Indiana Wesleyan University is pleased to announce that their associate degree level occupational therapy assistant program, offered at IWU’s Greenwood Education Center, is now accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
This accreditation status means that students are prepared and qualified, upon graduation, to sit for the occupational therapy assistant exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
“This program, unlike other OTA programs, is designed to specifically provide serval touchpoints in which OTA students collaborate with and under the direction of the IWU doctorate occupational therapy students providing realistic experiences,” Julie Carson, OTA program director, said. “These experiences have primarily taken place on Zoom, due to COVID, but this has the added benefit of providing telehealth-like experience in a time when telehealth has expanded significantly.”
Not only have these students learned through this collaboration, but through partnerships with local organizations in the Greenwood and Indianapolis area. For example, students have participated in Tim Tebow’s Night to Shine, volunteered at Rock Steady Boxing, an organization dedicated to serving people with Parkinson’s through fitness curriculum, and assisted in hosting a health fair in Indianapolis.
IWU doctorate occupational therapy student, Karoline Hallett, gained memorable hands-on experience in the accreditation process. By assisting in the teaching, preparing students for their interview with ACOTE reviewers and creating a walk-through video of the OTA facilities for the ACOTE reviewers. She completed her residency with the OTA Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Sally NurseIWU started the accreditation process in 2019, spearheaded by a faculty team with over 100 years of combined OT experience. Now, the OTA students are working in the field, just months away from graduating in Dec. 2021.
Early admission for the next OTA cohort opens Nov. 15. Learn more about the program and admissions criteria at indwes.edu/OTA.