Program Summary
***SCC IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2025-2027 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT (OTA) PROGRAM! THIS LONG-RUNNING SICCM PROGRAM IS NOW BEING EXCLUSIVELY OFFERED AT SHAWNEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE!!!***
Twenty-five (25) students will be admitted to the SCC Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program at Shawnee Community College each Fall Semester. OTA courses are held in a newly built classroom and laboratory space at the Union County Extension Center in Anna, Illinois.
Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) courses have both lecture and hands-on laboratory components. Portions of the lecture section of some OTA courses are web-based. During the program, students will develop entry-level competencies necessary to provide services to persons of all ages who have functional loss due to physical, neurological, social/emotional, cognitive, or developmental disabilities.
The profession tailors rehabilitation individually for each client. Through evaluation and treatment, it seeks to restore or improve function in occupational performance. Treatment is provided within the context of the client’s life environments and relationships. Occupation may be defined as the ordinary things people do each day to work, to play, and to take care of themselves. Occupational therapy is based on the idea that our personal identity and feeling of value is closely tied to what we are able to do. We all choose many “occupational” roles that are important to us and make us excited to engage in life. When our function becomes impaired, we may lose both our independence and sense of self-worth.
The practice of OT utilizes the therapeutic use of purposeful and meaningful occupations in treatment, as well as focusing on these occupations as the goal of treatment. OT intervention may include restoration of performance abilities; instruction in compensatory techniques; adaptation of tasks, processes, or environments; disability prevention techniques; and health promotion strategies. Occupational therapy assistants, under the supervision of an occupational therapist, will directly work with persons to achieve a maximum level of independent living by developing the capacities that remain after disease, accident, or other disability.
OT serves a diverse population in a wide variety of settings such as hospitals, clinics, facilities for rehabilitation, extended, and long-term care; sheltered workshops, schools, camps, private homes, physician’s offices, community programs, and private practice.
Program graduates will qualify to sit for the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT) national certification examination. This computer-delivered examination will be delivered on-demand, after determining eligibility. Successful completion of this exam confers the title of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Illinois and most states additionally require licensure to practice, usually basing this on the NBCOT exam results. A felony conviction may adversely affect ability to sit for the NBCOT exam and/or attain state licensure.
Cost of Attendance
Admission Requirements
Persons seeking admission to the Occupational Therapy Assistant program must meet the following criteria:
- Meet all admission policies and complete all required admission forms of the college.
- Be a graduate of an approved high school or demonstrate equivalent competency (GED examination).
- Take the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS) from the Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC (ATI) with a 60% score or higher (Given in the Testing Center). This exam can be self-scheduled here.
- Submit a completed OTA application form and any official college transcripts to the college by April 15, 2025.
- Demonstrate a minimum GPA of 2.5.
After Admission into the Program
- Submit to a criminal background check and drug testing after admission into the program.
- Complete a required in-person / virtual job shadowing activity, to be submitted after admission into the program:
First Year Courses
| FALL SEMESTER | Credit Hours | |
| ENG 111 | English Composition I | 3 |
| HIT 100 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| *OTA 100 | Intro to Occupational Therapy | 2 |
| OTA 110 | Clinical Observation | 2 |
| OTA 131 | Disease and Impact on Occupation | 3 |
| OTA 132 | Occupational Development | 1 |
| OTA 210 | Occupational Therapy Theory I | 4 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 18 | |
| SPRING SEMESTER | Credit Hours | |
| BIO 222 | Anatomy and Physiology II* | 4 |
| OTA 112 | Activities of Daily Living | 3 |
| OTA 120 | Occupational Therapeutic Media | 3 |
| OTA 122 | OT Group Process | 2 |
| OTA 133 | Clinical Rotation I | 1 |
| OTA 134 | Occupational Therapy in Physical Disabilities | 3 |
| PSY 211 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 19 | |
| SUMMER SEMESTER | Credit Hours | |
| **MAT 121 or MAT 210 | Technical Mathematics or General Elementary Statistics | 3/4 |
| SPC 111 | Speech | 3 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 6/7 | |
*Pre-requisite: *BIO 221 – Anatomy and Physiology I is a prerequisite course. Prior to taking BIO 221, it is strongly recommended that students take BIO 115 – Human Biology.
**MAT 210-Elementary Statistics should be taken by students wishing to transfer. MAT 121-Technical Mathematics is a non-transferable math.
Second Year Courses
| FALL SEMESTER | Credit Hours | |
| OTA 200 | Psychosocial Therapy and Practice | 3 |
| OTA 205 | OT in Pediatrics | 4 |
| OTA 230 | Clinical Rotation II | 2 |
| OTA 231 | Occupational Therapy Theory II | 1.5 |
| OTA 232 | Aging and Impact on Occupational Performance | 1.5 |
| PSY 218 | Child Psychology | 3 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 15 | |
| SPRING SEMESTER | Credit Hours | |
| ***OTA 217 | Fieldwork Experience I | 4.5 |
| ***OTA 218 | Fieldwork Experience II | 4.5 |
| OTA 250 | OT Administration | 3 |
| TOTAL HOURS | 12 | |
*** Must be completed within 18 months of academic coursework.
All classes must be passed with a grade of C or better.
Accreditation
The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E Bethesda, MD 20814.
Contacts
NBCOT
NBCOT Program Results
Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online at this webpage.
Program Outcomes
The OTA Program transitioned from Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market (SICCM) to Shawnee Community College (SCC) in June 2024. The program outcomes will contain SICCM outcomes until SCC has had the program for 4 consecutive years beginning from the
1st graduating class (2026).
| Graduation Year | Students Graduating / Students Entering | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 / 8 | 75% |
| 2023 | 9 / 8 | 113% |
| 2022 | 17 / 25 | 68% |
| 2021 | 11 / 17 | 65% |
| Total | 42 / 58 | 72% |