Occupational Therapy Assistant

The occupational therapy assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-6611 and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org.

Graduates of the program 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). 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.” Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online here.

Students must complete Level II fieldwork within 18 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program. Level II FW at Villa Maria College is completed in 2 different settings.

For more information about accreditation status of the program, please contact Deborah Brownell via phone: 716.961.1847 or email: [email protected].

Full-Time Students

*The chart above shows tuition for a full-time student. Tuition for part-time students is $915/credit hour. Fees for part-time students are as follows: Registration-$105, Orientation-$50, Activity-$125.
**The costs of all fees are subject to change at any time for any reason.
*** 2025-2026 costs are estimated at a 3% increase in tuition and fees.

Villa Maria College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Graduation Rates

Graduation Rates for Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate of Applied Science Degree (does not indicate rate national certification examination)

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) program data results can be found here: https://www.nbcot.org/en/Educators/Home#SchoolPerformance

Year indicates Academic Reporting Year which is August 26 to May 17.
Villa Maria College’s OTA Program first cohort graduated in 2017.

In 2017, the first cohort of OTA students graduated from Villa Maria College. In 2021, it was reported that Villa’s certification exam (NBCOT) passing rate was 100%. For the past 3 years (21, 22, 23), the number of new graduates (NG) who took and passed the test is 16 out of 18. The passing rate percentage is 88.89% of new graduates (NG) who have taken the NBCOT COTA exam.All of our graduates who passed the certification exam are fully employed in the field of Occupational Therapy.

• Attain a grade of C+ or better in all OTA courses. If students fail to achieve a grade of C+, they may retake that course when it is next offered. If a student fails to attain a grade of C+ or higher in two OTA courses, they are dismissed from the OTA Program.
• Achieve a grade of C or higher in BIO 103 and BIO 104 (Anatomy and Physiology and Laboratory).
• Must demonstrate immunity for the following: Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Meningococcal, Varicella, TDAP, Hepatitis B. Additionally, students must have an annual physical exam, and PPD or Mantoux test for TB. Students are required by clinical sites to have a yearly influenza (flu) vaccine or wear a mask at all times at their clinic site. Meningococcal and Hepatitis B immunization may be waived. Please note that waiver of Hepatitis B or Meningococcal vaccine may result in a student’s ineligibility for some clinical sites. There are no religious exemptions for immunizations in this program.
• Be CPR certified prior to placement in clinical internships. The OTA program provides a CPR course for students on a yearly basis. Students are responsible for fees for this course.

• Students are expected to demonstrate professionalism in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. Professionalism is assessed with a rubric in each course, and the Professional Self-Assessment Assignment is completed in one course each semester. If professionalism issues are identified, OTA faculty will work with the student to develop a corrective action plan. If a student fails to comply with corrective action plan, they will receive a failing grade for the course, regardless of their numerical grade.
• Professionalism is also expected of students in the classroom. This includes being seated and ready to learn when class is scheduled to start, wearing appropriate clothing for labs that does not interfere with lab activities, participation in discussions, refraining from using cell phones or computers unless needed for class activities, completion of assignments on time, and engagement in course materials.

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Emotional intelligence, empathy, and compassion
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Technical skills like using facility computer systems and databases
• Organizational skills

• Evaluating patients to establish a personalized therapy plan to achieve the most effective results.
• Administering therapy intervention approaches and instructing patients with therapy activities and tasks that promote health/wellness consistent with client goals.
• Using technical or computer equipment to document and display patient medical information and reports.
• Organizing and maintaining patient medical and treatment records and documenting therapy sessions and approaches in compliance with HIPAA and safety expectations
• Maintaining therapy equipment such as walkers, lifts, mechanical chairs, pulleys, and other exercise equipment that is used for therapy sessions.
• Working in inter and intra professional teams with occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, and other professionals to develop and implement effective treatment plans for patients.

• As health care providers, students are expected to demonstrate professional responsible behaviors in their coursework in preparation for clinic work. Attendance is a critical part of those behaviors.
• Regular, punctual attendance and engagement in all classes and lab sessions (program major and liberal arts classes) are essential for success in the OTA program.
• If there is an unavoidable absence or lateness, students should contact their instructor before class and make arrangements to stay current on coursework. Students should review course syllabi for specific requirements for each course.
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they complete any missed work. It is especially detrimental to students to miss lab classes since these classes are experiential and difficult to reproduce outside of class. Open lab times have been established for students to practice skills and receive feedback from professors, not for make-up of missed classwork.

Click here to review the 10 learning outcomes for students in Villa Maria’s OTA program.

2024-2025 College Catalog