Interested in an Online Occupational Therapy Assistant Program? Consider This First
As you’re researching occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs, you may be drawn to the idea of being able to complete your program completely online. There is no doubt that fully online programs can offer increased flexibility for students — however, for certain fields of study, such as occupational therapy, it may not be the best solution. Here’s why…
The role of an occupational therapy assistant is highly hands-on in nature. It requires physical contact and face-to-face interaction with clients, which you won't get in a fully online occupational therapy assistant program. OTAs are responsible for tasks such as:
- Observing clients and assessing their ability to perform daily living skills
- Helping clients perform therapeutic tasks, such as practicing activities like dressing, grooming, and feeding themselves
- Showing clients and their families how to use adaptive equipment
- Evaluating and recording clients’ progress
(For a deeper dive into what an occupational therapy assistant does, check out our OTA overview post.)
When a student completes a 100% online occupational therapy assistant program, they do not have the opportunity to practice the physical and interactive skills that they will ultimately be performing on the job. A quality OTA program should provide students with education and training through both lectures (whether that’s in person or online) and through practice in settings that model their future work environments (which can only be done in person).
In contrast, there are other healthcare career paths where on-site education is not needed. For example, the role of a medical biller does not involve physical activity or direct patient care and it primarily consists of work that is performed on a computer. As a result, students can study medical billing online without missing out on important face-to-face instruction that is needed to properly prepare for a career in occupational therapy.
How Do OTA Students Get Hands-On Practice?
There are a couple ways that OTA programs can provide practical experience to help students prepare for on-the-job interactions with clients. These include the following:
Skills Labs in Simulated OT Environments: A quality OTA program will have on-campus facilities that are designed to model real occupational therapy care settings with equipment that is commonly used in occupational therapies. Students can use these labs to practice their learned skills on their classmates and get familiar with the physical activities they will eventually perform on the job. Skills labs are an excellent opportunity to get direct feedback from instructors on practiced skills.
Clinical Fieldwork in Real OT Settings: Any reputable OTA program should require a certain number of fieldwork hours to be completed. Fieldwork allows students to interact with clients in real clinical settings under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapy assistant or occupational therapist. Students may complete their fieldwork hours in settings such as nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, or private-practice OT offices.
Naturally, these practical experiences are difficult to replicate in an online OTA program. Students may need to seek out in-person training opportunities separate from their program to gain experience.
American Career College’s Orange County campus in Anaheim, California, has lab facilities where OTA students can practice their skills on campus. Additionally, ACC’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program requires students to complete 700 hours of fieldwork prior to graduation.
Check out our recent blog post on what to expect in OTA school.
A Blended Program Provides the Best of Both Worlds in OTA Training
If you like the appeal of an online OTA program, but you don’t want to miss out on the value that comes with hands-on, in-person training, you may want to consider a blended OTA program, which is sometimes called a hybrid OTA program. This is a program that offers a blend of online and in-person instruction.
With a blended program, you get increased flexibility by being able to complete some of your lectures and coursework remotely, and you commute to campus only for the classes and training activities that are ideal for in-person learning. You can study at home and also get valuable face time with your classmates, instructors, other OT professionals, and even real clients (through fieldwork).
Getting Started on Your OTA Education
If you’re ready to start pursuing a career as an OTA in California, you should do your researchinto OTA programs to find the one that’s right for you.
To help assist you in your search, here’s an overview of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at ACC:
- Program Type: Associate degree program
- Program Format: Blended (combining online and in-person instruction)
- Campus: Orange County (Anaheim, CA)
- Duration: 20 months
- Quarter Credits: 99
- Accreditation Status: Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy
Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Learn more about the blended OTA program at ACC and apply today!
The Occupational Therapy Assistant (Associate of Occupational Science) program in Anaheim is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) (ACOTE 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929; Phone: (301) 652-6611 / www.acoteonline.org).
