You know you want to be an OTA, but you want to figure out how to earn your occupational therapy assistant degree quickly. The truth is, you can be working as an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) after just two years of college. All you need is a health sciences university offering an OTA program fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
Earning an occupational therapy assistant degree is a great fast-track educational solution for those who know they want a rewarding healthcare career. OTAs get to serve people of all ages who are facing all kinds of challenges. OTAs help improve the lives of those who have developmental, mental, emotional, physical, or sensory conditions.
For those who love seeing others achieve their personal best, earning an occupational therapy assistant degree is a great career fit.
As an example, Sheri, an OTA in New York state, said this in a review on Indeed.com: “I work in a preschool setting as a COTA (Certified OTA) where I have been for 15 years. My caseload is working with developmentally delayed 3-5-year-olds. I really enjoy planning activities that help them grow and develop. It is very rewarding.”
In a two-year OTA program, experience in labs and time working in the field is concentrated into a coordinated curriculum. Each theory, principle, and technique taught builds off the previous one.
Curious about what OTA classes are like? Here’s a blog discussing what to expect and how to be successful!
The two-year occupational therapy assistant degree makes sense to those who are comfortable teaching and encouraging others and who are eager to enter the healthcare field quickly. The demand for OTAs to work with clients is very high, upwards of twice as much job growth as the national average for all jobs.
Wouldn’t you appreciate a two-year head start into a professional career?
In an occupational health environment, the OTA teams with an occupational therapist (OT) to evaluate each client’s circumstances and abilities, then figure out the best approach to achieve that person’s goals.
Right now, the healthcare industry is expanding rapidly, and OTAs are right in the center of this growth. U.S. News & World Report – for multiple years in a row – placed OTA on its list of Best Health Care Support Jobs.
Look who benefits from healthcare professionals with an occupational therapy assistant degree:
Employers appreciate the difference between high-quality, two-year OTA programs and an OTA program that only covers the basics. Seek out an OTA program that has these qualities as benchmarks:
Getting out of school faster through an accelerated OTA program is an attractive option. Not surprisingly, an occupational therapy assistant degree through an accelerated OTA program leads to a well-paid career.
According to PayScale, the average salary for a newly certified OTA ranges between $44-46,000 and can be more if the city or state you want to work in has a pressing need for OTAs. Meanwhile, the median salary for an experienced OTA is $59,266, according to the data site Salary.com.
The A.A.S. in Occupational Therapy Assistant degree program at Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) consists of 16 core courses and 16 weeks of fieldwork education required by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
The concentrated eight-week courses immerse you into your subjects and allow for completion of the degree in as little as two years. Our OTA degree program is accredited by the American Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university located in Overland Park, Kansas, a part of the Kansas City metro area. Make sure your career plans are moving forward today. The first step is to download the free eBook: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.
