Occupational Therapy (OTA)

Methodist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctorate degrees. Methodist University also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of Methodist University. As of March 2017, The Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program is included in the scope of Methodist University’s current accreditation.

The baccalaureate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301.652.AOTA and its web address is acoteonline.org. The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible 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). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

The biggest differences between an Occupational Therapist (OT) and Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) are education, level of responsibility and supervision requirements. An OTA goes to school for 2 or 4 years to earn an Associate or Bachelors degree. Once graduated and a passing score on the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Certification Exam is earned, an OTA practices under the supervision of an OT through heavy collaboration. An OTA follows the plan of care developed by the OT; therefore, is not responsible for evaluations or discharges planning. An OTA does document daily intervention notes.  An OTA’s focus is intervention implementation.  An OTA can practice in a variety of fields, including but not limited to schools, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and home health.

Currently, to become an OTA, you must earn a two-year associate degree and graduate from an ACOTE-accredited occupational therapy assistant program. It is common for some practitioners who have earned a four-year bachelor’s degree to later complete a two-year associate degree to become an OTA, while other clinicians hold a two-year associate degree as their highest degree. If you are unsure of what is right for you, ask yourself, “Which educational degree will help me reach my career goals and aspirations?”  For more information reach out to one of our academic and career advisors to discuss your options at 910.630.7333.

As a graduate of the MU BSOTA program, you will have earned a four-year Bachelor of Science Degree and will be eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Certification Exam. With a passing score from NBCOT, you will be able to practice occupational therapy as a licensed OTA. In addition, the BSOTA program will help prepare to earn a master’s or Doctorate to advance your education as an occupational therapist. Earning the BSOTA degree will provide you with diverse career opportunities in the healthcare industry and gives you the opportunity to work throughout graduate school in a high-quality profession, should you decide to continue advancing your education.

Methodist University is currently one of many baccalaureate-degree-level educational programs seeking accreditation. Like these other programs, until Candidacy Status has been granted by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), these programs cannot admit students into the OTA baccalaureate-degree-level program. Once Candidacy has been granted to a school, they will then continue to move through the accreditation process through self-study, site visits, and finally achieving full accreditation. For more information on accreditation please check out the accreditation tab on the OTA website and for a list of OTA programs please visit acoteonline.org/schools/.

At this time there are only two baccalaureate OTA programs seeking accreditation in the state of North Carolina. Over time, this may change.

It can be uncomfortable thing about pursuing education in a program that is not yet accredited, however the accreditation process is designed to support the university, faculty, and students of the new program. Methodist University (MU) faculty, staff and administration have every confidence that the BSOTA program will achieve full accreditation before the first cohort of students graduate as the MU OTD program has successfully achieved full accreditation.

If you are interested in the BSOTA program, you can do the following things to gain further information to aid your decision:

• Familiarize yourself with the process of accreditation.
• Discuss with your admissions counselor regarding any of your concerns.
• Refer to BSOTA schedule of courses and admissions information.

If you are still uncomfortable and still have additional questions or concerns, you can speak to the OTA program director or contact the AOTA Accreditation Department at [email protected].

If you are interested in enrolling into the BSOTA program, you are encouraged to speak to your admissions counselor and/or One Stop advisor about how to declare your major as OTA. This will allow MU staff and faculty to guide you towards completing specific foundational education pre-requisite courses that are required for acceptance into the OTA core phase and ensure that you will be on track for graduation in four years. If you are a transfer student interested in applying to the BSOTA program, please reach out to the Transfer Student Services office.

As a bachelor’s degree, Methodist University’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program takes four years to complete. After seven semesters of rigorous classwork and a semester of clinical work, students will be able to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification exam. If they pass, they can practice as a Certified & Licensed Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA/L).

Occupational therapy is a demanding discipline that requires solid academic and clinical work. Methodist University’s focus on a low student-to-faculty ratio tailored with a faculty with experience as occupational therapy assistants will prepare students for success.

Your One Stop advisors are a great resource for you and can provide you with more information regarding pre-requisites, GPA requirements, and must-needs for the OTA program.  If you would like to talk to someone in the Occupational Therapy field to discuss if this is the right path for you, you can reach out and schedule an appointment with Melissa Gibson ([email protected]), the BSOTA Program Director, or Alisha Myers ([email protected]), the BSOTA Academic Fieldwork Coordinator.