Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

 

Occupational Therapy is a respected, rewarding and lucrative health career profession that helps people to achieve and maintain their independence and well being. The Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), working under the direction of an Occupational Therapist, provides treatment and other occupational therapy services to make it possible for people to live their lives independently. These services include the use of meaningful activities to help people develop or restore their skills for the job of living.

Occupational Therapy is a dynamic, growing profession with many job opportunities in a wide variety of health care and community settings. Our graduates work in school systems with children and in rehabilitationcenters, hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, nursing homes and private practices with adults.

 

WHO BENEFITS FROM OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?

1. People with neurological conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis
2. Children and Adults with developmental conditions such as cerebral palsy, learning disorders, autism, and Down's Syndrome
3. People with orthopedic conditions such as broken bones, amputations, and sports injuries
4. People with work related disorders such as back injury and carpel tunnel syndrome
5. People with medical conditions such as heart attacks, arthritis, burns, and spinal cord injury
6. People with mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol addiction
7. People who require assistance in completing their everyday activities
8. People who are well and wish to maintain a balanced life style and a high quality of life

 

OUR MISSION

The occupational therapy assistant program at Middle Georgia State College is designed to provide its students with the professional competence and professional attitudes required to function as entry-level occupational therapy assistants. It is also designed to provide them with the expertise necessary to pass the national certification exam for occupational therapy assistants.

The occupational therapy assistant program strives to:

1. Promote analytical, critical, creative thinking, and problem solving skills
2. Advocate learning as a lifelong process
3. Promote community service among its students and to offer community service and educational programs for learners including practitioners in the field of occupational therapy

 

Together, the OTA faculty members at MGSC have over forty years of clinical experience to draw upon to help our students become effective members of the occupational therapy profession. Our faculty members are committed to helping our OTA students succeed and excel in the OTA program.

 

ACOTE ACCREDITED

The OTA program at MGSC is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at:

ACOTE
c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3449

The AOTA phone number is (301) 652-AOTA.

Our graduates are 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). Most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.