Occupational Therapy Assistant

Admission Requirements

Procedure for Admission into the Professional Curriculum of the Associate of Science or Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

Students who wish to transfer from one South University campus to another must be in good standing at the original campus. These students must talk with the Program Director at each campus about their plans. Each Program Director and the student requesting a transfer must sign the appropriate transfer request forms from both the program and South University  and the Transfer Release Form before the form is sent to the Registrar's office on the receiving campus for processing.

When completing an application for admission into South University to take prerequisite coursework in preparation to apply for admission into the Professional OTA Curriculum at South University, students must meet the requirements for regular admission to the university.

Students must apply for admission into the Professional Curriculum of the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program as they complete prerequisite coursework.  No transfer credit will be given to any course designated as an occupational therapy assistant major.

The OTA Program accepts two cohorts of students into the Professional Curriculum each year. Depending on the campus, applications are either accepted prior to the beginning of winter and summer quarters or before spring and fall quarters for the eight quarter programs and before the winter quarter for nine-quarter programs. Application deadlines are announced on each campus.

An OTA Application packet is available from OTA faculty and/or the campus receptionist.

The following information is required from students applying for admission into the Professional Curriculum of the OTA Program:

1. Students must have a minimum grade of 'C' or above in all prerequisites, except for the following courses, in which students must achieve a minimum grade of 'B' or above: BIO1011 Anatomy and Physiology I, BIO1012 Anatomy and Physiology I Lab, BIO1013 Anatomy and Physiology II, BIO1014 Anatomy and Physiology II Lab, PSY2022 Human Growth and Development, and OTA1001 Introduction to Occupational Therapy.
2. In addition, note that a minimum CGPA of 2.85 is required for prerequisite and general education coursework. All prerequisite coursework must be completed at the time of entry into the Professional Curriculum of the OTA Program.
3. Courses in Medical Terminology, Anatomy and Physiology I (lecture and lab) and Anatomy and Physiology II (lecture and lab) must have been taken in the past seven years from the intended start date of the Professional Curriculum of the OTA Program.
4. Students must have official transcripts on file at South University at the time of application to the Professional Curriculum of the OTA Program. Students are responsible for requesting official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended and having them sent to South University.  All associated fees are the responsibility of the student.
5.  Students must complete and submit an OTA Application; this includes a signed Acknowledgement of Risk and Release of Liability form and Student Medical Insurance Verification form (along with copy of the front and back of the medical insurance card). The student must upload proof of medical insurance to an agency identified in the OTA Application.
6. Students must submit ATI TEAS scores, which will not be accepted if greater than 5 years old.  A total score below the national mean will result in a lower ranking score for this component. All associated fees are the responsibility of the student.
7. Students must complete 12 hours of observation of  occupational therapy practitioners in two different areas of occupational therapy practice (e.g., pediatrics, adults, inpatient, outpatient, acute care, rehab, mental health, skilled nursing), documented on the form provided in the OTA Application, signed and dated by an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant. For example, you might observe in hospital and a skilled nursing settings or adult rehab and acute care.
8. Students must provide a copy of the front and back of the card showing current certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers. The student must upload this credential to the agency identified in the OTA Application. All associated fees are the responsibility of the student.
9. The OTA program follows the College of Health Professions Background Check Policy and Substance Abuse and Screening Policy located in the South University Catalog (www.southuniversity.edu/admissions/academic-catalog). Students must complete a background check and drug screen at their own cost using the agency identified in the OTA Application. No other background checks or drug screen will be accepted. The background check and drug screen must have been completed for South University within 60 days prior to the application deadline for the Professional Curriculum of the OTA Program. All associated fees are the responsibility of the student.

NOTE: Applicants are not eligible for admittance into the professional OTA curriculum if they have a felony conviction, plea, or adjudication withheld, or any disqualifying misdemeanor, for which a pardon or exemption for disqualification has not been received, including but not limited to rape or sexual abuse or molestation, and abuse, endangerment, or neglect of a child, disabled person, or elderly person. Applicants with positive drug screen results will not be admitted into the professional OTA curriculum.

