Fast Facts About Occupational Therapy

• Occupational therapy is a health profession which utilizes every-day life activities to help people of all ages prevent, lessen, or overcome disabilities that interfere with their ability to lead independent and satisfying lives.
• The occupational therapy assistant, under the supervision of a registered occupational therapist, works in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, rehabilitation facilities, mental health settings, and in community-based intervention.
• Annual earnings for COTAs in the Philadelphia area are approximately $50,000.
• Occupational therapy assistants must complete a two-year educational program accredited by Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to be eligible to sit for the national certification examination (see below). After successful completion of the exam, candidates may apply for their state license to practice as Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs).
• Harcum’s occupational therapy assistant program offers an optional international component: Qualifying students spend two weeks in Germany, engaging in professional research. Open to senior level students only.
• The occupational therapy assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Developing Program Status 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. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is 301-652-2682
• Once accreditation of the program has been obtained, 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).

Please note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

OTA courses are taught in a one day/week workshop format supported by on-line work you can do from home. Core education courses are available in a traditional weekday, evening or on-line format.

Program Offerings 

• Full time (program courses offered one day/week supported by on-line assignments during the week, core educational courses offered weekdays, evenings or on-line)
• Part-time, if core requirements have been met elsewhere. A maximum of 30 credits of general education coursework may be transferred from another institution. No prior OTA courses will be accepted from another institution.
• Fall start - program courses
• Spring/summer start for pre-program core requirements/ developmental course work.
• Clinical component: Semesters 1-3, observations at clinical sites, four days a semester. Last semester consists of two eight-week, full-time clinical placements.

Prerequisites for Admission

• Minimum combined SAT score of 900
• Minimum GPA of 2.5
• Completion of high school level biology course with “C” or better 

Application Requirements

• Completed Application Form
• $40 application fee
• Official high school transcripts
• SAT scores
• TOEFL scores (for international applicants)
• Official college transcripts (if applicable)
• Written essay (“Why I want to enroll in Harcum’s OTA Program”)
• Letter of recommendation
• Recommended: A minimum of ten volunteer hours in an occupational therapy setting. 

Application Deadlines 
 
Fall enrollment – Harcum College operates on a rolling admissions basis. 
  
Financial Aid Deadlines 

• FAFSA form priority deadline is April 1st.
• Harcum College Financial Aid Data Form priority deadline is April 1st.
• Harcum College scholarship applications are due May 1st.

Additional Criteria for Accepted Students
 
Once students have been accepted into the program, the following additional criteria must be met before enrolling in professional coursework:

• All OTA students must take placement exams in English, Math, and Reading. Any required developmental coursework must be completed before enrolling in OTA 121.
• All OTA students must provide proof of the following medical and legal clearances (or of application in progress):
  • Child Abuse Clearance
  • Criminal Record Check
  • Current (not older than one year) physical exam
  • Documentation of Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella Immunizations
  • Two-step PPD test (if positive, chest x-ray necessary)
  • Hepatitis B series (at least begun with first of three doses)
  • Tdap Booster (within the past 10 years)
  • Nine panel urine drug screen
• All OTA students are required to have Accident and Health Insurance throughout their period of enrollment at Harcum. If a student is not covered under another plan (family, individual, etc.) the student is required to purchase the Harcum plan.

Curriculum

Fall Semester

OTA 121	Survey of OT Principles & FW IA	4 cr.
SOC 122	Occupational Roles Through Life Span	3 cr.
OTA 123	Bio-Psycho-social Conditions	3 cr.
IDS 101	Harcum Colloquium	1 cr.
BIO 103	Human Anatomy & Physiology I	4 cr.
CIS 106	World Wide Web and Beyond	1 cr.
		16 cr.

Spring Semester

OTA 124	Occup Dysfunc Child/Adol & FW IB	4 cr.
OTA 125	Activities/Adaptations Child/Adol	3 cr.
OTA 114	Kinesiology for OT	4 cr.
BIO 104	Human A&P II	4 cr.
PSY 111	Intro to Psychology	3 cr.
		18 cr.

Summer Semester  (may also be taken summer preceding program enrollment)

ENG   101	Composition I	3 cr.
MTH   113	College Math	3 cr.
		6 cr.

