A.A.S. in Occupational Therapy Assistant

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Policies:

1. Students are expected to attend all class sessions. No more than three absences are allowed without risk of failing a major course. Documentation may be requested by the Program Director for any absence/s. Absence on a weekend lab day counts as 3 class absences.
2. Professional behavior is expected at all times in both the classroom and the clinical placement settings. The program Director and the faculty will address any demonstration of unprofessional behavior. 
3. Students must earn a grade of C or better in all general education Prerequisite courses.
4. Any student who receives a grade of C- or below in any prerequisite general education course will be required to repeat the course.
5. Students must receive a B or better in all OTA core courses. Students who receive less than a grade of B are required to repeat the course. OTA core courses may only be repeated once.
6. Any student who receives a grade below B in two or more OTA core courses or if the student’s GPA, within the OTA major, fails below 2.75, the student may be dismissed from the program after a faculty review.
7. Students must take all courses in the sequence according to the curriculum design of the program.
8. If a student must repeat a course for any reason, they must wait to do so until the course is offered the following academic year. A grade of F in any occupational therapy assistant course may be grounds for dismissal. The faculty will discuss the situation and the Program Director will make the final decision regarding whether dismissal from the program is warranted. These situations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and would require appropriate documentation (medical, legal, etc.)
9. Students who receive a rating of “Unsatisfactory” in any category in any Fieldwork I Experience will have their records reviewed by the Program Director and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator. The student will then be discussed with the faculty who will decide if the student may repeat the experience, or if the student will be permitted to repeat the entire major module course. In either case, the student will receive an educational plan that is designed by the faculty that addresses the student’s particular issues.
10. Students may not take any Fieldwork II experiences until they have successfully completed all Fieldwork I experiences.
11. Should a student fail a Fieldwork II experience, the faculty will discuss the reasons for the failure and a decision will be made as to whether the student will be given an opportunity to repeat the fieldwork experience. Reasons for the decision will be shared with the student during a face-to-face or telephone meeting with the Program Director and the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator. An “Educational Contract” for the repeated FW II assignment will be created by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and signed by the student and also by the Program Director prior to the student repeating the failed experience. Failure to uphold the specifications of the educational contract will result in failure of the repeated fieldwork placement and an automatic dismissal from the program. The student must register and pay tuition for any repeated Fieldwork course (OCTR 209 or OCTR 210).
12. Failure in any two Fieldwork experiences, Fieldwork I or II, may result in dismissal from the program.
13. During clinical fieldwork experiences, student work schedules may not interfere with the hours they spend at the fieldwork site.
14. National boards exam preparation: Students must attend all scheduled mandatory exam preparatory activities and class meetings during OCTR 209 Occupational Therapy Practice for the Assistant: Advanced Clinical Education I, OCTR 210 Occupational Therapy Practice for the Assistant: Advanced Clinical Education II and OCTR 214 Occupational Therapy Practice for the Assistant: Adulthood and Maturity. Students will review and practice certification exam style questions in preparation for their licensing exam with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT). FW Level II grades will be released only if students attend both mandatory sessions and any other preparatory events that are scheduled by the program.