Occupational Therapy Assistant

You will learn to provide occupational therapy to people with physical, developmental, social, or emotional disabilities in order to promote activity and independence.

The Missouri Health Professions Consortium OTA one-plus-one program combines general education, professional-level coursework, laboratory practice, and clinical fieldwork. You will be required to take general education prerequisite courses before beginning year two of the program.

The MHPC OTA program is a hybrid program which means classes combine classroom and online coursework and typically meet only once or twice a week on campus.

The program prepares you to practice as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) after meeting certification and state licensure standards. To succeed in this field you need social perceptiveness; active learning and listening skills; the ability to organize, plan and prioritize work; compassion for others; and the ability to perform physical activities such as lifting, balancing and stooping.

Admission is competitive, requires an additional admission application and class size is limited. You must apply both to SFCC and to the program and meet the following admission requirements:

• Minimum 2.5 grade point average in required general education coursework
• Minimum of a C grade in required general education classes
• Observation, volunteer or work experience under the supervision of a licensed OT or OTA
• Note—additional admission requirements may be added; check with Admissions and Outreach at (660) 530-5833 for more details.

Admission to SFCC does not guarantee entrance into the OTA program. This program plans to change the start time from January to fall beginning in 2020. Applications that meet the May 1st deadline will be given preference for the upcoming fall cohort.

Should a prospective student live out of state and wish to become licensed out of state, they are advised to refer to the state professional licensing and certification requirements within their specific state and contact the MHPC Program Director for assistance. Students all take the same national exam NBCOT, but some states vary in their specific license requirements.

• This program is offered at the Sedalia campus.

OTAs work primarily in hospitals, schools and long-term care facilities. Employment of OTAs was projected to grow 40 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Salaries range from $40,100 to $52,400.

Data Sources – The website mynextmove.org, which is developed and maintained by the National Center for O*NET Development, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

The MHPC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). 

Following successful completion of coursework and passing of the certification exam, individuals will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Even with successful coursework completion students may be prohibited from sitting for the NBCOT Certification Exam if they have a felony conviction. In Missouri, state licensure is required in order to practice and acquisition of a license is contingent upon passing the NBCOT Certification Exam. For more information regarding accreditation, please contact the American Occupational Therapy Association:

ACOTE
Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-2682
(800) 377-8555 TDD
accred@aota.org
www.acoteonline.org

The MHPC OTA Program is designed to meet educational requirements for a OTA license required for employment as a licensed Occupational Therapist Assistant. The State Fair Community College Associate Degree Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is designed to meet educational requirements for a OTA license required for employment as a Occupational Therapist Assistant. Completion of the State Fair Community College Occupational Therapy Program meets educational requirements for licensure in all 50 states including Guam, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. If you have questions about licensure requirements in a specific state, contact the program directly or view the information listed in Consumer Information.