When you’re thinking about helping others for your career, you have to put “earning an occupational therapy assistant degree” (OTA) on your list.
Oh, you’re not sure what those with occupational therapy assistant degrees do? Be assured it’s much more than assisting – you’re carrying out the day-to-day therapy people need to live a healthier life. It may be the result of an injury or a medical setback. Sometimes it’s a disability. If it involves a child, there may be a developmental delay or a sensory processing issue.
OTAs do so much that it’s a bit hard to comprehend. To help, here are slices of interviews with three real-life occupational therapy assistant program students. Taylor G., Mckenzie M., and Sophie Y. gave their insights into what OTAs do and why they like the OTA profession.
A. “I’ve always found pleasure in helping people. It was instilled in me by my parents to help those that may be less fortunate than you in any means of life. We were surrounded by elderly neighbors growing up, so every time it snowed, there I was, scooping snow off driveways for a couple of hours. When I started looking into it (OTA school) I just thought it was a good fit.
In clinical settings now, the amount of gratitude people express is pretty satisfying. It’s something that definitely keeps you going.”
A. “So I was a nursing major at first. Then I realized I wanted to work with people on a more personal level. I looked at physical therapy assistant and occupational therapy assistant roles. What I really liked about the A.A.S. in Occupational Therapy Assistant program is that you do get on a more personal level with the clients.
Plus, it’s not just treating them physically but also mentally as well. So you treat them as a whole person, and that’s pretty much what drew me to it.”
A. “I was once immersed in that world, on the caregiver side. I saw occupational therapy and physical therapy first-hand. I was very inspired by them. The environment of occupational therapy is a loving and warm environment. OTA school was an enjoyable challenge because I like science. I love health. I love learning about the body and what it does.
“It’s so interesting how you can use something that would be a normal activity or a hobby for someone, and you can translate it into therapy that helps build the skills they need in life. Once I was playing solitaire with a client because they love card games, but I’m using it as therapy. So they were building cognitive skills by using numbers and remembering patterns.”
Actually, it must – you’ve read this far. Even if you still have doubts, remember this: Taylor, McKenzie, and Sophie have different experiences and backgrounds, but they all have the core personal attributes that OTA clients appreciate.
When you love the feeling that comes by helping others accomplish their goals, you should get more information about the occupational therapy assistant degree.
Core attributes of occupational therapy assistants:
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university in Overland Park, Kansas, offers the Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Occupational Therapy Assistant degree. Most students complete our OTA degree program in two years or less, including the required multi-month fieldwork experiences.
You can have confidence in our OTA program because practicing occupational therapy professionals and employers contributed to its design. Our 2-year A.A.S. degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant has full accreditation from the American Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Our educational goal is to prepare you to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).
The coursework is presented in eight-week segments to immerse students in their class subjects. Traditional classes are combined with guest speakers, interactive instruction, and skill-building sessions in our simulated living quarters lab.
OTA class starts are in the spring and fall of each year.
Connect with an admissions advisor to get an informative, free CUKC eBook: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.
