Occupational Therapy Assistant
Allied Health
A.A.S. Degree (G,W)
The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) is an individual who works under the supervision of a certified occupational therapist. The OTA works with individuals or groups by implementing meaningful interventions which support participation in mastering everyday activities (occupations) at home, at work, at school, and in the community. For those with a disability, condition, or impairment being able to perform activities of daily living (ADL) is an important step toward a life that is as independent, productive, as satisfying as possible. The OTA program provides general education in the biological, behavioral, and health sciences followed by integrated occupational therapy instruction and laboratory experiences on campus and fieldwork experiences in approved facilities. The OTA programs are currently accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association Inc., 6116 Executive Blvd, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, phone: (301) 652-6611, https://www.acoteonline.org. Graduates will be able 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). Many states, including Delaware, require licensure to practice; however, that licensure is based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Exam. Level II Fieldwork (OTA 231 and OTA 232) must be completed within 18 months of the didactic course work for the OTA program. Academically ready students can apply to the program following the guidelines of the Allied Health competitive admission process. Interested applicants should review the information provided here and contact their program advisor for application requirements.
Program Graduate Competencies
The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.
- Demonstrate knowledge related to the occupational therapy assistant including patient/client interactions, therapeutic treatments, activity analysis, documentation, safety techniques, and therapeutic equipment.
- Exhibit effective nonverbal, verbal and written communication in patient/client and family interventions and education and professional relationships.
- Perform competently a full range of occupational therapy skills with patients/clients and various populations as occupational beings.
- Exercise independent judgment and critical thinking in performance of occupational therapy, according to the profession's standards of practice.
- Demonstrate professional patterns of behavior consistent with the profession's code of ethics.
Core Curriculum Competencies
The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:
- Apply clear and effective communication skills.
- Use critical thinking to solve problems.
- Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
- Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
- Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
- Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.
Graduation Requirements
Core Courses
Program/Major Courses
| OTA 110 | Introduction to Occupational Therapy | 3 |
| OTA 120 | Activity Analysis | 2 |
| OTA 130 | Kinesiology for the OTA | 2 |
| OTA 220 | Pediatric Health Conditions | 3 |
| OTA 221 | Adult and Geriatric Health Conditions | 3 |
| OTA 222 | Pediatric Intervention | 4 |
| OTA 223 | Adult and Geriatric Intervention | 4 |
| OTA 224 | Psychosocial Intervention | 4 |
| OTA 225 | Clinical Fieldwork Level I-A | 2 |
| OTA 226 | Clinical Fieldwork Level I-B | 2 |
| OTA 229 | Professional Seminar | 1 |
| OTA 231 | Clinical Fieldwork Level II-A | 6 |
| OTA 232 | Clinical Fieldwork Level II-B | 6 |
Program/Major Support Courses
Suggested Pathway to Graduation (Course Sequence Sheet)
PROGRAM SPECIFIC ADVISEMENT STATEMENT
Delaware Tech does not apply blanket age limits to courses for the purposes of transfer in, meeting selective admission programs' ranking/entrance procedures, or meeting program requirements for award completion. There is a 10 year age limit used in the selective admission procedures for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program for BIO 120.
Semester 1
Semester 2
Semester 3
Semester 4
Semester 5
| OTA 221 | Adult and Geriatric Health Conditions | 3 |
| OTA 223 | Adult and Geriatric Intervention | 4 |
| OTA 224 | Psychosocial Intervention | 4 |
| OTA 226 | Clinical Fieldwork Level I-B | 2 |
| OTA 229 | Professional Seminar | 1 |
Semester 6
| OTA 231 | Clinical Fieldwork Level II-A | 6 |
| OTA 232 | Clinical Fieldwork Level II-B | 6 |
To complete program requirements, you must pass the above courses and earn at least 78 credits. The number of courses and credits required for graduation may be more depending on your need for developmental education courses and the elective choices you make (if electives are a part of the program). Some programs also have college-level courses that you must take if you do not score at a certain level on the College Placement Test. If this applies to your program, the courses are listed at the top of the sequence sheet before the first semester of the course list.
AHTAASOTA