DRAFT CT State Community College Catalog 2023-2024
- New students enrolling for the first time in Fall 2023 will begin as students of Connecticut State Community College under this draft catalog.
- Continuing students from one of the 12 community colleges will be transitioned into a CT State program in this draft catalog as of the start of the Fall 2023 term.
- This catalog is a draft to be finalized in the Spring of 2023. The policies, courses and programs described are not applicable until the Fall 2023 term and may be updated as circumstances require.
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The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program is designed for students with an interest in working with individuals who are limited in what they can do because of a physical, emotional or developmental disability, illness or the aging process. The goal of occupational therapy is to help people of any age - from newborns to the elderly - live their lives to the fullest - at home, at work or at school - by making it possible for them to perform life’s everyday activities.
Founded in 1917, occupational therapy is a well-established profession and offers many exciting opportunities for the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Occupational therapy is an expanding specialty in the healthcare field. Working under the indirect supervision of a Registered Occupational Therapist, the Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant provides patients training on ways to perform life’s daily activities, such as bathing, dressing and cooking. An occupational therapy assistant also offers patients and their families suggestions on how to adapt home, work and school environments to best meet the patient’s special circumstances.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Manchester Campus of CT State Community College combines coursework with a four-month supervised clinical experience that focuses on the psycho-social, physical and developmental aspects of practicing occupational therapy.
Learning Outcomes:
The American Occupational Therapy Association in its VISION 2025 statement describes Occupational Therapy as “an inclusive profession that maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living.” The OTA program offers an accelerated, a full-time and part-time plan of study, thereby enabling the student to complete the program in 3 semesters, 4 semesters or 5 semesters, respectively.
Upon successful completion of all Occupational Therapy Assistant degree program requirements, graduates will
- Sit for the national certification exam.
- Demonstrate the clinical skills required for working as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.
- Demonstrate the interpersonal skills necessary to function as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant.
- Comprehend the scope of occupational therapy practice.
- Apply principles in analysis and application of occupational therapy treatment in the spectrum of human occupation.
In addition, the graduate will complete the comprehensive learning outcomes identified with the General Education Core.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Manchester Community College is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)located at 6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.
Graduates of the program are 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 graduate will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Additionally, all states require licensure to practice; However, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification exam. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification exam or attain state licensure.
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Year
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Total Number of New Graduates Testing
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Total Number of New Graduates Passing
(% passing)
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Total Number of New Graduates Failing
(% failing)
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2022
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19
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19 (100%)
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0 (0%)
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2021
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14
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14 (100%)
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0 (0%)
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2020
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16
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16 (100%)
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0 (0%)
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2019
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16
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15 (94%)
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1 (6%)
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2018
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16
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16 (100%)
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0 (0%)
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Courses with an OTA designator are offered exclusively during the day. All course work must be completed with a grade of C or better and a minimum GPA of 2.5 must be maintained throughout the program. The clinical semester, which is offered both fall and spring semesters, provides a four-month, full-time, supervised learning experience with a focus on psychosocial, physical dysfunction and developmental disability areas of practice. If critical unforeseen circumstances arise, students have 18 months upon completion of academic work to complete the clinical semester. Due to standards set by The Joint Commission (TJC), students are advised that the fieldwork sites to which they are assigned for fieldwork rotations, as well as state regulations, may require that they submit to a criminal background check before beginning their fieldwork experiences. Manchester Campus of CT State Community College cannot be responsible for finding an alternate clinical placement for a student who fails to pass the background check. A student who is unable to complete the required fieldwork experience will be unable to complete the requirements for the associate degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant but may be able to apply some or all of the credits completed to an associate degree in General Studies. Students are advised to meet with a Guided Pathways Advisor to discuss degree completion requirements.
Application: In addition to completing the CT State Community College Application for Admission, students who are interested in pursuing a career in Occupational Therapy are required to fill out a separate Occupational Therapy Assistant Application (applications are available on the OTA Program webpage) and the application packet is submitted electronically, per the directions specified on the application. The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program utilizes a selective admissions process and applicants are required to meet specific admission criteria in preparation for the academic rigor of the OTA Program. To qualify for application to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, students must have a grade point average at or above 2.5., and have completed BIO 1111 , ENG 1010 , and PSY 1011 with a grade of C or better, as well as CCS 1001 . Applicants must also be eligible for college level math, and have attended an OTA Information Session.
The program offers three tracks - Accelerated, Full-Time, and Part-Time options:
- Accelerated track: Open to students who have completed all general education requirements prior to program application. This allows the student to complete the OTA 234 course in the first semester (typically offered within third semester), representing two semesters of academic coursework on campus and the completion of the clinical within the third semester.
- Full-Time track: Provides three semesters of academic coursework and the completion of the clinical within the fourth semester.
- Part-Time track: Provides four semesters of academic coursework, by distributing the spring semester coursework over two spring semesters and the completion of the clinical within the fifth semester.