Open House Event for the brand new Occupational Therapy Assistant program at our Worthington Campus
Minnesota West invites the community and businesses to explore our new state-of-the-art OTA lab. On December 7, from 3 pm-6 pm, we are hosting an open house at the Worthington Campus. Students and community members will be able to get a glimpse of what the program will offer, and what it is like to be a student in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program. Throughout the event, attendees will be able to explore the campus and the dedicated lab space and classrooms students will be learning in.
Meet our instructors, Anna Sandager, and Amber Garcia, and walk through the application process and requirements and learn more about the program. Earn your A.A.S. degree in as little as 5 semesters.
The OTA program will welcome its first class of students in May 2023. Followed up by the second cohort in August 2023. The deadline to apply for the August start date is January 15, 2023. Applications received after that date will be placed on a waitlist.
In September of 2022, our OTA program achieved candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Our faculty are working hard to ensure that a quality OTA program and career path is available for the Southwest Minnesota area. Employers in the area have supported the development of an OTA program, and this opportunity will provide the resources and knowledge for student success
To find out more about the program including the admissions information, visit our information page:
Our mission: "To provide students with the entry-level skills and service competencies to be professional, successful practitioners at providing individualized interventions across the lifespan."
Our Vision: "To broaden student knowledge and awareness of all individuals as occupational beings while enhancing the regional community’s access to excellent occupational therapy care."
The associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant 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). Students must complete 16 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 18 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.