The Occupational Therapy Assistant program (OTA), made available at Chattanooga State Community College through a partnership with Roane State Community College, is composed of three semesters of academic readiness followed by one semester of full-time experience in the field. Every OTA student that is admitted will use distance education technologies to engage with the instructor, course content, and peers. Every student is required to travel weekly to the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State for face-to-face labs. 

“Occupational therapy assistants use intentional activities to help a person retain or reestablish their independence at the highest degree possible in pursuits that are personally worthwhile to them. Occupational therapy assistants are employed in a multitude of areas such as hospitals, outpatient centers, school systems, skilled nursing facilities, community programs, home health agencies, and mental health agencies,” officials said.

Students seeking admission through the East Tennessee Alliance must be a current or former student at Chattanooga State who have completed a minimum of least 12 hours at Chattanooga State before applying to the OTA program. Each year, up to 10 applicants will be granted admission to the program. All applications must be submitted by no later than March 31, 2019.

For further inquiries and information about the program’s admissions policies, visit Chattanooga State Nursing and Allied Health OTA webpage at https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/occupational-therapy-assistant or contact Jerri Kiser, Distance Education Academic Fieldwork coordinator, OTA East Alliance Program at jerri.kiser@chattanoogastate.edu.

The next available OTA Information Session will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, March 11, 2019, in the Health Science Center, room HSC-2088. No reservations are needed. 

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education.