When you consistently find yourself coming back to healthcare for a career, there’s a good reason – you like to help people live their best possible lives. Earning the OTA degree and becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) might be perfect for you – it’s a college degree you can achieve in two years!
You must have a degree to work as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. For the reasons behind why an OTA degree is necessary, let’s examine it more closely.
As an OTA, you’re involved in occupational therapy services and activities for those who have been injured, suffering from debilitating conditions like Parkinson’s disease, and those with developmental disorders, such as autism.
Proper training through an accredited OTA program is critical to help patients achieve a quality of life that they might not otherwise reach without an OTA.
Examples of how OTAs offer help and hope:
The only place to receive that training is in an accredited OTA degree program. The degree many choose is the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Occupational Therapy Assistant.
When you are researching your educational options, you must choose your college or university carefully. You want an OTA degree program accredited by the American Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
If you’re curious about what degree is needed to become an OTA, the answer is straightforward. There is a specific OTA degree offered at many educational institutions across the country.
The Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree is a two-year, highly focused degree plan that prepares you for the national certification exam, and for a rewarding career helping others. There is tremendous freedom in carrying a treatment plan because each plan is personalized for the client’s goals and abilities. OTAs are teachers, coaches, and encouragers, and they love getting to see their clients reach the goals they want to achieve.
Working toward your OTA degree may include classwork in rehabilitation methods, mental health, therapeutic interventions, using adaptive tools and technology, and much more.
Because of the wide range of situations that OTAs may face, their training must be extensive. A unique part of the OTA degree is the fieldwork experience that’s part of the curriculum.
To get a good look at an OTA program, read this blog.
Your OTA degree will open the door to a stable career. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the number of employment opportunities for OTAs is expected to increase by more than 20% between now and 2031.
With an average annual salary between $51,540 and $62,856 for OTAs with experience, there is no better time than right now to pursue a career in this field. Newly certified OTAs seeking positions in the Midwest earn between $43-$48,000 per year.
Best of all, some OTAs say, is the variety of work settings.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) offers an A.A.S. in Occupational Therapy Assistant degree. Most students complete their A.A.S. degree at CUKC in as little as two years.
CUKC is a nonprofit, private, chiropractic and health sciences university established in 1922. Located on a 34-acre campus in Overland Park, Kansas, CUKC is an ideal place to begin your healthcare education.
Contact Admissions for more information today and get your OTA degree questions answered in the free eBook: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.
