The Associate in Applied Science Degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant is offered at four community colleges through Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market. Five students are admitted from each college for an entering total of twenty. Admitted students take general education courses on their own campuses and OTA courses together in a central laboratory. After classes and fieldwork internship are completed, they graduate at their entering college.

The OTA courses have both lecture and hands-on laboratory components. Portions of the lecture section of several OTA courses are web-based. During the program, students will develop entry-level competencies necessary to provide services to persons of all ages who have functional loss due to physical, neurological, social/emotional, cognitive, or developmental disabilities.

The profession tailors rehabilitation individually for each client. Through evaluation and treatment, it seeks to restore or improve function in occupational performance. Treatment is provided within the context of the client's life environments and relationships. Occupation may be defined as the ordinary things people do each day to work, to play, and to take care of themselves. Occupational therapy is based on the idea that our personal identity and feeling of value is closely tied to what we are able to do. We all choose many "occupational" roles that are important to us and make us excited to engage in life. When our function becomes impaired, we may lose both our independence and sense of self-worth.

The practice of OT utilizes the therapeutic use of purposeful and meaningful occupations in treatment, as well as focusing on these occupations as the goal of treatment. OT intervention may include restoration of performance abilities; instruction in compensatory techniques; adaptation of tasks, processes, or environments; disability prevention techniques; and health promotion strategies. Occupational therapy assistants, under the supervision of an occupational therapist, will directly work with persons to achieve a maximum level of independent living by developing the capacities that remain after disease, accident, or other disability.

OT serves a diverse population in a wide variety of settings such as hospitals; clinics; facilities for rehabilitation, extended, and long-term care; sheltered workshops; schools; camps; private homes; physician's offices; community programs; and private practice.

Admission Requirements:
1. Graduate from an approved high school or demonstrate equivalent competency (G.E.D. examination).
2. Complete general admission procedures for Shawnee Community College.
3. By March 1st, file the following OTA application information with Dee Blakely, Director of Admissions at Shawnee Community College: a) Completed OTA application form b) Health Occupations Aptitude Test results c) Official transcripts of previous college experience.
4. Achieve competitive level of a composite selection score for the college. The five top-scoring applicants are awarded admission. This score is based upon the Health Occupations Aptitude Examination - Revised test results and weighted grades for previous college coursework taken within, or transferring to, the Occupational Therapy Assistant required curriculum.
5. Upon notification and acceptance of admission, complete a criminal history background check, drug screen, a successful physical examination, required vaccination/immunization series, and 16 hours of job shadowing prior to the beginning of coursework.

Accreditation Status:
The SICCM Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, PO Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. ACOTE's phone number is c/o AOTA 301-652-AOTA. Program graduates will qualify to sit for the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT) national certification examination. This computer-delivered examination will be delivered on-demand, after determining eligibility. Successful completion of this exam confers the title of Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Illinois and most states additionally require licensure to practice, usually basing this on the NBCOT exam results. A felony conviction may adversely affect ability to sit for the NBCOT exam and/or attain state licensure.