How to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant

Are you interested in becoming an occupational therapist? Do you know what is the scope and importance of the same in future? If your answer to the above is yes, then you should know in depth the steps as to How to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant? If you have been searching for the same for a long time, but did not anything useful, don't worry. This article will provide you a brief insight as to How to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

The first and foremost step in making a career and How to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant or O.T.A is to find out the requirements to work in this profession. to become a licensed or registered O.T.A, one must attend a school accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (A.C.O.T.E) to be eligible to write the national certifying exams. In 2009 there were 135 A.C.O.T.E programs for O.T.A's.

An associates degree in this subject is 2 years in length. The first year of study will be an introduction to healthcare, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology. This will be the primary year to learn the bulk of knowledge from books and using memory. In an associates degree program the 2nd year will become more stern and rigorous as you will be learning courses on mental health, physical disabilities, effects of aging. Students are also required to participate in a clinical internship as part of the program, which usually consists of roughly 16 weeks of on the job training. This is to best prepare the students to step out into the real world and find a job working under a licensed occupational therapist.

If the career of an occupational therapy assistant sounds right for you, you can increase your chances of receiving admissions in this subject by ensuring you have strong grades in high school courses that relate to biology and health studies. Volunteer work in a nursing setting, or under the guidance of a occupational therapist will also help with receiving an offer of admissions.

However, the most important step in How to Become an Occupational Therapy Assistant is that you need to ensure that the course you choose is recognized by A.C.O.T.E and you are eligible to sit in on the national certification exam upon graduation. Having the right attitude is also of extreme importance, as in this profession you are often working with those that have communicative disorders or whom have extreme difficulty with communications. This requires a high level of patience, and compassion, this career is not for everyone, to say patience is a requirement for this profession is an understatement.

The National Board for Certifying Occupational Therapy is responsible for certifying occupational therapist assistants via a national certifying exam. Individuals who pass this exam will be awarded a title of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant or C.O.T.A. Some states still have their own licensing exam and this will only meet requirements for regulation in given states, it is best to research first. Part of being an O.T.A's is to continue upgrading education through workshops and continuing education courses. This is a requirement of C.O.T.A and ensures these professionals have the highest standard of learning and education. We recommend this certification to all prospective O.T.A's.

Now that you have an idea of how to become an occupational therapy assistant, you can decide if this challenging and rewarding career is for you.