About the Occuaptional Therapy Assistant Program
Occupational Therapy is a health profession which evaluates and treats people with developmental, social, emotional, or physical problems and helps these individuals develop the skills to overcome the challenges of a disability.
The aim is to enable those who are temporarily or permanently disabled to be as independent as possible in the areas of work, home, self-care, and leisure skills while recovering from or adapting to their disability.
Occupational therapy services are provided by occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. An occupational therapist is responsible for the evaluation and treatment of individuals with disabilities.
An Occupational Therapy Assistant contributes to the evaluation and treatment of an individual under the supervision of and in collaboration with an occupational therapist.
Occupational Therapy Assistants work in such places as schools, nursing homes, hospitals, outpatient centers, private practice, rehabilitation centers, and mental health centers.
ULM offers a Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in the Occuaptional Therapy Assistant Program (OCTA). To enroll, students must have a minimum 2.700 GPA on a 4.000 scale.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program (OCTA) consists of:
- four academic semesters divided into two segments, pre-occupational therapy assistant (POTA) and occupational therapy assistant (OCTA)
- Level II fieldwork not to exceed twenty-four weeks in approved settings scheduled and coordinated by The University of Louisiana at Monroe.
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).
After successful completion of this examination, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).
Many states require licensure in order to practice; however, the majority of state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: For the Spring 2012 application, students are required to take Biology 1014 and 1015 rather than Biology 2026 and a Science elective.
To schedule an advising appointment, please call Dr. Patti Calk at 318-342-5581 or Dr. Carolyn Murphy at 318-342-1639 as soon as possible to adjust your plan of coursework to meet these new requirements.