The Owens Community College Associate Degree Occupational Therapy Assistant Program (OTA) has a responsibility to educate competent occupational therapy assistants to care for their patients (persons, families and/or communities) with critical judgment, broad-based knowledge, and well-honed technical skills. All individuals admitted to the Owens Community College Associate Degree Occupational Therapy Assistant Program will be asked to verify that they can meet these standards with or without accommodation(s).
Owens Community College Associate Degree Occupational Therapy Assistant Program provides the following description/examples of technical standards to inform prospective and enrolled students of a sampling of technical standards required in completing their Occupational Therapy Assistant curriculum.
- These technical standards reflect a sample of the performance abilities and characteristics that are necessary to successfully complete the requirements of Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. Please note: the standards are not requirements of admission into the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program and the examples are not all-inclusive.
- Individuals interested in applying for admission to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Programs should review these standards to develop a better understanding of the skills, abilities and behavioral characteristics required to successfully complete the Program.
Reasonable Accommodation(s)
Owens Community College is committed to providing equal access to employment, educational programs, and activities for students with disabilities. The College recognizes that students with disabilities may need accommodations to have equally effective opportunities to participate in or benefit from College educational programs, services and activities and will make reasonable modifications to the environment, policy and practice and/or provide auxiliary aids and services when the Disability Resource Center determines such modifications are needed for equal access.
Students who believe they are eligible for accommodation must contact the Disability Resource Center.
Disability@owens.edu
(567) 661-7007
Technical Standards of an OTA Student
Students matriculating in and graduating from the Owens Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program (OTA) must be capable of developing and providing client-centered services in an informed and safe manner under the supervision of the Occupational Therapist. As an incoming OTA student, it is recommended that you have the following minimum skills and abilities for successful progression in this program.
| Recommended minimum skills and abilities for successful progression in the OTA program | |
|---|---|
| Communication | Effectively communicate with individuals in all health care professions, clients, family members and care providers. |
| Sensory | (a) Observe one or more persons at a distance, and closely monitor facial expressions, skin coloration, muscular tension, and detailed workmanship.
(b) Ability to recognize one or more persons engaged in conversation, and monitoring, communication and safety device signals. (c) Spatial reasoning abilities sufficient to plan and implement modifications of tools, materials and the environment, and to observe human movement. |
| Organization | Ability to organize concepts, schedule, materials, and workspace. |
| Attention | Ability to effectively attend to multiple features of a task, personal interaction, and/or group to include the ability to selectively focus and attend to key features, use divided and alternating attention between two or more features, in a quick, safe manner. |
| Multi-tasking | Ability to organize, attend to and engage in multi-tasking in academic and client services in a timely and safe manner. |
| Problem-solving | Ability to engage in decision-making and problem-solving for use in clinical reasoning and safe practice. |
| Learning | Ability to effectively use a variety of teaching/learning methods and strategies in both individual and collaborative learning situations. |
| Information Literacy | Ability to access, evaluate, and use a variety of information resources such as library services, electronic catalogs and databases, in an efficient, ethical and legal manner. |
| Strength | Sufficient body strength to sustain work level on a full-time basis, while performing intermittent moderate to heavy work levels and the ability to assist a person to move to different positions and surfaces. |
| Coordination | Exhibit effective tool use, dressing, personal hygiene, grooming, cooking and written communication skills. |
| Work Ethics | Ability to use effective work ethic skills to include attendance, punctuality, positive work attitude, respect, cooperation, teamwork, professional manners, productivity appropriate to course and job role requirements and to work with persons with diverse backgrounds. |
| Emotional Coping | Ability to adapt effectively to fluctuations in emotional and physical stress levels to include ability to maintain composure in moderate to high levels of stress in emergency situations. |
| Transportation | Ability to access transportation to attend classes and clinical internship sites in a timely manner. |
| Computer/Technology | Ability to use basic computer, word processing, electronic communication and online course skills on a regular basis. |