These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Becoming an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) is a great choice if you want a stable career with good pay and plenty of job opportunities. An occupational therapy assistant (OTA) works with an occupational therapist (OT or OTR) to treat patients who have difficulty performing daily living and work activities due to illnesses, injuries, and disabilities. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Overall employment of occupational therapy assistants is projected to grow 28 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. Even if you cannot attend one of the above top occupational therapy assistant schools, it is critical that you attend and graduate from an ACOTE accredited OTA program. With more than 46,000 occupational therapy students applying to master’s and doctoral programs each year, and only 8,000 students receiving admissions letters, there’s no hiding that OT school is competitive. If you are not OK with this, you can opt-out if you wish. Level II fieldwork consists of two 12-week semesters where you’ll typically work 40 hours a week. If you’re already an OT, or you are currently in OT school, what do you think? Occupational therapy focuses on helping people participate in the meaningful activities they need and want to do after an injury, disability, or other health condition. An OTA is also qualified to work without supervision as a Director of an activities program. Occupational therapy school is SO competitive, since many applicants are applying as soon as they can as opposed to when the supposed deadline is. That said, there are many job opportunities for Occupational Therapist Assistants to work for an agency that outsources a variety of special education and OT services. Apply to Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Occupational Therapist and more! the occupational therapy assistant programs at the denver, el paso, houston, las vegas, mesa, renton and tucson campuses are accredited by the accreditation council for occupational therapy education (acote) of the american occupational therapy association (aota), located at 6116 executive boulevard, suite 200, north bethesda, md 20852-4929. Two years of hard work at an accredited OT assistant school and you could be well on your way to starting a new career. Here you'll find the answer to this question along with what to expect as an OT student. Students of our Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program train to render effective treatment and care for individuals of all ages whose quality of life has been impacted by disability. If you boil it all down, an OTAs basic job function is to help people. Opportunity for Men in Occupational Therapy Assistant School. What OT topics are you most interested in? They are required to earn an associate’s degree and pass the national certification exam before becoming a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Not Too Hard . How long you have been out of school 3. Why is this? What would be most helpful for you? OTA school is not very hard as long as … He or she will then report the client’s progress back to the OT, who will adjust the treatment plan as necessary. How hard is it . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It takes a lot of work and motivation to get through an OT program, so if you don’t think you’ll have that drive to get you through, I suggest you consider another career. As a state school, CCRI provides you with an affordable, high quality education for under $13,000, thousands of dollars less than other private schools. It’s still possible to maintain some semblance of a social life, although it will probably involve more group studying and research than going out. Learn how your comment data is processed. The CCRI Occupational Therapist Assistant Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). You can expect to study several hours most evenings, often after eight hour days of classes and labs. We are glad to see you are interested in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. First, getting into an OT program is difficult. My master’s program had a group thesis that we worked on throughout the entire program. i've read that if your GPA drops below a 2.8 then your dismissed from the program. Advancement: As mentioned above, as an assistant you can always continue your education to become a registered occupational therapist. Also, OT’s can work in a wide variety of settings, meaning there are always work opportunities. Feb 21, 2020 - Wondering if occupational therapy school is hard? “Applicant” Occupational therapy Assistant schools in Arizona-This one is a new OTA educational program in Arizona seeking accreditation (not yet holding Candidacy Status). You’ll have a big focus on science, research, and theory in your coursework, along with multiple in-the-field clinicals in multiple settings, and often a graduate thesis to top it all off. You need to problem solve, think on your feet and be flexible. That being said, depending on your academic strengths, OTA school may be easier for you than someone who is strong in subjects like economics and sociology and weak in science. Occupational therapy is one of the most unique health care careers. But as someone who has experienced the stresses of applying to OT school , I can tell you: Master’s and Doctorate programs are very competitive . You will have to come up with appropriate treatments for multiple patients a day. I know that it is a needed job and they make pretty good money. You should definitely consider OTA as a career. Major inspiration for my becoming an occupational therapy assistant came from the interaction with many health care professionals. Students seeking a career in occupational therapy may be unsure of where to start and what to expect. Although occupational therapy assistants work under the direct supervision of occupational therapists, they are highly skilled medical professionals. I also know that they work with people who have physical or mental disabilities to help them gain independence. The occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). This career field allows you to have a fruitful career while making a meaningful difference in the lives of countless children, adults, and seniors with disabilities. You are constantly helping your patients improve their lives. I was wondering if anyone has gone for this and what they think of it. I tried not to work more than 10 hours a week, and many weeks I opted not to work at all when I had huge loads of thesis research and studying. Physical Therapist Assistant. If you want to learn more about occupational therapy school, be sure to also check out these resources. What were the hardest parts for you? Pediatric occupational therapy assistants have an opportunity to make a positive difference in young lives who could use a helping hand and a smile. If you’re considering a career in occupational therapy, now is the time to get started. The CCRI Occupational Therapist Assistant Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Care Support; Occupational Therapy Assistant; Occupational Therapy Assistant Theory; Infection Prevention and Control; Communications; Human Growth & Development Your experience may differ a bit depending on your individual curriculum. I think that the difficulty of occupational therapy school can depend on several factors: 1. The following OTA associate-degree-level programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®). Talk to any OTA, though, and you’ll see the highly practical aspects of the job present a tremendous opportunity for multi-talented individuals who like achieving goals as much as they like caring for others. The goal of physical therapy is to help people recover from injuries, regain movement or relieve pain. With that being said, the majority of occupational therapy school prerequisites are similar. I know that it is a needed job and they make pretty good money. 2. As a result, occupational therapy assistant years of schooling can be highly variable. While OT school was personally hardest schooling (and time) of my life, I have never regretted my decision. Thank you! If you’re considering a new career in healthcare, you love kids, and you don’t want to spend years in school, consider becoming a pediatric OTA. When I began applying to OT school, it seemed like no schools were exactly the same. Course Modules. You may need some previous work-related skill, knowledge or experience to be an Occupational Therapy Assistant. Occupational therapy focuses on skills needed for … While I’ve talked about this a bit in other OT school-related blog posts, I realized I needed to give this question an article of its own, for the pre-OT’s wondering the answer to this question. As I began interviewing, I learned that some things were more important to certain schools than to others. For example, say the programs you’re looking at have deadlines in December, but they start accepting applications in August. I just want to give a realistic picture of what you can expect in OT school. Occupational Therapy Assistant, Associate of Applied Science. All healthcare degrees are going to be challenging, and for good reason. I found a local college that is 30 min. Please be aware that O.T. These programs want to ensure you’re equipped to competently and safely work in the healthcare field, so you’re going … School of Nursing, Health and Wellness. 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