Why Study Occupational Therapy at SHP?

The Occupational Therapy Assistant profession is one of the fastest growing health professions. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of Occupational Therapy Assistants is expected to increase 21 percent between 2023 and 2033. Rutgers is first in the tristate area offering a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant. A bachelor’s degree will prepare you to sit for the national exam to practice as an OTA and position you to transition seamlessly into graduate studies if you choose at any point in your career.

Occupational therapy assistants have opportunities to work in diverse settings which include; Hospitals, Skilled Nursing Facilities, Schools, Outpatient Adult or Pediatric Clinics, Community or Work Reintegration settings and more!

$67,010
* average salary of a Occupational Therapy Assistant graduate

* U.S. Bureau of Labor & Statistics

Program Highlights

Our B.S. in Occupational Therapy Assistant program is intended to meet the need in New Jersey for increasing healthcare demands and to have more advanced OTA clinicians working in the community.

• • The B.S. OTA program is a 5-semester program beyond the pre-professional coursework
  • Our program maintains an excellent reputation with our community partners
  • Our program trains students to address needs of underserved populations in community-based settings
  • This program meets In-Person.  Classes are offered on the Busch Campus in Piscataway– Semester schedules vary but may include both daytime and nighttime classes each semester.
  • To find information about Rutgers access and disability resources, please visit: https://radr.rutgers.edu/

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Level I and II Fieldwork

Embedded Level I fieldwork experiences are integrated into various courses throughout the curriculum. All students must complete at least 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork education prior to graduation, which is typically completed 5 days per week. Level II Fieldwork is completed during the last semester of the program and may extend into the summer semester.

The OTA graduate practices as a dynamic and inter-professional team member, working under the supervision of an occupational therapist, within health care, educational, and other community systems.

Graduates of an ACOTE-accredited program are eligible to sit for the national certification examination 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, most states including New Jersey require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.

For program inquiries, contact Program Director Liz Abadiotakis

To become a fieldwork educator, contact Fieldwork Coordinator Tiffany Benaroya

Accreditation
The B.S. OTA program is seeking full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at

ACOTE
7501 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 510E
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org.

State Authorization and Professional Licensing Disclosure
The Rutgers School of Health Professions Associate of Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant meets the professional licensing requirements of the following states: AL, AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY, PR

Before applying, students must ensure they have satisfied 60 credits of preprofessional coursework. If they haven’t, students should contact an advisor to guide them in courses that must be taken.

Please complete the OTACAS application online. You will be required to submit the following into the CAS system:

Applicants must provide documentation of enrollment in all remaining courses to ensure this coursework is complete prior to the start of fall classes at Rutgers.

Applicant transcript must document that courses in Developmental Psychology/Lifespan and Human Anatomy and Physiology have been completed within the past five years. Anatomy and Physiology I and II must be completed at the same college or university to ensure all material is covered in a comprehensive and sequential manner.

Alternatively, applicants may submit a request to waive the five-year requirement by providing documentation that knowledge from Human Anatomy and Physiology and/or Developmental Psychology/Lifespan has been used in an employment situation during the past five years. This documentation will be reviewed and considered by the Admissions Committee for the OTA Program.

This documentation must include: Job description with narrative statement describing how knowledge from coursework was used in employment setting and letter of recommendation from a person of authority at the work agency which includes reference to job functions where this knowledge was applied.

1. Applicant must submit two OTA Applicant Recommendation Forms. One must be from an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant where the observation hours were completed (see below), and the second from the applicant’s choice of individuals who can provide written evidence of professional behaviors and personal attributes (non-relative). Additional recommendation forms should only be completed if observation hours were completed with different occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants. OTA Applicant Recommendation Form.
2. Applicant must complete and submit documentation of a minimum of 20 hours of observation of occupational therapy services provided by a licensed occupational therapist or a licensed occupational therapy assistant. These required observation hours must be documented on the OTA Applicant Recommendation Form which requires all sections to be completed and signed by the licensed occupational therapist or a licensed occupational therapy assistant.
3. Applicant must write and submit a personal essay response to the provided question. (1 single spaced page or 2 double spaced pages).
4. All supporting documents must be submitted into the OTACAS portal as part of the admission process.
5. Selected applicants must participate in an on-site interview with the OTA Program Admission Committee. Individuals may also be asked to participate in a group activity as part of the interview process. Applicants will be notified of the interview process after applications have been reviewed.

*Applicants who did not attend secondary school in the US or have not completed a sufficient number of college level English courses are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Acceptable scores for TOEFL are as follows: 550 and above for paper based test and 79 for Internet based test. All results must be forwarded directly to SHPR from the testing agency.

Please note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.  An individual who is considering entering an OT educational program or who has already entered an OT educational program can have his or her background reviewed by requesting an Early Determination Review. The fee for this review is $100.00.

For information on candidate code of conduct, character, and early review contact:

Credentialing Services at NBCOT
12 S. Summit Avenue, Suite 100
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
(301) 990-7979
character.review@nbcot.org
www.nbcot.org

The professional coursework supports the program’s mission and emphasizes human occupation and adaptation, the process of becoming an OT professional and the required competencies and contextual influences on OT practice.

Embedded Level I fieldwork experiences are integrated into various courses throughout the curriculum. All students must complete at least 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork education prior to graduation, which is typically completed 5 days per week. Level II Fieldwork is completed during the last semester of the program and may extend into the summer semester.

Professional Curriculum Taken at Rutgers

The 60-credit professional curriculum is offered on the Busch Campus in Piscataway and includes off-site supervised fieldwork education provided by our clinical partners in healthcare, educational, and other community settings. The curriculum sequence includes four semesters of didactic coursework and a final semester of full time Level II Fieldwork education.