Fall Semester

OTA 224	Occ Dysf Adult/Geriatrics & FW IC	4 cr.
OTA 225	Activities/Adapt Adult/Geriatrics	3 cr.
OTA 226	Clin Skills throughout the Lifespan	3 cr.
ENG 102	Composition II	3 cr.
HUM Elect	(rec IDS 105 for Int'l  Component	3-4 cr.
		16-17cr.

Spring Semester 

OTA 230	Fieldwork Seminar	4 cr.
OTA 231	Fieldwork Seminar Level IIA	4 cr.
OTA 232	Fieldwork Experience Level IIB	4 cr.
		12 cr.

Graduation (Qualification to sit for National Certification Exam)

Essential Functions

Essential Functions are defined as the skills you need to bring into the program in order to be successful as an OTA Student. An inability to perform any of the functions listed below – even with accommodations-  may indicate that a student does not have the prerequisite skills to be successful in this profession and that occupational therapy assisting should not be your field of choice. Call the program director for questions.

Physical Factors: Motor skills               
Standing (with good balance) / Walking / Sitting / Lifting 100 lbs.  / Carrying 50 lbs. / Pushing/Pulling 100 lbs. / Bending / Kneeling / Crawling / Floor sitting / Grasping (firm/strong) / Grasping (light) /  Finger dexterity /  Reaching forward / Reaching overhead / Coordination of hand, wrist, and fingers / Eye-hand coordination.

Physical Factors: Sensory/Perceptual                                       
Vision acuity: near / Vision acuity: far /  Vision: depth perception /  Color vision /  Full field of vision,/ Spatial perception (ability to "visualize" objects) / Form perception (ability to perceive and recognize shapes) / Hear normal conversation / Hear telephone conversation / Be comfortable with tactile Contact /  Discriminate objects  by touch.

Physical Factors: Environmental
Ability to do in-door work & out-door work / tolerate exposure to dust, fumes, odors, and toxic or caustic chemicals / Being around moving machinery, electricity / Exposure to slippery or uneven surfaces / Exposure to vibration / Wearing of protective clothing(mask, silicone gloves)

Cognitive Factors
Computer skills – ability to send and receive e-mail, including attachments, do a basic web search, and participate in on-line course work / Reasoning - deal with abstract and concrete variables, define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions / Interpret instructions furnished in oral, written, or schedule form / Problem solving- deal with unexpected situations / Carry out written or oral one to two-step instructions / Ability to remember instructions and carry out tasks over time / Ability to generalize instructions from one situation to another / Mathematics - add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers and fractions, calculate time, make simple measurements / Reading - comprehend manuals, instructions for maintenance of equipment, safety rules and procedures, medical and educational charts / Clerical reading - perceive pertinent detail, proofread words and numbers, observe differences in copy / Writing - prepare reports using prescribed format, make entries into medical and educational charts / Writing - conform to all rules of punctuation, spelling, grammar, and style / Work pace - Ability to maintain a work pace appropriate to a given workload, including regular attendance at the site.

Social-emotional Factors                                                                     
Social skills - Ability to engage in a face-to-face verbal conversation, making eye-contact and using appropriate body language / Dependability - effective time management, follow-through on commitments & responsibilities / Professional presentation - presenting oneself in a manner (dress, body language, verbal style) that is accepted by peers, clients, and employers.

Initiative - self-starting projects, tasks, and communication, searching out answers / Empathy - being sensitive, responding to the feelings and behaviors of others / Cooperation - working effectively with other individuals / Organization - prioritizing needs, tasks, responsibilities, maintaining effective work space / Supervision - ability to give and receive constructive feed-back and to modify behavior accordingly.

Please note: All OTA students must have regular access to a computer with internet connection. Computers are available at the Harcum library, bookstore, student lounge, as well as in public libraries throughout the area. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that students have their own computers.

For More Information

Please contact:

The Office of Admissions
610-526-6050
enroll@harcum.edu

OR

Kerstin Potter, MS, OTR/L
OTA Program Director
610-526-6115
kpotter@harcum.edu

*   *   *

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