and other settings. Occupational therapy services are provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.

The Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)

Under the supervision of a Registered Occupational Therapist, the occupational therapy assistant provides patient treatment, collects data for evaluations, develops goals for treatment, and documents treatment. Treatment interventions include, but is not limited to, therapeutic exercises, transfer training, activities of daily living re-training, handwriting intervention, sensory integration activities, re-training in independent activities of daily living, and neuromuscular facilitation techniques.

Where do Occupational Therapy Assistants work?

Occupational therapy assistants work in a variety of settings which includes, but are not limited to hospitals, nursing homes, home health, work rehabilitation, psychiatric facilities, schools, and outpatient clinics.

Application Deadline 
Final deadline: June 01 2018

Program Start
Fall semester only, August 2018

STEP 1: COMPLETE APPLICATION
Start here: If you are new to college or transferring to HCC, follow the steps and apply here. What You Need to Apply Required only if new to college or transferring to HCC with less than 12 college level credits EDUC 1300 COLLEGE READINESS - MATH 0312 – Intermediate Algebra (if assessed below college level math) REQUIRED COURSES – Completion of the following courses with a minimum grade of ‘C’ or better in the following courses: BIOL 2301 and BIOL 2101 (formerly BIOL 2401) – Anatomy & Physiology I (LEC/LAB) Must be completed within 5 years prior to application to the program ENGL 1301 – English Composition I PSYC 2301 – Introduction to Psychology OTHA 1201 Introduction to OT (OTHA 1201 Must be completed no later than Spring semester of the application year & Must be taken at HCC) ACADEMIC COURSES – Completion of the following courses is not required at the time of application, but is strongly recommended prior to admission PSYC 2314 – Human Growth and Development  Lifespan 3 credits – Humanities/Fine Arts Elective
STEP 2: ATTEND A PROGRAM SESSION
All applicants are required to attend a Program Session, which is held at HCC Coleman: 1900 Pressler Street Houston, TX 77030 Register at: colemanconnection.org
STEP 3: SUBMIT AN APPLICATION PACKET
In person to HCC Coleman – Student Services with the following: Items that need to be submitted include: Application for Health Sciences Program - Typed and printed HCC Coleman OTA Observation Form Program Session attendance Official high school transcript or GED scores Official college transcript showing completion of required courses (unofficial from HCC is acceptable) 24 hours of observation in an OT setting - Verification of hours must be signed by the OTR or OTA supervising your observation. Completed on facility’s official letterhead with the name and phone number of the person(s) providing the observation. Hours must be completed within one year of submission of application Utilize HCC form for observation hours Two-page, typed report with a cover sheet. In your report, review your observation setting and treatments by licensed OT professionals. Discuss how your observations influenced your decision to work as an OTA. Three (3) letters of recommendation on official letterhead
STEP 4: WAIT TO BE CONTACTED BY THE DEPARTMENT
Students will be contacted 2-3 weeks after the admission deadlines if they are selected to participate in the interview and essay portions of the admission process. All students will be contacted with final determinations no later than June 15th.
IF ACCEPTED?
A condition of admission is based on completion and/or submission of the following: Proof of personal health insurance Passing drug screening Physical examination Immunization record showing: Completion of Hepatitis B Immunization series (may take up to 6 months), MMR, Tdap, TB, Varicella, Meningitis (required for students under the age of 22), and Influenza (please note: a titer may be required for some of these immunizations) Cleared Criminal Background Attend Program New Student Orientation Attend Student Services Orientation

Disclaimer: Admission Steps are subject to change at any time.

Accreditation: Accredited by ACOTE; American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200 | Bethesda, MD 20814-3449 Phone number: (301) 652-AOTA | www.acoteonline.org

More Information: For more information about healthcare careers and which program may be best for you, visit colemanconnection.org/pathway

International students
713.718.8521
www.hccs.edu/international

Veteran students
713.718.8522
www.hccs.edu/veterans

OTHA_Admission Steps

Accredited by the American Council for Occupational Therapy (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
4720 Montgomery Lane
Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3449

Phone number 301-652-AOTA (2682)

www.acoteonline.org

Pass rates for the program can be found by here.

