Occupational Therapist Assistant
Program Description
The occupational therapy assistant is a technical health care worker who performs patient care under the supervision of a registered or licensed occupational therapist. Typical settings include hospitals, rehabilitation centers, private practices, geriatric care facilities, school systems, industrial sites, community based practice, and mental health centers.
This program is accredited as a fully accredited program by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, PO Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220; (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates of the 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) and may apply for licensure in the State of Michigan. State licensure and initial national certification are required to practice in Michigan.
Mission
The mission of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Baker College is to provide qualified, competent, entry-level occupational therapy assistants to meet the employment expectations in the health care industry. Through the provision of quality classroom education, state of the art technology, clinical competency requirements, and varied, practical fieldwork experiences; it is the intent of the program to adequately prepare students for the NBCOT examination and for entrance into the allied health profession as competent, certified occupational therapy assistants.
Philosophy
The philosophy of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is reflective of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. in that the engagement in occupational therapy can serve to influence one's level of functioning, mentally, physically, and socially. The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program recognizes that a person is a biological, social, psychological, and spiritual being who functions as a unified whole and interacts with the environment to perform everyday life tasks or occupations. When the ability to perform these occupations becomes impaired through various biological, physical, psychological, or environmental factors, it is the implementation of meaningful or purposeful activities that can prevent, mediate, or rehabilitate an individual in order to more effectively adapt to one's environment. The profession of occupational therapy utilizes the intrinsic and therapeutic values of one's occupation and purposeful activity to enhance the adaptation process and thus enable the individual to perform at an optimal level of functioning.
Customer Satisfaction Policy
Baker College is an institution focused on customer satisfaction. To that end, any concerns or complaints regarding the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program can be sent to the attention of the director of the program on the appropriate campus. The director will investigate the complaint, consult with all parties involved, and provide a response as soon as all information has been evaluated. The program director will inform the Dean of Health Sciences of the complaint, investigation, and what actions have been taken.
If resolution cannot be reached at the level of the program director, the problem will follow the chain of command beginning with the Dean of Health Sciences, followed by the Chief Academic Officer/Vice President of Academics of the campus, the President of the campus, and finally the President of the Baker College System.
Muskegon OTA Rotation Schedule
Click here to view OTA Rotation Schedule
Muskegon OTA Program Performance
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program of the Baker College of Muskegon routinely tracks the pass rates for all graduates and first-time test takers of the national certification examination for occupational therapy assistants who test within one year of graduating from the program. The following information is based on data received from the National Board of Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
The total number of Baker College of Muskegon graduates who passed the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification examination as first -time new graduate test takers in 2008-2010 was 43 out of 46, which is a pass rate of 93%. During that 3-year time period, the program had 49 graduates.