Associate of Applied Science | 86 credits minimum, including prerequisites

Health Professions Division
Jordan Campus JHS 059
General Information 801-957-4073
Program Information 801-957-6200
Program Website
Academic and Career Advising

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
Course Fees: $1,186.00
Books: $1,112.00
Total additional expenses: $2,290.00

Estimated Time to Completion
Time to completion is four semesters (Fall, Spring, Fall, Spring) based on a full-time minimum of 15 credits per semester. Less than 15 credits per semester will increase time to completion.

---

GENERAL ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

• Be admitted to SLCC as a matriculated student. See http://www.slcc.edu/apply/index.aspx and declare your major as Pre-Medical and Health Sciences.
• High School Graduate or equivalent
• 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
• 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.
• Complete SLCC placement exam, or submit current SAT/ACT test scores, if MATH and ENGL coursework has 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.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT PROGRAM SELECTIVE ADMISSONS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
All program course prerequisites must be completed by the application deadline with a C grade or better, except BIOL 2320/2325 & OTA 1020 which require a B grade or better and must be completed within 5 years of the start of the program (limited to two attempts). Math cannot be more than 5 years old at the start of the program:

• OTA 1020 (minimum B grade within the past 5 years; limited to two attempts)
• BIOL 2320/2325 Human Anatomy (minimum B grade within the past 5 years; limited to two attempts)
  (If you are taking Human Anatomy at SLCC, you must take BIOL 1610/1615 first w/C grade or better)
• ENGL 1010 Intro to Writing or ENGL 2010 Intermediate Writing taught with APA referencing; ENGL 0990 w/C grade or better or appropriate SLCC placement score
• MATH 1010 Integrated Algebra or Math 1040 Intro to Statistics or higher (within the past 5 years)
• PSY 1100 Human Growth & Dev
• COMM 1010 Elements of Eff. Comm or COMM 2110 Interpersonal Comm

Recommended but not required:

• MA 1100 Medical Terminology

NOTE All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the application deadline for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. It is the student’s responsibility to examine each course description for details of prerequisite classes. See the Occupational Therapy Assistant webpage for essential information regarding completion of program application and additional application requirements at 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.

• HESI 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.
• Proctored Essay – See the Occupational Therapy Assistant website for essential information regarding the essay requirements. www.slcc.edu/ota/admissions.aspx
• AP courses – 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.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT PROGRAM ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Students admitted into the program will be required to purchase a COMPLIO (American DataBank) Compliance Package and submit the following in COMPLIO:

• Proof of all required program immunizations or proof of immunity.
• Proof of successful completion of CPR (American Heart Association Two-Year BLS Provider). Certification must not expire while in program.
• Purchase and complete background check through SLCC’s authorized vendor American DataBank. Failure to pass background check may result in program dismissal.
• Purchase and complete drug screening through SLCC’s authorized vendor (American DataBank). Failure to pass drug screening may result in program dismissal. Students are not to purchase drug screening until notified.
• Students are fiscally responsible for complying with requirements specific to working in clinical settings. The following costs are estimates only for planning. Actual cost and frequency are determined by vendors and specific clinical facilities. Estimated costs include:
  • Background check - $30
  • Drug Screen Package - $35
  • Compliance Package - $15/yr
  • Immunizations (Cost varies considerably based on insurance coverage, past vaccinations, and personal immunity)
• It is the responsibility of the student to contact the certification board, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and seek advice regarding eligibility for certification and requirements needed to progress in this profession if the criminal background check discloses issues of concern.

 

---

Specialized Accreditation
The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). ACOTE; C/O Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449.

Graduates are eligible to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam.

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
Graduates will acquire substantial foundational knowledge of the profession.	1, 6, 7
Graduates will acquire substantial therapy skills.	1, 2, 4, 6
The program graduates will pass the National Board Certification of Occupational Therapy occupational therapy assistant examination.	1, 4
Graduates with certifications will obtain employment in occupational therapy or their chosen field.	1, 2, 4
Employers will report that our graduates are competent at their jobs.	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
The program graduates will be effective in verbal, written, and non-verbal communication with patients, peers and others.	2, 6, 7