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Occupational Therapy Assistant

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Program Overview

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program prepares you with the entry-level skills and knowledge to provide persons, groups, and populations with treatments that improve their ability to achieve independence in everyday activities and to enjoy life to its fullest.

Students will have opportunities to:

  • Develop and provide interventions that focus on occupations for persons, groups, and populations experiencing various impairments.

  • Monitor persons and groups progress while following an occupational therapy plan of care.

  • Effectively educate and communicate with persons, groups, populations, families, and other healthcare providers.

  • Teach persons, groups, and populations to use adaptive equipment or modifying tasks to increase successful participation in meaningful occupations.

  • Educate persons, groups, and populations in health and wellness.

  • Meet with community experts and learn about their area of expertise.

  • Use knowledge gained to participate in fieldwork at a variety of community and medical settings.

  • Investigate topics as you begin your pathway to a life-long learner.

  • Interact with other health profession students.

Students should be aware that a felony conviction can have a serious and negative impact on eligibility for certification and NBCOT Early Determination Review as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Hands-On Learning Opportunities

  • Occupational Therapy Assistant students gain hands-on experience through patient scenario simulation. These scenarios replicate all rehabilitation settings.

  • Clinical: Gain 600 hours of real-world work experience ensuring you have the skills you need to succeed in your future career.

  • Education and use of a variety of lab assessments and assistive devices.

At A Glance
Award
  • Associate of Applied Science
Length of Study 2 years
Program Start

Prerequisite and general education coursework can be completed any term: fall, spring, or summer.

Occupational Therapy Assistant program OTA courses begin spring term.
Enrollment

Prerequisite and general education coursework can be completed at full-time or part-time status.

Occupational Therapy Assistant program OTA courses must be completed at full-time status.
Tuition-Free Eligible

This program qualifies for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and will pay up to 100% of your tuition.

Students must apply for, be awarded, and meet the ongoing eligibility requirements for the Last-Dollar Scholarship.
 

Why Choose OT?

Transfer Information

An articulation agreement with the University of Cincinnati allows you to transfer your Occupational Therapy Assistant coursework towards a Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences degree or towards the Early Assurance Pathway to a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree.

If you plan to transfer, work closely with a program advisor to ensure courses transfer and you meet program requirements.

Accreditation

ACOTE logo: Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education

The associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA 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 (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.

Hawkeye Community College Accreditation

National Certification Examination

All states require licensure in order to practice. State licensure is usually based on the results of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Certification Examination.

Successful completion of this program qualifies the student to test for license/certification in the state of Iowa.

Graduates who successfully pass the National Board Certification for Occupational Therapy and have their scores immediately sent to designated states are able to practice once the individual state’s licensure criteria is met. Graduates who have been practicing and plan to move to a different state need to review that state’s occupational therapy practice acts. As a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) you have access to the OTA licensure requirements by state.

See our State Licensure Google Sheet to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Occupational Therapy Assistant program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.

Also see the American Occupational Therapy Association Career Licensure for more information about state licensure.

Licensure and Certification Disclosure

OTA Program National Statistics Reported by NBCOT

National Certification Examination
Graduation Year Students
Entering/Graduating		 Graduation Rate Percentage of First-Time Test Takers
Who Passed the Exam
2022 12/7 58% 100%
2023 13/9 69% 88%
2024 13/12 74% 83%
Total 38/28 61% 90%

Mission Statements

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Mission

The mission of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program is to prepare qualified healthcare practitioners to work in collaboration with others for a better community and inspire lifelong learning.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Mission in Alignment with the Hawkeye Community College Mission

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program mission mirrors that of the College in stressing the importance “empowering students and enriching communities” (Hawkeye Community College, 2021) and “improving the communities we serve” (Hawkeye Community College, 2021). As occupational therapy practitioners, Occupational Therapy Assistant program graduates will learn the value of continual skill improvement and the importance of continued expansion of their treatment techniques and strategies. Investigation of global-wide solutions to impairment of occupational performance will be explored in multiple didactic courses and fieldwork experiences, furthering students’ readiness for providing occupational therapy services to diverse populations within the communities they live.

Graduate Spotlight

The first time Stephanie Lursen saw an occupational therapist at work, she got goosebumps. She was planning to be a physical therapist, and already had a four-year biology degree to start, but seeing that occupational therapist at work changed everything. "The program has taught me to look at life from a completely different perspective."

Program Pathway

Prerequisite Coursework

Prerequisite Courses Details

Credits 15
Enrollment Full-time, Part-time
Program Start Fall, Spring, Summer
Number of Terms 1
Time to Complete 4 months

Prerequisite Courses

  • Composition I
  • Human Anatomy and Physiology I
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Medical Terminology
  • Statistics

See the Suggested Sequence of Study for cost and additional course details.

