Do you want a career that brings together caring for people, a talent for being creative, showing others how they can achieve their goals, and having a competitive salary? Look into the two-year’s time it takes to earn the occupational therapy assistant degree.
The need for occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) will expand 20+% from 2021to 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In occupational therapy, the focus is on addressing clients’ functional and social needs. What could be more rewarding than that?
The occupational therapy profession uses a combination of whole-health, instructive, and assistive therapies to help people with disabilities, injuries, and life-altering conditions live their best possible lives.
It’s an immensely satisfying profession because the “occupation” in occupational therapy health refers to doing the everyday things people want to do, such as
The occupational therapy plan is personalized to the client’s development stage, habits, roles, lifestyle preferences, and his or her environment.
Recent research by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has shown that occupational therapies significantly improve healthcare outcomes for those with developmental, emotional, mental, and physical conditions.
Research has shown that occupational therapies significantly improve healthcare outcomes for those with developmental, emotional, mental, and physical conditions.
Occupational therapy is effective in numerous client scenarios, from young children to today’s growing senior adult population. Whether assisting a child with autism or a senior adult regaining physical capabilities after a stroke, OTAs have compassion for those who need help and hope.
(Here’s a Q&A blog that offers a solid overview of the profession and why earning the occupational therapy assistant degree is more important than ever.)
Occupational therapy assistants offer teaching and encouragement in many ways: Some examples:
Now that you realize the essential role occupational therapy assistants have in healthcare, how do you know you should become an OTA?
Here’s a checklist you can use to be confident in your decision:
Statistics and job rankings tell a compelling story about why the timing is right to earn an occupational therapy assistant degree.
U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 2022:
The Top Health Care Support Jobs: Occupational Therapy Assistant is again in the top 25.
Thebestschools.org, May, 2022:
The 25 Highest-paying Jobs with an Associate Degree: Occupational Therapy Assistant is in the top 25.
Finally, it’s impressive to know that OTAs are needed in many work settings. Many OTAs work in occupational therapy practices. OTAs are also sought after by schools and school districts, rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, outpatient rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing and assisted living centers, and home healthcare organizations.
ClevelandUniversity-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, health sciences university founded in 1922. CUKC is in Overland Park, Kansas, a major suburban city within the Kansas City metro area. Our ongoing mission is to educate and develop leaders in health promotion, accomplished through our College of Chiropractic and College of Health Sciences.
CUKC offers an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S. degree) in Occupational Therapy Assistant that includes four to five months of fieldwork experience. This educational component helps ensure mastery of essential OTA skills and knowledge. Most students earn their OTA in two years through our year-round schedule.
Primary features of our Occupational Therapy Assistant degree program:
After graduation, our students are eligible for national certification to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) – the preferred standard of OTA employers.
To learn more about our occupational therapy assistant degree, request information here. You can also get an overview of the profession with this free eBook: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.