People with developmental, physical, emotional and cognitive impairments depend on the therapy services provided by the certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA), therapy that helps improve function in daily living skills and quality of life. At Parkland, you’ll gain laboratory and clinical experience in providing treatment to restore function; modify environments, tools, and methods to access daily activities; provide prevention programs to reduce deterioration and/or re-injury and conduct lifestyle redesign. Take advantage of our program faculty’s extensive teaching and clinical experience, the strong community partnerships that support service learning and fieldwork education, and state-of-the-art laboratory/clinical space at Parkland College on Mattis.

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Occupational Therapy Assistant

APPLICATIONS STILL BEING ACCEPTED FOR FALL 2025 SEMESTER!

Where you’ll go:

Under the supervision of a registered occupational therapist (OTR), you will work with children and adults in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, schools, adult day care centers, mental health centers, community-based programs, and home health services. Additional experience and education may present you with opportunities to work as an assistive technology specialist, low vision specialist, driver rehabilitation specialist, or registered occupational therapist.

Click to compare the NBCOT exam pass rates with other programs.

Cost of attendance for Occupational Therapy Assistant Program.

Licensure and Certification

A history of felony conviction may limit clinical placement and license to practice. Contact the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation at 217/785-0800.

After completing the program, you will be eligible to take the certification exam given by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Education (NBCOT). A felony conviction may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
OTAs are required to be certified and licensed to practice in Illinois and most other states. A felony conviction may limit clinical placement, licensure and/or employment. Visit Illinois Dept. of Financial & Professional Regulation for more information.
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.

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