1. Required immunizations are identified in the OTA Application. Students must provide evidence that the Hepatitis B test has been initiated, along with other immunizations, at the time of application. The student must upload all original lab results and evidence of immunization through the agency identified in the OTA Application. All associated fees are the responsibility of the student. All immunizations must be completed no later than 15 business days before the Friday before the start of the second quarter in the Professional OTA Curriculum.
2. Students must show evidence of a physical exam by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant; results must be uploaded through the agency identified in the OTA Application. All associated fees are the responsibility of the student.
3. All requirements for Financial Aid must have been met, as applicable; students must be in good standing with South University.

Ranking of Applicants for Admission into the Professional OTA Curriculum will be based upon the following criteria:

1. Students must achieve a minimum cumulative CGPA of 2.85 based on all prerequisite and general education coursework. Students must achieve a minimum grade of '"B'" in OTA1001 Introduction to Occupational Therapy, BIO1011 Anatomy and Physiology I, BIO1012 Anatomy and Physiology I Lab, BIO1013 Anatomy and Physiology II, BIO1014 Anatomy and Physiology II Lab and PSY 2022 Human Growth and Development.
2. Submitted results for the ATI TEAS
3. Documented results from the background check and drug screen adhering to the requirements outlined in the College of Health Professions Background Check Policy and Drug and Alcohol Screening Policy must be complete and available for review.
4. Students must have submitted documented completion of 12 hours of observation in two different areas of occupational therapy practice (e.g., pediatrics, adults, inpatient, outpatient, acute care, rehab, mental health, skilled nursing), on the form provided in the OTA Application. For example, you might observe in a hospital and skilled nursing setting or adult rehab and acute care.
5. Students must have provided documented evidence of the following already in progress and uploaded to the agency identified in the OTA Application:
   1. Hepatitis B and other immunizations
   2. Current CPR or date scheduled to complete
   3. Proof of medical insurance
   4. Physical exam by nurse practitioner physician or physician assistant

NOTE:  If a qualified student is not accepted or if a student is unable to matriculate into the Professional OTA Curriculum, s/he may use that same application to apply into the next cohort on that same campus within one year from the date of application submission. After that time, the student must apply as a new student.

Essential Functions for the OTA Program

The following are considered to be essential functions related to the profession of occupational therapy to be successful in the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program and in future employment as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).

It is the responsibility of the OTA Program at South University to inform students considering a career as a COTA about the essential functions required both in the academic program and in the workforce. Factors and requirements will vary, depending on the specific area of practice and work setting.

Students must demonstrate safe and continuous application of these essential functions or of any and all others that are integral to the success of the OTA student and future occupational therapy practitioner. Students will display professional behaviors, assess their own performance with respect to the behaviors, and be ready to make behavioral changes as directed by academic and clinical faculty. 

In addition, the OTA Committee for Progression and Appeals may become involved in issues related to a student's performance of the essential functions. The OTA Committee for Progression and Appeals may make recommendations to the OTA Program Director that result in, but are not limited to, a lower course grade, the creation of a remediation plan, exclusion from a course, dismissal from a Level I or Level II Fieldwork experience, professional behavior probation or dismissal from the OTA Program and/or South University.

Both Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C.A. Section 794, and the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination against "otherwise qualified" persons with a disability. South University provides accommodations to qualified students with disabilities.  The Disability Services office assists qualified students with disabilities in acquiring reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

All students must demonstrate competency in the following essential functions related to the profession of occupational therapy:

Behavioral/Emotional Functions

Adaptation: The ability to respond with flexibility to change or difference.

Emotional Stability: The ability to control one's own emotions, differentiate between different emotions and identify each appropriately; use emotions to guide thinking and direct behavior.

Interpersonal Skills: The ability to interact effectively with others.

Safety: Maintain the well-being of others in compliance with policies and procedures.

