BHS in Occupational Therapy Assistant

Degree Program Description

The Bachelor of Health Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant (BHS-OTA) Program will prepare students to practice as occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) who will then work under the supervision of occupational therapists in their career. Occupational therapy assistants are skilled health professionals who provide services to individuals across the lifespan to maximize their independence in meaningful everyday activities. OTAs use research, scientific evidence, and a holistic approach to incorporate an individual’s valued occupations into the intervention process. The BHS-OTA degree provides an additional degree option for students who wish to complete an undergraduate degree that allows for immediate employment in a health profession with high employment and entry-level salaries. In addition, graduates of the BHS-OTA program will have the opportunity to continue their education by pursuing a clinical doctorate degree in occupational therapy should they wish to practice at a higher practitioner level as an occupational therapist, and/or the option of completing a PhD to pursue a career in rehabilitation science, all while being able to work as a licensed OTA. The BHS-OTA will prepare students for entry-level practice in diverse practice settings including hospitals, schools, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, early intervention programs, mental health programs, community agencies, and emerging areas of practice. At the completion of their education, MU OTA students will:

• Utilize and integrate evidence into professional practice to ensure high quality health care services and use of scientifically supported interventions. Use of research to make informed decisions for best practice.

• Participate in self-directed lifelong learning behaviors including self-reflection and clinical reasoning as expected in the healthcare environment. 

• Demonstrate clinical competence as an entry-level OTA with use of occupation-based principles in order to meet the demands of an ever-changing practice environment in rural and metropolitan areas and with a variety of client populations. 

• Address the occupational needs of individuals and communities to improve community health outcomes. 

• Demonstrate high level professionalism behaviors and adherence to the Code of Ethics as they develop a professional identity through a baccalaureate project in the area of clinical practice, administration, leadership, advocacy, or education.  

• Develop the skills necessary for cultivating intraprofessional and interprofessional relationships as all individuals work toward common goal of improved outcomes. 

Major Program Requirements

Courses Required Pre-BHS-OTA:

Prior to acceptance to the BHS-OTA program, students must complete a minimum of 46 credit hours which includes foundational and pre-requisite content for the professional component of the curriculum. Students will be required to earn a grade of C or higher in each pre-requiste course and complete all science courses within four years of their application to the program. These 46 hours must include the courses listed below. Students must complete all OTA prerequisites prior to starting the professional coursework in the BHS-OTA program. Students are encouraged to have as many, if not all, general education requirements, University requirements, and College of Health Sciences requirements completed prior to starting the professional coursework in the BHS-OTA program. However please note they must all be completed prior to being able to graduate. 

Courses Required Pre-BHS-OTA:
Statistics
STAT 1200	Introductory Statistical Reasoning	3
or STAT 2500	Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
or ESC_PS 4170	Introduction to Applied Statistics
Science
BIO_SC 1010 & BIO_SC 1020	General Principles and Concepts of Biology and General Biology Laboratory	5
or BIO_SC 1500	Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory
PTH_AS 2201 & PTH_AS 2203	Human Anatomy Lecture and Human Anatomy Laboratory	5
MPP 3202	Elements of Physiology	5
Behavioral and Social Sciences
H_D_FS 2400	Principles of Human Development	3
PSYCH 2510	Survey of Psychopathology	3
SOCIOL 1000	Introduction to Sociology	3
Other
CDS 2190	Medical Terminology	3

A minimum CUM GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, including all undergraduate completed coursework, is required for both application and graduation.

Courses Required within BHS-OTA:

An additional 74 credit hours of Occupational Therapy Assistant curriculum will be required. A grade of B- or higher is required in all OC_THR courses.

OC_THR 3010	OTA Practice Fundamentals	3
OC_THR 3020	Theory and Practice for OTAs	3
OC_THR 3110	Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Practice	3
OC_THR 3120	Medical and Psychosocial Conditions in Occupational Therapy	3
OC_THR 3130W	Fundamentals of Activity Analysis - Writing Intensive	3
OC_THR 3140	Professional Documentation	2
OC_THR 3150	Measuring Functional Movement	3
OC_THR 3160	Fieldwork Level 1A	2
OC_THR 3210	Ethics in OT	3
OC_THR 3220	OTA Practice in Physical Rehabilitation	3
OC_THR 3230	Assistive Technology and Adaptations	2
OC_THR 3240	OTA Practice with Infants and Early Childhood	3
OC_THR 3250	Fieldwork Level IB	2
OC_THR 3260	Introduction to Baccalaureate Project: Choosing an Area of Focus	1
OC_THR 4120	OTA Practice with Older Adults	3
OC_THR 4130	Psychosocial Practice	3
OC_THR 4140	OTA Practice with School-Aged Children and Adolescents	3
OC_THR 4150	OTA Practice in the Community	3
OC_THR 4160	Fieldwork Level I C	2
OC_THR 4180	Baccalaureate Project I	3
OC_THR 4210	OT Advocacy and Scholarship	2
OC_THR 4230	OTA Management and Leadership	3
OC_THR 4250	Professionalism and Specialization for OTAs	3
OC_THR 4260	Fieldwork Level I D	2
OC_THR 4280	Baccalaureate Project II	3
OC_THR 4320	Fieldwork Level II A	4
OC_THR 4340	Fieldwork Level II B	4
Total Credits		74

Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as a baccalaureate project within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program.

Accreditation, Certification, Licensure

The baccalaureate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is https://acoteonline.org/. The program must have a preaccreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before 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), Inc. located at One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. NBCOT's telephone number is (301) 990-79-79 and its Web address is https://www.nbcot.org/. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as a baccalaureate project within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program.

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Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester, for the courses within the BHS OTA. Coursework is subject to minor changes as the program makes occasional curricular revisions to meet accreditation requirements and to reflect contemporary occupational therapy practice.

Please note that there is a total of 74 credits of coursework required within the OTA program.  

Third Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
OC_THR 3010	3	OC_THR 3150	3	OC_THR 3140	2
OC_THR 3020	3	OC_THR 3230	2	OC_THR 3210	3
OC_THR 3110	3	OC_THR 3240	3
OC_THR 3120	3	OC_THR 3250	2
OC_THR 3160	2	OC_THR 3260	1
OC_THR 3130W	3	OC_THR 4130	3
	17		14		5
Fourth Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
OC_THR 4120	3	OC_THR 4210	2	OC_THR 4320	4
OC_THR 4140	3	OC_THR 4230	3	OC_THR 4340	4
OC_THR 4150	3	OC_THR 4250	3
OC_THR 4160	2	OC_THR 4260	2
OC_THR 4180	3	OC_THR 4280	3
OC_THR 3220	3
	17		13		8
Total Credits: 74

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