Dallas College is reaching out to meet the needs of its community by offering convenient health care career training opportunities. The OTA program's mission is "to prepare educated, competent, ethical and professional occupational therapy assistants who provide evidence-based compassionate care for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of diverse individuals within the community". The OTA program supports the mission of Dallas College, which is "to empower people and transform communities."
What is Occupational Therapy?
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) describes occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants as individuals who "help people of all ages participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations)." Unlike other professions, occupational therapy helps people function in all of their environments (e.g., home, work, school, community) and addresses the physical, psychological and cognitive aspects of their well-being through engagement in occupation.
Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and develop social skills, helping people recovering from an injury to regain function through retraining and/or adaptations and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Dallas College OTA Experience
The Dallas College Occupational Therapy Assistant program is a rigorous 40 hour/week program that takes place over 4 traditional semesters. It is advised that working full-time while in this program has historically limited student success. Even working part-time hours interferes with work-life balance, completing assignments for a top grade, and fieldwork participation.
Students in the program experience:
- a combination of class lecture hours to learn new information,
- hands-on lab hours to gain muscle memory and ensure competence in the field, and
- fieldwork experience to enhance skill performance and real-world understanding of the role of occupational therapy assistants.
Faculty are dedicated to student success. Student engagement is enhanced through knowledgeable adult learning practices using transformative learning experiences. Students receive mentorship from faculty and others in the community during fieldwork placements. This mentorship helps students develop therapeutic use of self and professional behaviors expected in the field as they become an OTA.
Accreditation from ACOTE
Dallas College's OTA program is accredited by the
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
Mailing address:
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association
6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200
North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929
Phone: 301-652-2682 (AOTA)