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William Marcil, Ph.D, MS, OTR, FAOTA
Director - OTA Program
Tidewater Community College
1700 College Crescent
Virginia Beach, VA 23453
(757) 822-7273
wmarcil@tcc.edu
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Tidewater Community College offers an Associate of Applied Science
(AAS) degree program for Occupational Therapy Assistant
(OTA). These pages will
provide
the following
information about the program:
Information packets containing the information on these pages can
be downloaded at this site, or copies of the necessary documents
may be requested at (757) 822-7255.
If you have any additional questions, please call Vickie Rogers
in the Counseling Center (757) 822-7212, or attend the Occupational
Therapy "Open
House" which is held on the
third Thursday of each month from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the
Lynnhaven Building on the Virginia Beach Campus, room E-132.
Download the Health Professions Programs
and Open House Information flyer.
If not already enrolled at Tidewater Community College, please
call the Admissions Office at 757-822-7172 to receive an application
for general admission.
Information on grants, loans, and scholarships is available from
the Financial Aid Office at (757) 822-7292. The number for
Veterans educational benefits is (757) 822-7235.
You may reach the Program Director for further Information at (757)
822-7273.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTA PROGRAM
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program begins each Fall
Semester. An application for the Occupational Therapy
Assistant program is available in the Admissions Center at the
Virginia Beach
Campus. Applications will be accepted through March
15 of each year. A Tidewater Community College application may
be
obtained
at any campus.
Positions in this program are limited, so program faculty are not
able to interview or accept into the program all applicants who
meet the basic admission requirements. Admissions decisions
will be made on the applicant's ranking which considers area of
residence and academic record. This policy is currently under
review and subject to change. You should contact the Central
Records Office at (757) 822-1900 to verify receipt of your transcripts.
Those students who meet and/or exceed admission requirements will
be contacted for a personal interview by the Program Director.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located
at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220.
AOTA's phone number is (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates of the OTA
Program will be able to sit for the national certification examination
for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National
Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After
successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified
Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Most states require
licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually
based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.
Note: A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit
for the NBOCT certification exam or attain the state licensure.
Note: All OTA students must complete Level II
Fieldwork within 18 months following completion of academic preparation.
OUTCOME
DATA
Total number of program graduates: 46
NBCOT first-time test takes: 39
NBCOT first-time test takers passed: 35
NBCOT first-time test takers pass rate: 90.7%
Retention rate in the OTA program: 80% (this figure
is dervived from the number students accepted into the program
between 2004 and 2007 and the number who sucessfully graduated
in that same time period)
Between 2004 and 2007 all graduates who sought
employment found jobs within one month of graduating the program.
Download the Program Information Packet
PRE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
PERMISSION CLINICAL EXPERIENCE FORM
PRE-ADMISSION CLINICAL EXPERIENCE FORM
Each student must complete at least 30 hours of
volunteer, paid work, or observation time in an Occupational
Therapy
setting before he or she will be considered for admission to
the Occupational Therapy Program. This clinical experience
time may be performed in one or more clinics, however a minimum
of
8 hours must be spent in each clinical facility. You may
select any type of Occupational Therapy setting; however, it
is
recommended that you visit at least 2 different settings.
Please remember that the Occupational Therapy Clinician's
first responsibility is to the patients; therefore, there may
be some delay in scheduling your observation times. You
should begin contacting clinics as soon as possible to avoid
problems
in completing the required number of hours. Some clinics
may have requirements for minimum number of volunteer hours
which
are greater than 30 hours. You will need to abide by the
facility's policies for minimum hours, even though this program
only requires 30 hours.
A copy of this form must be completed for each clinic
you visit, including the signature of the Occupational Therapist
or Occupational Therapy Assistant who supervised the visit(s),
and submitted with your application before your application will
be considered for admission and you are scheduled for a personal
interview.
THE FORM IS DUE WITH YOUR APPLICATION.
Download the Clinical Experience Permission Form
Criminal Background Check
Health Professions students assigned to clinical
rotations or internships at some healthcare facilities are
personally responsible for completing the required background
checks or screenings and assuring that results are obtained by
the healthcare or medical facility that asks for them. Prospective
Occupational Therapy Assistant students are required to complete
the background check. Students are required
to bear
the
costs of
such tests. It will be the decision of the clinical affiliate
(healthcare or medical facility) whether the student will be
allowed to participate in the clinical activities should there
be positive criminal or sex offender results. Tidewater Community
College does not assume any responsibility for obtaining or evaluating
the results of a criminal background check, drug screen or other
check, maintaining the records of results or for delivering them
to clinical sites. Students may not request to be assigned only
to those sites that do not require such checks. Students who
refuse to undergo a criminal background check or drug screen
or other required check may not be able to be placed at another
facility and consequently may not be able to complete program
requirements and graduate. Tidewater Community College will make
reasonable efforts to place all enrolled students in clinical
training.
Students are also reminded that licensing boards for certain
health care occupations and professions may deny, suspend or
revoke a license or may deny the individual the opportunity to
sit for an examination if an applicant has a criminal history
or is convicted or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to a felony
or other serious crime. Successful completion of a health professions
program of study at Tidewater Community College does not guarantee
licensure, the opportunity to sit for a licensure examination,
certification or employment in the relevant heath care occupation.
The vendor for criminal background checks is Certified Background. 
Procedure
1. Please complete the vendor information and make direct payment to the vendor.
The vendor will provide you with a passcode and a PDF file of the results.
2. It is your responsibility to provide your CBI results to
the agency requesting it within 24 hours after the first day
of classes (which is also the day of final notification of clinical
placement sites). To initiate completion of your CBI please contact
the selected vendor, provide the required data, sign the release
and provide payment to the vendor.