Next step: Complete the program admission requirements then continue to Term 1 of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree

Program Details

Award Associate of Applied Science (AAS)
Credits 61
Enrollment Full-time
Program Start Spring
Number of Terms 5
Time to Complete 1½ years
Admissions Application Select Academic Program:
Occupational Therapy Assistant – AAS
See Program Admission

Suggested Sequence of Study and Cost

Program Courses

Term 1 — Spring
  • Introduction to Occupational Therapy
  • Neuroanatomy for the OTA
  • OTA and Pathophysiology
Term 2 — Summer
  • Human Movement and Occupation
  • OTA and Professional Issues I
  • Task Analysis
Term 3 — Fall
  • Adult Psychosocial Conditions and Occupations
  • Adult Psychosocial OTA Skills
  • Level I Fieldwork Pediatrics
  • Level I Fieldwork Psychosocial
  • Management and the OTA
  • OTA and Professional Issues II
  • Pediatric OTA Skills
  • Pediatric Psychosocial Conditions and Occupations
  • Pediatrics and Occupation
Term 4 — Spring
  • Adult Physical Conditions and Occupations
  • Elders and Occupation
  • Level I Fieldwork Physical Dysfunction
  • Level II Fieldwork A
  • OTA Skills for Elders
  • Physical OTA Skills
Term 5 — Summer
  • Level II Fieldwork B
  • Student to Clinician

Occupational Therapy Assistant students are be required to complete background screenings, including a criminal background check, sex offender registry, child abuse registry, and dependent adult registry before participating in fieldwork. The outcome could possibly affect your opportunities to participate in the fieldwork setting as well as acceptance to take the national board examination.

See the Suggested Sequence of Study for the full list of courses, cost, and additional course details.

You have completed the Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program. Check out the Health continuing education courses to keep up to date in your profession.

Careers

Positions

Occupational therapy assistants work in a wide variety of settings including homes, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, community centers, outpatient facilities, schools, and nursing homes.

Example Careers and Average Wages
Entry Average Experienced
Occupational Therapy Assistants $50,860 $61,360 $70,530

Source: 2023 Iowa Wage Report, Iowa Workforce Development — Statewide Wages

Employers

The following is a partial list of employers who have hired graduates from this program:
Business Location
Blue Stone Therapy Locations throughout Iowa
Mercy Medical Center Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Millennium Therapy Locations throughout Iowa
Northern Iowa Therapy Locations throughout Iowa
Rehab Visions Locations throughout Iowa
Reliant Rehab Locations throughout Iowa
Unity Point — Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA
Western Home Communities Cedar Falls, IA

Associations

Content 1

OTA students wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Program Admission

In order to be considered for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program, students must provide the Admissions office with the appropriate documentation showing completion of all requirements. Appropriate documentation consists of:

  • Official high school or GED/HiSET transcript
  • Official college transcript (if applicable)

It is the student’s responsibility to:

  1. Monitor their progress towards meeting admissions requirements
  2. Notify the Admissions office when requirements have been met
  3. Provide the Admissions office evidence of meeting the requirements

  4. Keep their contact information up to date and to routinely check their Hawkeye email

Step 1: Applying to Hawkeye

  1. Apply for admission at Hawkeye.
  2. Send official transcripts to Admissions.
  3. Demonstrate college readiness.

You can check the status of your application by logging into your Admissions Account.

Hawkeye's Equal Opportunity Statement

Step 2: Prerequisite Coursework

Prerequisite coursework may be completed at Hawkeye Community College or transferred in from an accredited educational institution, with the exception of HSC-108 Introduction to Health Professions, which must be completed at Hawkeye. See the suggested sequence of study for a list of prerequisite courses.

Learning Contract Process

Students who may be missing a few fall prerequisite courses can initiate the Learning Contract Process to complete fall prerequisite coursework and continue on in the program.

To enroll in the Learning Contract Process:

  1. Students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
  2. Contact the Program Director to request the Learning Contract Process documents.
  3. Complete and return the Learning Contract Process documents to the Program Director no later than one week before the spring semester.
  4. The Program Director, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, and assigned Pre-Program Advisor will meet to discuss the information. Once a decision has been made, the Program Director will email the student informing them of the decision.
  5. If approved, the student will work with their Pre-Program Advisor to register for spring courses. Students must register for 13 credits or less in the first spring semester.
  6. Approved students will meet with the Program Director, either virtually or face-to-face, to finalize the Learning Contract Process.

Step 3: Program Admittance / Admissions Processing Points

  • The Occupational Therapy Assistant program registers 20 students each spring.

  • Applicants who successfully meet all admission criteria will be given an Eligible-Start Date to be Determined application status.

    • The Eligible-Start Date to be Determined status date is according to the student’s prerequisite completion date. If students share the same prerequisite completion date, the registration date for the final prerequisite course will be used.
  • The Admissions Office admits Eligible-Start Date to be Determined candidates ongoing for the next available term. Once seat capacity has been reached the remaining Eligible-Start Date to be Determined candidates will continue to be considered and contacted accordingly, should a seat become available.

Mandatory Seminar

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program will offer mandatory one-hour seminars in the fall semester. Students must participate in one of the mandatory seminars prior to complete the admission process.

Background Screening

Changes are taking place within healthcare facilities nationally. These changes directly affect all health programs at Hawkeye Community College. The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), which accredits healthcare facilities across the country, enforced background screening September 2004 and has set requirements mandating that students in a healthcare field must now complete the same background check as hospital employees. As a Health student of Hawkeye Community College, you will be required to complete a criminal background check which includes fingerprinting that searches the following databases of sex offender, child abuse and dependent adult registry, and Medicare/Medicaid Fraud. The outcome could possibly affect your opportunities to participate in the clinical setting and the ability to take the national examination.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Program Contacts
Admissions
Email Admissions 319-296-4000 Hawkeye Center 114
Academic/College Success Advisor
Bailee Burks Email Bailee Burks 319-296-4014 ext.1481 Hawkeye Center 208H
Program Director / Faculty Advisor
Last Names A – M
 Cindy Koehn Email Cindy Koehn 319-296-4305 Grundy Hall 110L
Academic Fieldwork Coordinator / Faculty Advisor
Last Names N – Z
 Jordan Tranbarger Email Jordan Tranbarger 319-296-2329 ext.1195 Grundy Hall 110J

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