Occupational Therapy Assistant - OCCP.AS

Applying to this Program

All applications and supporting documents should be sent to, and received by, the Admissions Office no later than March 15^th of the application year for consideration for acceptance into the program.  Applicants who send materials to locations other than the Admissions Office will not be considered for admission.  Applicants who have completed the college-level courses of Anatomy & Physiology 2, English Comp I and II, General Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, and Lifespan Human Growth and Development will be given priority in the admission process.  Applicants submitting midterm grades for prerequisite coursework will be considered after review of completed applications.

Application Standards and Criteria:

• High school diploma or GED
• Scores of around 450 on each (verbal and math) sections of the SAT1 exam. Candidates can waive the SAT criteria if they can document a 3.0 or higher QPA in at least 15 college credits, including English Composition with no grade lower than a “C+”.
• Four years of high school English all with no grade lower than a “B” (80%)
• Applicants must demonstrate competencies for admission to college level English (ENG-101  ). Students failing to meet this criteria must complete developmental coursework with grades of “C+” (77%) or higher prior to acceptance to the program.
• High school level algebra 2 with a grade no lower than a “C+” (77%)
• Completion of a college level (100 level or higher) math course with a grade of “C” (73%) or higher.  Statistics is preferred.
• High school level biology with lab and chemistry with lab with no grade lower than a “C+” (77%). Applicants who do not meet this criterion must take these courses at the college level. High school level science courses over seven years old must be repeated at the college level.  College level science course over seven years must be repeated.
• Completion of college level Anatomy and Physiology 1 (BIO-231  ) with a lab (BIO-231L  ) with a minimum grade of “C” (73%).  All college level Anatomy and Physiology courses over seven years must be repeated.
• Applicants must submit a short essay discussing why they would be an effective Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant that includes related work or life experiences to the Admissions Office with their application.
• All qualified applicants are invited to attend an informal session with the Department Chair after applications have been reviewed.
• Students must have a physical exam which states that they are physically fit for the program and subsequent clinical components.
• Students re-applying for admission must resubmit an application, updated essay and any updated official transcripts for consideration.

Beginning with applications for the Fall 2017, all applicants to the Occupational Therapy Assistant program whose native language is not English; those who have not completed grades K-12 in the United States and those who were not born in the United States must demonstrate English proficiency by successfully completing the TOEFL®iBT (The Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet Based Test) at an authorized testing center.  A hard copy of the results must be submitted to the Admissions Office with the application.  This assessment is offered at Springfield Technical Community College.  The cost of the test is $190.00.  The required minimum component score is 79 with a speaking component of 22.  The test can be taken up to 2 times per application period.  It is strongly recommended that preparation materials be utilized.  See https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/prepare/

Registration Process:

Create a personal profile in the website: www.ets.org/toefl. 

Once created:

• Click REGISTER FOR TEST
• Click TOEFL TEST, Continue
• Click I AGREE AND SIGN
• Country/Location: UNTED STATES
• State/Province: MASSACHUSETTS
• Region: SPRINGFIELD, MA
• Start Date: One of the dates listed above
• End Date: The same date
• Click SEARCH
• Search results will appear. Click on the test center of your choice
• Continue step by step through this process
• Students can choose up to four score recipients
• Payment screen will appear at the end and then a confirmation of payment

If you have any trouble, please contact the TOEFL Customer Service Center.  All contact info is listed on the website.  Results can take up to two (2) weeks to arrive; do not wait for the last month to register. 

All accepted students must undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information or other check. Depending on the findings, the student may not be allowed to continue in the program of study. For further information, please contact the Office of the Dean, School of Health and Patient Simulation. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. Please contact NBCOT at (301) 990-7979 or see http://www.nbcot.org/ for more information.

Mandatory Health Records:  All required health records, immunizations, and physicals MUST be filed in the STCC Health Services office by July 1st of the admission year. The Health Office is located in the Building 20, Room 320 (413-755-4230). The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program reserves the right to rescind the admission status of any student not meeting, as well as not submitting, all post-admission requirements in a timely manner.

Applying for Re-Admission to this Program

Students who leave this health program before completing it may apply for re-admission.  Students reapplying to the program must resubmit an application, all supporting documents and essay with updated official transcripts. Click here  for information about the re-admission policy and process. 

Program Goals

At the completion of the program graduates will:

1. Demonstrate effective critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to provide entry-level occupational therapy services.
2. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills with clients, families and other team members.
3. Promote health, wellness, and prevention in the community.
4. Adhere to ethical, legal, and safe occupational therapy practice.
5. Demonstrate appropriate professional behavior.
6. Manage the delivery of occupational therapy services.
7. Advance the effectiveness of the profession of occupational therapy through research and continued professional development.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Outcomes

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) department uses Level II student fieldwork performance evaluations, student evaluations of the fieldwork experience, employer and graduate surveys, faculty evaluations, student opinion surveys, and aggregate information from the National Certification Examination to assess the effectiveness of the program. For calendar years 2013 - 2015 the OTA department graduated a total of 23 students and had a total of 23 graduates sit for the National Certification Examination. Of these candidates, 90% passed the exam. See secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx.

(OCCP.AS) Curriculum

Total (OCCP.AS) Curriculum Program Credits: 66

Department Personnel