3. Please be sure to keep a hard copy of your own PDF file for
your personal records.
Instructions:
1. Go to www.certifiedbackground.com.
2. Click on "Students"
3. In the Package Code Box, enter id42
4. You will see a page with information about our package and its contents,
costs, etc.
Download instruction
sheet.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
Occupational Therapy is the art and science of assisting
individuals in meeting a level of independence to perform
the roles necessary for productive living (occupation)
within their environment. These roles are: self-care
tasks, work tasks and play or leisure tasks. Occupational
Therapy is based on the use of everyday activities and
functional (meaningful) tasks to assist people to achieve
their highest level of independence within their environment.
WHAT DOES AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
DO?
When you work in the field of Occupational Therapy,
your professional skills will help individuals (of any
age) whose ability to play, learn, earn a living and
care for their personal needs is affected by illness
or injury. You may work in a variety of settings.
These include: public schools, rehabilitation hospitals,
mental health centers, general hospitals, nursing homes,
and home health agencies.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A REGISTERED OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPIST (OTR) AND A CERTIFIED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
ASSISTANT COTA)?
An OTR has an entry level masters degree
or a bachelors degree from an accredited
program
and has passed the National Registration Exam.
A COTA has either a two-year associate degree or certificate
from an accredited program and has passed the National
Certification Exam. All Occupational Therapy
programs include a period of supervised clinical experience.
An OTR evaluates, establishes goals and a treatment
plan for a patient. A COTA follows the treatment
plan with a patient and may be responsible for standardized
evaluations as directed by the OTR.
The COTA is responsible for reporting any changes to
the OTR and documentation as needed. The frequency
and type of supervision provided by the OTR depends
on the experience level and skills of the COTA, and
the employment setting. Specific guidelines are
established by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
AND PHYSICAL THERAPY?
Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy often work
together as part of the health care team. Physical
Therapy may be described as treatment focusing on assisting
individuals to regain or improve movement and mobility.
Occupational Therapy identifies functional, psychological,
environmental and physical factors for treatment.
The goal of both disciplines is for the individual to
regain as much function and independence as possible.
WHAT TASKS COULD AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT
PERFORM DURING A WORK DAY?
Depending on where you work, your day as an occupational
therapy assistant may include:
-
Aiding the growth and development
of premature babies
-
Providing activities to build self-esteem in teens
recovering from drug or alcohol abuse
-
Teaching an elderly person who is unable to bend
forward how to put on his/her socks with adaptive
equipment
-
Providing activities for people with mental illness
to increase the appropriateness of their interactions
with others
-
Providing muscle reeducation so people
dealing with strokes can use their arm functionally
during their daily living tasks
WHAT IS THE JOB OUTLOOK IN THE FIELD OF OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPY?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
employment of occupational therapy assistants is expected
to grow much faster than the average for all occupations
through 2014. Growth will result from an aging population,
including the baby-boom cohort, which will probably need
substantial occupational therapy services. Demand
will also result from advances in medicine that allow
more people with critical problems to survive and then
need rehabilitative therapy.
Employment growth would be even faster,
except for Federal legislation imposing limits on reimbursement
for therapy services. However, at the same time,
third-party payers, concerned with rising health care
costs are beginning to encourage occupational therapists
to delegate more of the hands-on therapy work to occupational
therapy assistants. By having assistants work
more closely with clients under the guidance of a therapist,
the cost of therapy should be more modest than otherwise.
Between 2004 and 2005 Tidewater Community College
OTAs have had a 100% job placement rate for those seeking
employment.
CAN AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT BECOME AN
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST?
There are several professional level education programs
directed toward specific career advancement for Certified
Occupational Therapy Assistants. Once again, competition
may be high and previous training does not guarantee
admission. Further information is available from the
American Occupational Therapy Association.
WHAT STARTING SALARIES ARE OFFERED IN OCCUPATIONAL
THERAPY?
In 2002, new Occupational Therapy Assistants
earned an average of $36,000.00 in their first
position.
Annual salary increases in health care exceeds those
in most other fields.
WHAT PREREQUISITES WILL I NEED WHEN APPLYING TO
TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT
PROGRAM?
30 hours of observation or work experience
with an Occupational Therapist or a Certified Occupational
Therapy Assistant (form due by March 15)
Recommend English 111 College Composition
I
IS TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
PROGRAM ACCREDITED?
The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited
by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy
Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy
Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane,
P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, Maryland 20824-1220. AOTA's
phone number is (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates of the OTA
Program will be able to sit for the national certification
examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered
by the National Board of Certification in Occupational
Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this
exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational
Therapy Assistant (COTA). Most states require a license
in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually
based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.
HOW DO TCC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT
STUDENTS DO ON THE NATIONAL CERTIFICATIONEXAMINATION
AS COMPARED TO OTHER SCHOOLS?
In 2004-2005 students from TCC's OTA program had an
89% pass rate on the first attempt. The national average
for the same time period is also 89%.
Prospective students are hereby notified
that there is a possibility of a criminal/sex offender
background check by the Virginia State Police for certain
internship placements required for graduation. The
cost of the background check is the responsibility
of
the student.
Individual with felonies in their background
may not be eligible to sit for the National Certification
Examination. Please contact
the program director for further information.
Tidewater Community College maintains
and promotes equal opportunity without regard to ethnicity,
color, gender, age (except where gender or age is a bona
fide occupational qualification), religion, handicap,
national origin, or other non-merit factors. Disclosure
of social security number, age, gender, and ethnicity
is optional.
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