Occupational Therapy Assistant (A.A.S.)

Program Information

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Overview

Trinity has applied for accreditation for a new Occupational Therapy Assistant baccalaureate program.  Students are no longer being accepted into the Associate Degree program.  Students may apply to Trinity to begin completing general education courses.  Students may not be admitted into the OTA-baccalaureate program until the program receives Candidacy Status from the American Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

Trinity Washington University’s occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program leads to an associate of applied science degree.  Trinity is the only university in the District of Columbia that offers a two-year Associates of Applied Science degree program to become an occupational therapy assistant (OTA). The degree program prepares students to work under the supervision of and in collaboration with an occupational therapist (OT). Occupational Therapy practitioners help people across the lifespan engage in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities called occupations.

Our OTA students are prepared to work in various settings that include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, sub-acute facilities, psychiatric and community based programs, nursing homes, private practices and other emerging practice areas.

Students enrolled in Trinity’s A.A.S. in OTA program have the option of enrolling in a baccalaureate program. Students can earn their A.A. S. degree and a selected baccalaureate degree at the same time.

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Accreditation

The occupational therapy assistant baccalaureate degree program at Trinity Washington University has applied for accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must be granted Candidacy Status, have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before 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, all 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 associate degree program at Trinity Washington University, Washington, DC, was placed on Probationary Accreditation effective April 1, 2017, for failure to comply with 2011 OTA Standard A.5.6 (certification exam pass rate). The program has been requested to submit a Plan of Correction to return the program to full compliance with the Standard within the mandated time period for correction. Trinity Washington University reviewed the above statement and had the opportunity to add comment prior to public posting.  The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (A.C.O.T.E.) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (A.O.T.A.), is located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. A.C.O.T.E.’s telephone number, c/o A.O.T.A., is (301) 652-AOTA, and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Graduates of the program 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 (N.B.C.O.T.). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (C.O.T.A.). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the N.B.C.O.T. Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the N.B.C.O.T. certification examination or to attain state licensure.

Trinity Occupational Therapy Assistant program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online at https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx