The following is a list of essential functions that a student must be capable of performing while enrolled in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program.
Physical Motor Skills
A student must be able to:
- Sit in class for up to 7 hours per day.
- Safely bend, lift, twist, push, pull, and transfer up to 100 pounds to assist in moving a client from one surface to another.
- Assist with resistance of a client’s arm, trunk, or legs during activities of daily living.
- Move with adequate agility and speed to ensure client safety.
- Walk and balance well enough to assist clients walk and transfer with or without equipment, while preventing injury to client and self.
- Safely grasp and manipulate small objects and set dials on electrical equipment.
- Use equipment that emits electrical, ultrasonic, and thermal energy.
Observational and Sensory Skills
A student must be able to:
- Use visual, auditory, and tactile senses to observe clients and collect and interpret data.
- Read and interpret equipment dials, client charts, professional literature, and notes from clients/clients primary care giver, physicians, and other professionals.
- Respond to warning sounds, machine alarms, and calls for help.
Cognitive and Conceptual Skills
A student must be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to use proper English spelling, punctuation and grammar to document and explain procedures and to teach skills.
- Meet teaching-learning objectives, in order to, successfully complete each course.
- Think critically for sound clinical judgment in the delivery of occupational therapy services: plan implement, and synthesize appropriate client-centered interventions; problem solve to make adjustments in therapeutic interventions based on appropriate and inappropriate physiological and psychological responses by clients’ determine need for consultation with occupational therapist and other health care providers/team members.
Behavioral, Social, and Professional Conduct
A student must be able to:
- Recognize and respond appropriately to individuals of all ages, genders, and races, and from all socio-economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
- Function safely, effectively, and calmly under demanding and stressful situations.
- Remain alert to surroundings, potential emergencies; respond to client situations including falls, pain, changes in physical and/or mental status.
- Prioritize multiple tasks and maintain composure while managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
- Exhibit social skills necessary to interact effective with clients, families, supervisors, co-workers and community members of the same or different cultures with respect, compassion, politeness, tact, collaboration, teamwork, and discretion.
- Display attitudes and actions to effectively engage in the supervisory and teacher-student process including acceptance of feedback, modifying behavior in relation to the feedback and providing feedback in the classroom or practice environment.
- Recognize and respond appropriately to potentially hazardous situations.
- Demonstrate the physical and emotional capacity to work a 40+ hour week while on fieldwork II experience, with industry standard productivity standards.
- Behave in an ethically sound, competent, compassionate, and professional manner in the classroom and in the practice environment.
Additional standards may be provided at time of acceptance into program. Students who have concerns about the ability to perform any of these functions should contact the campus Coordinator of Disabilities Resources, Kendra Wolgast. Students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who cannot meet the standards with reasonable accommodations will receive career counseling, as acceptance into the OTA program would be inappropriate for employment for safety reasons.