Occupational Therapy Assistant

Occupational Therapy promotes health by enabling people to fully engage in the activities of life. Under the supervision of an Occupational Therapist, Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTAs) help people learn to overcome physical, mental, and emotional barriers to meaningful, daily occupations. When helping individual patients, OTAs commonly use what is individually familiar and enjoyable to:

• teach injury prevention
• improve functional ability
• adapt equipment/environment to improve quality of life

Program: LATI's rigorous 20 month program emphasizes lecture, laboratory experience, discussion, demonstration, and off-site field-work experiences. To graduate, you must maintain a 2.0 GPA, completing all courses with a grade of "C" or higher (a single grade of "D" will be allowed in a general or related course).

Exam: As a graduate of this accredited program you are eligible to take the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board of Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) NBCOT's Web Site

After successful completion of the exam, you will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Most states also require licensure (typically based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Exam) to practice. A felony conviction may affect an individual's eligibility to sit for the national exam and/or obtain state licensure. See NBCOT's Certification Results.

• Employment for OTAs
• Average wages