Occupational Therapy Assistant

Proposed Academic Program Inventory Title: 

A.A.S. Degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant

 

Proposed Academic Program Inventory Title including concentrations: (optional) - NA

A.A.S. Degree in __________________ with concentrations in:

 

CIP Code:                51.0803

 

SOC Code/s:

SOC 1: 31-2011

SOC 2: 31-2000

SOC 3: 31-2010

 

Program Description:

The Occupational Therapy Assistant A.A.S. Degree program is designed for students who want to help people of all ages to regain, develop, or master everyday living skills for independent, productive, and satisfying lives. This two-year course of study includes academic and fieldwork training to prepare students for a career in occupational therapy. Students are trained to work under the supervision of an occupational therapist, designing and implementing intervention plans to enable participation in life activities for people of diverse ages, cultures, and abilities. The course of study is rigorous and demanding, but rewarding. Program graduates will be eligible to sit for the national board examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).

 

Program Outcomes:               

Following successful program completion students will:

1. Meet eligibility requirements to sit for the national board examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)
2.  Following successful completion of the NBCOT exam, program graduates will be eligible to apply for state licensure to practice as a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA)
3. Begin practice as a generalist COTA with entry-level skills

 

Transfer Requirements:

a.Program to which student desires to transfer must have available space within the cohort.

b.Transferring student must be in academic good standing. Student must have grades of “C” or better in all OTA and General Education coursework.

c.Transferring student must be recommended by current OTA Program Director.

 

Concentrations: NA

Concentrations are optional but if applicable please list name of the concentration and a description of the concentration and concentration outcomes.

 

Technical Certificates: NA

Each certificate should be identified with a title, program description, and outcomes (see above). 

 

CIP Code: see above

Please assign CIP codes that are appropriate for degree and/or certificates.  In addition, identify a specific CIP Code for all concentrations. 

 

Professional Accrediting Body: Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education

State Agency/Entity Oversight: NA

Applicable Certification/License or Industry-recognized Certificates to Be Awarded: NA

(Specify whether the credential is awarded as a component of the degree/certificate or if it is optional, meaning that the student is prepared and eligible to take the test for the credential. Also, each course summary form should identify whether the course contributes to the opportunity to earn a specific credential.)

 

Articulation with Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCAT): (Which courses are projected to align with TCAT programs?) NA

 

Concentration(s) within the A.A.S. in _________________________ NA

 

Concentration Description:

• Course 1:
• Course 2:
• Course 3:

(Note:  A concentration description with a minimum of 9 SCH is required for EACH concentration recommended by the Statewide Curriculum Committee.  The institution will also be required to specify a minimum or 6 additional SCH to define the concentration.  In the future, it is possible that a concentration will require a minimum of 12 defined SCH required as the “concentration core” and 6 additional SCH defined by the institution.  This is not currently required.  Currently a concentration is defined as a minimum of 15 SCH, but this may increase to 18 SCH.)

Specializations or special career paths can be defined by the institution without having to establish a formal concentration that appears on the Academic Program Inventory.  However, the only way to identify these specializations is to manually type it into “comments” for the transcript. 

Conversations with some industry representatives indicate that they rely on the students resume to identify any specializations or special skills.  As long as the transcript had courses to support that position there should be no concern.  It is rare that an employer would request a transcript from an A.A.S. graduate.