Occupational Therapy Assistant (B.S.)
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Overview
Trinity is transitioning to a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) degree. This degree educates students to work under the supervision and in cooperation with an occupational therapist (OT) to help people across the lifespan engage in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities called occupations.
This major prepares you to work in various settings that include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, sub-acute facilities, psychiatric and community-based programs, schools, nursing homes, private practice and other emerging practice areas.
Students may be admitted to Trinity to complete general education and OTA prerequisite courses. Trinity may enroll students in the OTA program once the program receives Candidacy Status from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
General Education and Prerequisite Requirements
Students complete general education and pre-requisite courses before applying to the OTA program. These can be taken at Trinity in either the College of Arts and Sciences, or credits can be transferred from another accredited institution. Students complete OTA-specific courses after formal acceptance into the OTA program.
BIOL 121 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BIOL 122 Human Anatomy and Physiology II
ENGL 107 College Composition
HPNU 120 Medical Terminology
MATH 108 Finite Mathematics
PSYC 101-Introductory Psychology
SOCY 100 Introduction to Sociology
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
