Associate of Applied Science | 86 credits minimum, including prerequisites

Health Professions Division
Jordan Campus JHS 059
Program Information 801-957-6200
Program Website
Academic and Career Advising
Academic Advising JHS 047, 801-957-6215
Health Sciences Admissions JHS 065, 801-957-6253

Program Faculty
Assistant Professor − Lyndsay Fait, Robyn Thompson, Gabe Byars

Program Description
Occupational Therapy is a health profession that provides services to children and adults of all ages whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury or illness, developmental problems, the aging process and/or psychosocial dysfunction. Occupational Therapy Assistants use occupation and purposeful activity with clients/patients to help them reach their maximum level of independence.

Specific tasks may include daily living skill training, fabrication of adaptive equipment, leading individual and group treatment activities, adapting home environments, ADA architectural accessibility standards, enabling computer access for the disabled, cognitive retraining, improving development of gross/fine motor skills and activities that enhance quality of life. Graduates will receive an Associate of Applied Science degree after successful completion of academic and fieldwork experiences.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is an engaged service learning program. Service learning requirements are embedded in coursework. Students are required to spend 150 hours or more involved in service learning, which may be outside of scheduled course times. Students may be required to attend conferences and out-of-state activities. The expenses of these requirements are additional student costs. Expenses can be offset by enrollment in AmeriCorps, if available. Students with a “B” average or higher will graduate as civically engaged scholars.

Career Opportunities
Work settings includes acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric hospitals, community living facilities, home health agencies, community mental health centers, school systems, nursing homes, burn centers and rehabilitation clinics. Practice areas include: children and youth, health and wellness, mental health, productive aging, rehabilitation, disability and participation, work and industry and emerging practice areas. COTAs work under the supervision of licensed, occupational therapists.

Estimated Cost for Students
Tuition and student fees: http://www.slcc.edu/student/financial/tuition-fees.aspx
Program specific information: www.slcc.edu/ota

Estimated Time to Completion
Upon acceptance into the program, the time to completion is four semesters (Fall, Spring, Fall, Spring)

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ADMISSIONS PROCESS

1. Be admitted to SLCC as a matriculated student. See http://www.slcc.edu/apply/index.aspx
2. High School Graduate or equivalent.
3. For transfer credit, submit OFFICIAL, SEALED transcripts for ALL colleges and universities where prerequisite course work has been completed. Send to:

SLCC Office of the Registrar and Academic Records
4600 South Redwood Road
P.O Box 30808
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0808

4. Also, a request to have an OFFICIAL evaluation of student’s transcript must be submitted to the SLCC Transfer Evaluation Office. The form is located at : http://www.slcc.edu/transcriptevaluation/. This process may take 4-6 weeks and must be completed before a student’s application will be considered.
5. Complete placement exam, or submit current SAT/ACT test scores, if MATH and ENGL course work have not been transferred to SLCC (required before you are able to register for classes that have MATH and ENGL courses as prerequisites). See: www.slcc.edu/testing
6. Program course prerequisites are as follows (Must be completed with a C grade or better except Biol 2320/2325 & OTA 1020 which require a B or better within the past 5 years and limited to two attempts. Math 1010 can’t be more than 5 years old at the time of application. BIOL 2320/2325 also have prerequisites of BIOL 1610/1615, which will also fulfill the (LS) requirement.):

• BIOL 2320 Human Anatomy  
• BIOL 2325 Human Anatomy Lab  
• COMM 1010 Elements of Effective Communication (CM)  
• ENGL 1010 Intro to Writing (EN)  
• MATH 1040 Intro to Statistics (QL)  or MATH 1010 Intermediate Algebra (QS)  
• OTA 1020 Intro to Occupational Therapy  
• PSY 1100 Lifespan Human Growth and Development (SS)  

Recommended but not required:

• MA 1100 Medical Terminology  

NOTE: All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to submitting application for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. It is the student’s responsibility to examine each course description for details of prerequisite classes. Prerequisites must be satisfied before the designated class is taken.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT PROGRAM SELECTIVE ADMISSION’S APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
See the Occupational Therapy Assistant webpage for essential information regarding completion of program application and additional application requirements www.slcc.edu/ota. Completion of the prerequisites allows students to apply to the program.  Application submission does not guarantee admission to the program.  Please see the Occupational Therapy Assistant academic advisor for further information.

Pre-admission exam - A minimum score of 75% is required for consideration for admission to the program. However, this does not guarantee admission into the program. Please see the Occupational Therapy Assistant program academic advisor with questions.

AP Credit: AP scores of 3 or higher for a prerequisite course will be considered for admission into the program; however, this does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Please see the Occupational Therapy Assistant program academic advisor with questions.

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Specialized Accreditation
This program is accredited by:

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3425

Members Phone Number: 1-800-729-2682
Non-Members Phone Number: 301-652-6611
TDD: 1-800-377-8555
Fax:  301-652-7711

Graduates will be prepared to take the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc (NBCOT). After successful completion of the exam, the individual will be a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) and eligible for state licensure, which is required to practice in Utah. Students with a history of a misdemeanor or felony may not be eligible for fieldwork placements, service learning requirements, state licensure or national certification and should contact the program coordinator before enrolling in classes.

Licensure Information
Graduation from the Occupational Therapy Assistant program does not guarantee the ability to obtain a Utah state license to practice as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.  Licensure is the exclusive right and responsibility of each state.  In order to work as an Occupational Therapy Assistant, students must satisfy individual state requirements, independent of SLCC graduation requirements.  It is highly recommended that students consult in advance with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL), or similar agencies in other states, to find out more about eligibility for licensure.  DOPL can be reached at 801-530-6628 or at their website.

For students who plan to practice this profession in another state, here is one suggested website for researching state licensure requirements: License Finder sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. If you have difficulty finding the licensure requirements for your state, please contact your academic advisor or SLCC’s state authorization coordinator for help. 

Program Student Learning Outcomes	Related College-Wide Student Learning Outcomes
	1 - Acquire substantive knowledge 2 - Communicate effectively 3 - Develop quantitative literacies 4 - Think critically & creatively 5 - Become a community engaged learner 6 - Work in professional & constructive manner 7 - Develop computer & information literacy
1. Graduates will acquire substantial foundational knowledge of the profession.	1,6,7
2. Graduates will acquire substantial therapy skills.	1,2,4,6
3. The program graduates will pass the National Board Certification of Occupational Therapy occupational therapy assistant examination.	1,4
4. Graduates with certifications will obtain employment in occupational therapy or their chosen field.	1,2,4
5. Employers will report that our graduates are competent at their jobs.	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
6. The program graduates will be effective in verbal, written, and nonverbal communicators with patients, peers, and others.	2,6,7
7. The program graduates will display quantitative literacy necessary for gainful employment in occupational therapy.	3
8. Graduates will exhibit behaviors consistent with showing respect for diversity.	4,6
9. Graduates will actively participate in service learning projects.	5,6,7