Occupation Therapy Assistant School: How You’ll Care for People

UPDATED AUGUST 18, 2020

Maybe, just maybe, you hear the word “unexciting” when someone mentions occupational therapy as a career. Dig a little deeper, and you find out two things. One, getting into an occupational therapy assistant school gets you into the fast-growing healthcare industry. Two, as an occupational therapy assistant (OTA), you’ll improve people’s lives through some pretty cool tools and technologies.

OTA Focus: Delivering Care and Empowerment

Is applying for occupational therapy assistant school for you? It is when you don’t always want to do the same thing every day. An OTA’s day varies, from helping assess someone’s capabilities to using creativity to adjust activities, to providing education and information to a client’s caregivers. You’ll work directly with people of all ages and backgrounds. Everything you do as an OTA is about helping change lives for the better.

An OTA can address many different types of challenges:

• People seeking to recover completely from injuries, surgeries, or life-interfering illnesses
• School-age children with developmental, emotional, or sensory-processing conditions
• Improving community-wide health and wellness through education and knowledge, such as promoting productive habits and practices
• Helping senior adults who want to stay active, remain in their home, or both.

One of the cool aspects of occupational therapy assistant school is learning about technology and tools that help clients do more easily and safely what many struggle to do on their own:

• Getting dressed by themselves when there’s limited physical mobility
• Setting and remembering a daily schedule following a stroke or dementia diagnosis
• Improving fine- and gross-motor skills to succeed in school
• Participating in social interactions due to previous trauma or other causes.

OTAs help assess each client’s abilities and desires for their best possible life, then help their clients realize those goals through occupational therapy strategies, tactics, and innovation.

OTAs Lead the Way in Using Adaptive Tools and Tech Devices

When you think about what an OTA does, it comes down to empowering people to be as successful as possible. Occupational therapy – and OTAs specifically – are the links between what life could be and what life is.

An occupational therapy assistant school curriculum introduces OTA students to innovation in the form of adaptive tools and equipment, home modifications, and accommodations personalized to each client’s needs.

Examples of adaptive tools

• Mobility assistance, including the use of wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, prosthetics, and other orthotics
• Tools that assist in daily activities, such as automatic page-turners, book holders, pen/pencil grips, and reach extenders

Examples of home modification technology

• Ramps and handrails
• Lights on telephones and doorbells
• Grooming and dressing aids
• Widening doorways

Examples of accommodations for daily life activities

• Hardware/software solutions to assist with using computers and smartphones
• Lightweight mobility devices to allow physical exercise or playing sports
• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices that help those who have limited speaking capability

Cool Tools and a 2-Year Degree Plan

Most OTAs start by earning an Associate of Applied Science degree in OTA. The knowledge from classes, experience in labs, and time getting guided instruction in fieldwork exercises are concentrated into a coordinated, two-year curriculum. Each theory, principle, and technique builds off the previous one.

Accredited occupational therapy assistant schools focus on getting their students ready to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). This certification makes OTA grads highly employable and ready to open or join a practice. Go here to know more about each state’s chiropractic licensing requirements.

The job growth for OTAs is 33% from 2018 to 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OTA salaries trend much higher than other healthcare support roles.

Occupational Therapy Assistant School at CUKC

The two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Occupational Therapy Assistant degree at Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) includes 15 core courses and the required fieldwork experience. Classes are presented in eight-week segments to immerse students in their class subjects.

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university in Overland Park, Kansas.

Areas of distinction for our OTA program:

• Fully accredited by the American Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
• Three class starts each year: spring, summer, and fall
• Includes a focus on learning experiences and an on-campus simulated living quarters lab
• Prepares you to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)
• Guaranteed admission for eligible students who complete all required prerequisite coursework at CUKC and satisfy all OTA program and university criteria.

Ready for the next step? Get the free CUKC eBook today: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.