Become an OTA and Improve People’s Lives

Imagine yourself as an adult recovering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) who wants to get back to their life. Or a stroke survivor who now has physical challenges. Or a combat veteran or a battered spouse with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSB). Who’s willing and able to help in these life-interrupting situations?  It’s the uniquely skilled people who choose to become an OTA – an occupational therapy assistant.

As an OTA, You Help People from All Walks of Life

An OTA works in partnership with an occupational therapist (OT) to help improve the lives of people struggling with daily living activities due to illness, disability, injury. The uniqueness of what an OTA does is how they put into action the therapy recommendations.

Day to day, OTAs are the ones leading the client in their therapy activities, recommending changes in therapy activities to ensure progress, and personalizing activities as needed according to each client’s capabilities.

OTA Skills: All Types of Employers Want Them

Here’s the deal: When you become an OTA, you’re part of a healthcare profession that bridges a gap in the healthcare delivery system that’s long been underserved.

Too many times, for example, surgical patients aren’t fully prepared for how to recover safely at home. Employees, although physically recovered from an at-work injury, find they lack accommodations at work to continue their career. A person with emotional issues, although equipped with new knowledge, needs his or her family members to know how to offer constructive support and encouragement.

That’s the heart of what occupational therapy is, and at the center of what an OTA does.

“Occupational therapy,” says one person who’s learning to live with a leg amputation, “concentrates on getting you adapted to your new problems and how to solve them so you can return to as much of your former life as possible.”

Here’s a breakout showing where OTAs work, the employment distribution, and salary benchmarks. Data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2020.

Occupational Therapy: Rising to Prominence

 Thankfully, experts are now seeing how occupational therapy practitioners like those who become an OTA are delivering help, hope, and highly achievable knowledge. Two examples:

• According to a report via the Joint Commission, the nation’s largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare, sometimes there’s poor coordination of care among various specialists. An OTA’s comprehensive skill set allows them to guide the transition to at-home care.
• In a study in Medical Care Research and Review, 30-day readmission rates to hospitals were reduced by involving occupational therapy practitioners on the care team. The study examined patients suffering from heart failures, pneumonia, and heart attacks.

The 2-Year Path to Become an OTA  

A two-year occupational therapy assistant program results an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant. More than 81% of OTAs working with clients regularly have this degree.

Think of earning an OTA degree as having three parts.

1. Completing basic course requirements for the degree – about 24 college hours.
2. Completing professional OTA courses and guided instruction in therapy activities.
3. Completing the four to five months of fieldwork requirements set by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
   

So, what’s an OTA degree plan look like? A typical OTA degree curriculum is shown here.

Become an OTA. It’s Rewarding Work.

 The demand for occupational therapy assistants is expected to grow by 33% from 2018 to 2028, according to the BLS. This growth is due to value shown by the OT field and the increasing number of senior adults who want to remain active and independent despite age-related conditions. Newly graduated OTAs average $45,000, and salaries can go higher in high-demand states like Texas and Virginia.

 Finally, occupational therapy assistants are in the top-20 of a list of “best health care support jobs” published yearly by US News and World Report. The ranking looks at career growth, salary, and work-life balance.

The OTA Degree Program at CUKC

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university in Overland Park, Kansas. CUKC is an ideal place to begin your healthcare education. The accelerated Associate of Applied Science (AAS degree) in Occupational Therapy Assistant at CUKC includes prerequisite classes, 16 core OTA courses, and the four-to-five months of supervised fieldwork education. 

In the CUKC OTA program, hands-on instruction is the norm, aided by experienced OTA faculty and an on-campus simulated living quarters’ lab. Our goal is to get you eligible to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) – a designation that today’s employers want to see.

Not sure when you’ll begin school? CUKC classes start in spring, summer, or fall.

Get the answers about how to become an OTA by replying here, and download this free OTA eBook: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.