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Occupational Therapy Assistant

Associate Degree Program

A Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), works with people of all ages with physical, developmental, social or emotional problems who need assistance to lead independent, productive and satisfying lives. The COTA, under the supervision of a registered occupational therapist, provides clients with occupation based activities which aid them in mastering the skills necessary to perform daily tasks at home, school and in the community. As an important member of the health care or educational team, you will work closely with doctors, nurses, physical therapists, teachers, speech-language pathologists and other allied health or educational professionals. You will also be able to provide instructions to clients, family members and caregivers on safe and effective methods to regain function, compensate for deficits and achieve health. The program will prepare you to be generalists by providing broad exposure to evaluative and treatment methods used in various practice settings.

Upon successful completion of this program, you will be eligible to sit for the National Certification Exam for the Occupational Therapy Assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). View the Delaware Tech current pass rates on NBCOT examination.

Academically ready students can apply to the program following the guidelines of the Allied Health competitive admission process. Interested applicants should review the information provided here and contact their program advisor for application requirements.

Offered at the Georgetown and Wilmington campuses.

What You Can Do

In this program, you will gain the knowledge and skills to prepare you for positions in:

  • Public Schools
  • Rehabilitation Hospitals
  • Mental Health Centers
  • Nursing Homes
  • Home Health Agencies

What You Will Earn

Competitive starting salaries range from $40,000 to $45,000.

What You Will Learn

Program Graduate Competencies

The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.

  1. Demonstrate knowledge related to the occupational therapy assistant including patient/client interactions, therapeutic treatments, activity analysis, documentation, safety techniques, and therapeutic equipment.
  2. Exhibit effective nonverbal, verbal and written communication in patient/client and family interventions and education and professional relationships.
  3. Perform competently a full range of occupational therapy skills with patients/clients and various populations as occupational beings.
  4. Exercise independent judgment and critical thinking in performance of occupational therapy, according to the profession's standards of practice.
  5. Demonstrate professional patterns of behavior consistent with the profession's code of ethics.

Core Curriculum Competencies

The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:

  1. Apply clear and effective communication skills.
  2. Use critical thinking to solve problems.
  3. Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
  4. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
  5. Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
  6. Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.

Pursuing a Bachelor's Degree?

This is a Connected Degree program that enables you to complete your associate degree and then transfer to a four-year degree program as a junior. See a program advisor for details!

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Campus-Specific Occupational Therapy Assistant Information

Contact Georgetown:

Elaine Smith
Department Chair
(302) 259-6624
elaine.smith@dtcc.edu

The Occupational Therapy Assistant programs are currently accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association Inc., 6116 Executive Blvd, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, phone: (301) 652-6611, https://www.acoteonline.org

A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the National Certification Exam. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) and eligible for state licensure. http://www.nbcot.org

This program of study is not offered at the Dover Campus location.
This program of study is not offered at the Stanton Campus location.

Contact Wilmington:

Dr. Heidi Baist
Department Chair
hbaist@dtcc.edu
(302) 571-5355

The Occupational Therapy Assistant programs are currently accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association Inc., 6116 Executive Blvd, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, phone: (301) 652-6611, https://www.acoteonline.org

A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the National Certification Exam. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) and eligible for state licensure. http://www.nbcot.org