The National Bureau of Labor Statistics has found the following:

• Employment of occupational therapy assistants is expected to increase 43 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average growth for other occupations.
• Demand for occupational therapy is expected to rise significantly over the coming decade in response to the health needs of the aging baby-boom generation and a growing elderly population.

• Occupational therapy is important with treating children and young adults with developmental disabilities like autism, genetic disorders, and complications from prematurity.

• As of May 2015, in the state of Texas, the annual mean wage for occupational therapy assistants was $71,100 and the annual hourly rate is $34.18. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017).

• Percentile wage estimates for this occupation from lowest to highest percentile follows:

• Students must attend an Occupational Therapy Information Session prior to the application deadline.
• Information session can be found on the following site: http://colemanconnection.org

There are 280 Occupational Therapy Assistants employed in the Greater Houston Area. This number is expected to increase by 25.7% over the next four years.

• The estimated annual job openings is 28 jobs a year.
• Median Wages - $31.60 hourly, $66,000 annually

GRADUATION RATES:

TOTAL NUMBER OF PROGRAM GRADUATES:

Between 2015-2017, 56/68 (82%) students graduate from the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program.

CERTIFICATION RATES:
Congratulations to our 2015 and 2016 graduates on their outstanding performance on the first-time NBCOT pass rates: 2015-100% and 2016-100%.

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy pass rate data is now available online at https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx. This data reflects the pass rate for graduates attempting the national certification exam within 12 months of graduation from the program (regardless of number of attempts). ** An individual with a previous felony conviction should contact the ECPTOTE at 512.305.6900 prior to admission into the program. The Board will review each case and determine if an individual is eligible for licensure as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Mission:

The mission of the Houston Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is to prepare the student for entry into the dynamic healthcare field with the required skills needed to perform the duties of an occupational therapy assistant and provide optimal client care. Following this mission, the OTA Program will work to produce occupational therapy assistants that will (1) perform occupational therapy services under the supervision of an occupational therapist and (2) be competent entry-level practitioners that possess the skills necessary to work in this diverse society.  

The goal of the OTA Program is to produce entry-level OTA’s with the knowledge—theoretical and clinical to excel in today’s ever-changing healthcare environment. The coursework will focus on the importance of utilizing occupation with clients across the lifespan and in a variety of contexts to ensure optimal provision of occupational therapy services. The OTA Program is designed to produce occupational therapy assistants who possess optimal ethics, competence, knowledge, clinical skills, and dedication to the advancement of the occupational therapy profession and themselves as practitioners.

Philosophy:

Occupational therapy, within the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (AOTA, 2014), is defined to include, “the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or groups of the purpose of enhancing or enabling participation in roles, habits, and routines in home, school, workplace, community, and other settings” (p. S1). The Houston Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant program also holds the view that it is important to ensure that when providing client services, across the lifespan, it is important to focus on the occupations of that client to determine intervention and progress towards established goals.

The philosophy of the Houston Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is consistent with The Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy (AOTA, 2011) and the Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education (AOTA, 2015). Serving as a third piece of our philosophy is the Model of Human Occupation Framework, as it provides a framework that focuses on the client as a part of a dynamic system as we provide intervention.

The Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy (AOTA, 2011) sets some of the tenets of the occupational therapy profession, including the importance of occupation, the diverse contexts in which occupations occur and the importance of occupation in the overall health of our clients. The Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education (AOTA, 2015) serves to provide the foundation of how we educate our students to best impart Occupational Therapy’s philosophies in their practice to produce an occupational therapy assistant that has an identity that is in line with the profession. The concepts put forth in the Model of Human Occupation Framework recognizes that the client is part of a dynamic system which include not only the client, but also the environment and how the client processes the information coming from the environment for the performance of a task.

The Houston Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program works to ensure that instruction embodies the philosophy of occupational therapy where the focus of instruction imparts the importance of occupation in intervention, the effect of contexts on occupational performance to modify intervention as necessary, and the need to ensure that clients engage in meaningful occupations to promote optimal health and engagement in the client’s environment.

Note:

• All students must carry a person health insurance policy to attend clinical training which is an additional cost.
• All fees and tuition costs are subject to change.