What degree do you need for an occupational therapy assistant?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

You need an associate's degree to be an occupational therapy assistant. Occupational therapy assistants need an associate's degree from an accredited occupational therapy assistant program. All states regulate the practice of occupational therapy assistants.

Most of these programs last about two years and cover the following subjects:

Anatomy
Psychology
Physiology
Medical terminology
Physical and rehabilitation therapy

Becoming a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) through the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) will allow you to work just about anywhere in the United States, as it's considered the gold-standard certification for OTAs.

The NBCOT exam contains 200 multiple-choice questions over a maximum of four hours of testing time, though you should expect to be at the testing center for a little over five hours to account for necessary administrative steps before and after the exam.

Exam scores range from 300 to 600, and 450 or higher is a passing score. It takes about five hours to complete the exam, which includes questions on subjects like:

Developing a client-centered intervention plan
Implementing evidence-based interventions
Maintaining high professional standards as an occupational therapy assistant

After passing the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy exam, you can apply for an occupational therapy assistant license in your state. Each state requires you to pass the national exam and meet other requirements. These requirements vary depending on the state in which you plan to practice.