Ethics: The ability to distinguish between right and wrong, to comply with authority and with policies and procedures.

Professional Behavior and Appearance: The ability to adjust behavior and appearance in response to given circumstances.

Cognitive Functions

Critical Thinking: The ability to define and resolve issues by asking questions, gathering and analyzing information.

Time Management: The ability to identify and prioritize tasks to be accomplished and maintain work pace appropriate to given work load.

Math, Reading Comprehension: The ability to apply basic math functions, calculate time and simple measurements; comprehend written words.

Perception: The ability to be aware of things in relation to others and to discriminate between those relationships.

Communication Functions

Verbal: The ability to speak using the English language, clearly communicating and clarifying information.

Written: The ability to communicate legibly and concisely in English, using proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, style and formatting.

Listening, Comprehending, Responding: The ability to hear, understand and respond appropriately to what was communicated.

Sensory Functions

Hearing: The auditory ability to detect sound within 10 feet away, sufficient to monitor clients and interact with others.

Touch:  The ability to come into physical contact with something and perceive that it is there.

Vision: The ability to look at and see something or someone close-up and from a distance greater than 20 feet, noting verbal and nonverbal postures or behaviors.

Physical Functions

Fine motor dexterity: The ability to coordinate small muscle groups during movement, usually involving coordination between the hands, fingers and eyes to manipulate small objects.

Gross motor skills: The ability to coordinate large muscle groups to move and to stabilize the head, trunk, arms and legs to reach, lift, push, pull, stand, balance, walk, run, bend, kneel and crouch; possess minimum grip strength of 30 pounds in one or both hands, and the ability to stand up to 30 minutes at a time, push up to 250 pounds and lift/transfer up to 250 pounds.

Mobility:  The ability to independently move easily from point A to point B.

Endurance: The ability to exert self and remain active for a long period of time (e.g., 45 minutes); stamina.

Environmental Functions

Working conditions: The ability to recognize, avoid and prevent safety and health hazards in the work setting.

Career Outlook

Certification

Requirements

If you are interested in pursuing a career as an occupational therapy assistant, you must have a high school diploma or equivalent and an associate’s degree from an accredited program offering the occupational therapy assistant curriculum. Individuals graduating from the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at South University will graduate with an Associate of Science degree.

Once all academic and fieldwork requirements are completed, students apply to take a national certification exam that is administered online by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Program performance data on the NBCOT certification examination is available for public viewing by state and program level: https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx.

Upon successful completion of this exam, individuals may use the designation COTA following their name. NBCOT re-certifies occupational therapy practitioners every three years and has set continuing education requirements as part of that process.

The practice of occupational therapy is regulated in all 50 states; different states have various types of regulation that range from licensure, the strongest form of regulation, to title protection or trademark law, the weakest form of regulation.

Be sure to contact the licensing department in your intended state of practice to obtain the appropriate information specific to you.

The Web site address for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) is http://www.nbcot.org/.

Columbia OTA Performance Data on NBCOT Certification Exam

Program performance data on the NBCOT certification examination is available for public viewing by state and program level: https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx.

Course Requirements

Cost of Attendance

Cost of Attendance

To view the South University, Columbia OTA program cost of attendance, please click HERE.

Graduation Rates

The total number of students graduating from the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at South University, Columbia, during the 3-year period of January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2019 is listed below:

Outcomes

Offered at South University, Columbia; South University, Montgomery; South University, Online Programs; South University, Richmond; South University, Savannah; South University, Tampa; and South University, Virginia Beach.

The RN to Master of Science in Nursing program allows students with strong academic backgrounds to reduce the number of courses required in the undergraduate component of the program. Students substitute certain graduate courses for undergraduate nursing courses. The program includes integrated practica experience, didactic instruction, and a summative project to assess individual student learning outcomes.

Students who successfully complete all requirements of RN to Master of Science in Nursing program will be awarded the Master of Science in Nursing degree.*

* Note: Students interested in a BSN should confer with their Academic Counselor or Program Director.