Occupational therapy assistants serve individuals across the life span whose ability to participate in everyday occupations is complicated by developmental disability, physical and/or emotional illness, injury or aging. Occupations are the activities of daily life that have value to individuals and help them be contributing members of their communities. Occupational therapy assistants 1) use purposeful activities to improve the physical, cognitive, emotional and social skills needed to function; 2) offer alternative approaches and adaptations to compensate when needed and 3) promote the balance of self-care, work and leisure activities that results in the quality of life and level of independence valued by the individual.
This program prepares occupational therapy assistants who collaborate with occupational therapists. OT assistants are employed in community settings providing mental health, residential care and home health and work-related services as well as in nursing homes, hospitals and schools.
Accreditation/Credentialing: This program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220, (301) 652-AOTA. Credentialing as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) is separate from Madison Area Technical College graduation. Certification with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) requires passing a nationally administered OTA competency examination. Licensure by the State of Wisconsin or other states requires passing this certification exam and complying with any other state credentialing requirements. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
