Occupational Therapy Assistant - Associate in Applied Science

Occupational Title: Occupational Therapy Assistant
Newport County Campus only
Evening/Weekend Program (Fieldwork-days)

The CCRI 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: 

7501 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 510E

Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 652-6611

www.acoteonline.org   

Occupational therapy is the use of purposeful activity and interventions to promote health and achieve functional outcomes in areas such as activities of daily living, work, play, or education activities. Achieving functional outcomes means to develop, improve or restore the highest level of independence to any individual who is limited by physical injury or illness, cognitive impairment, psychosocial dysfunction, mental illness, developmental or learning disability or an adverse environmental condition. Occupational therapy helps people of all ages lead productive, satisfying lives.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is offered at the Newport County Campus. It is an evening/weekend program; however, fieldwork experiences are offered during the day. Although Occupational Therapy Assistant courses are offered at the Newport County Campus, the required general education courses may be taken at other CCRI campuses or sites prior to acceptance. All fieldwork courses shall be completed within 18 months following completion of the academic preparation.

Students successfully completing the accredited program earn an Associate in Applied Science degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant (AAS_OCTA) and are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for occupational therapy assistants, which is administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT). An individual must successfully pass the certification examination to apply for licensure to practice as a certified occupational therapy assistant in the state of Rhode Island.

Technical standards: The physical activity level for occupational therapy assistants is classified as “medium” by the Department of Labor in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.

Note: Many courses require prerequisites, corequisites and/or testing. See course descriptions for details.

General Policies

See important general policies in the beginning of this section on the performance-based Health Sciences application process, academic progress, advanced placement, background check, CPR certification, health insurance, health records, reinstatement, transportation, uniforms, and equipment.

Minimum Requirements to Apply to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

1. CCRI application – Complete and submit a CCRI Application for Enrollment. General Studies should be the first choice; pre-Occupational Therapy Assistant (OCTA) should be the second choice.
2. High school transcript – Send an official copy of the applicant’s high school or GED® transcript, including date of graduation. If the applicant holds a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, the high school transcript may be waived; a college transcript must indicate completion and degree awarded.
3. Complete Foundational Kinesiology (RHAB 1100) (recommended) and it may be considered in the performance-based acceptance process.
4. CCRI uses a multiple measures approach to determine admission into Health Science programs (For example: High School and GED® transcripts, SAT, ACT, HESI A2 or ACCUPLACER scores). Placement can also be determined by taking college level English and Math      courses. Anyone with a degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution may have this requirement waived following submission of the official college transcript. If using ACCUPLACER, the following guidelines are used:
   • Placement testing – Complete a standardized test (ACCUPLACER NEXT GENERATION) issued by CCRI’s Advising Center.
   • Reading comprehension – Competency of 250 or above is required for reading comprehension or completion of Reading and Study Skills Program (ENGL 1002) with a grade of B- or better.
5. Complete the following Application Requirement courses with a grade of B- or better: 
   • Human Physiology (BIOL 1010) or Human Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2201)
   • Introduction to Occupational Therapy (OCTA 1000)
   • Medical Terminology for Rehabilitative Health (RHAB 1010)
6. Complete the following Application Requirement course with a grade of C or better:
   • Composition I (ENGL 1010). Composition I for Speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL) (ENGL 1300) will not substitute.
7. GPA – Earn and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or better for all college courses taken.
8. Health Sciences application – Complete and submit the Performance-Based Health Sciences application including a preadmission degree evaluation during the open enrollment period. The application and instructions can be found on the Admissions webpage. 
   • Important: All the above requirements must be completed satisfactorily before submission of the Performance-Based Health Sciences application and do not guarantee acceptance to the program. Acceptance will be conditional upon completing the remaining program prerequisite courses (14 credits) during the spring application semester (February). 
9. Complete the following program prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better, before or during the spring semester for the year in which you are applying:
   • Human Physiology (BIOL 1020) or Human Anatomy & Physiology II (BIOL 2202)
   • Introduction to College Mathematics (MATH 1025), Mathematics for Liberal Arts Students (MATH 1139) or MATH 1139C, Statistics for the Health and Social Sciences (MATH 1175) or MATH 1175C, Statistical Analysis I (MATH 1240), Quantitative Business Analysis I (MATH 2077), Quantitative Business Analysis II (MATH 2138), Pre-Calculus Mathematics (MATH 2111), Calculus I (MATH 2141), Calculus II (MATH 2142), Calculus III (MATH 2243). (Highest grade earned in any of these courses will be calculated in the point system.)
   • General Psychology (PSYC 2010)
   • Communication Fundamentals^ (COMM 1010)
     • Important: All the above requirements must be completed satisfactorily before official acceptance to the program. Submission of the Performance-Based Health Sciences application does not guarantee acceptance to the program. Students declining acceptance into the program for the semester offered must resubmit a Performance-Based Health Sciences application for the program and meet the current admission requirements for the application period in which they reapply. Once accepted into the Occupational Therapy program, the student must attend a mandatory orientation. 
10. Background check – Students are required to submit a background check when directed by notification from One Stop Student Services. Final acceptance to the program is dependent on the results of the background check. A felony conviction will not preclude admission to the program. However, it can impact Level I and II fieldwork placement availability, as well as graduate eligibility for certification and credentialing. No incident or probation can have occurred within the past seven years. Applicants convicted of a felony will need to comply with state licensure requirements from the Rhode Island Department of Health. For more information, contact the department chairperson.