The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Santa Ana College provides a strong foundation in the skills and knowledge necessary for entry level occupational therapy assistant competencies.
Occupational therapy is a discipline which focuses on function as well as quality of life. Occupational Therapy Assistants provide service to individuals with physical, mental, or developmental disabilities across life phases, who need to rehabilitate skills to perform self-care, work, and leisure activities. The major requires general education courses, including biological, social, and behavioral sciences, in addition to occupational therapy courses. The program utilizes classroom instruction, online courses, and field work experiences to prepare the student to meet certification and employment standards.
The associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE's telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org . Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, phone number (301) 990-7979 and its web address is www.nbcot.org. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Students who have completed all requirements will also need to apply for a license to practice in the State of California through the California Board of Occupational Therapy, 2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 2250, Sacramento, CA 95815, phone number (916) 263-2294, and its web address www.bot.ca.gov. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
ACOTE® accredited occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs satisfy the states' educational requirements in all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Students graduating from an ACOTE® accredited occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational program are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification exam and apply for licensure in all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information regarding state qualifications and licensure requirements, please refer to the AOTA State Licensure webpage.
Finger printing is a requirement to apply for state licensure with California Board of Occupational Therapy (CBOT) and for placement in most level II fieldwork sites. For information about limitations based on felonies, students are advised to call NBCOT and CBOT any time prior to the application process. Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II Fieldwork within 18 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program.
The cost of attending the SAC OTA program can be found here OTA Program Format and Cost.
The SAC OTA pass rate for the NBCOT National Certification Exam can be found here NBCOT Performance Data.
