When seeking a position in healthcare, students have a myriad of choices for which educational track to take.
Pre Med is often considered the gold standard, leading to med school and eventually an MD. But not everyone has the desire, ability or time to put in eight or more years to become a doctor.
There are many degrees that can provide an excellent career without the commitment of obtaining a doctorate, or even a bachelor’s degree. Among these are degree programs that lead to licensing as an occupational therapist assistant (OTA).
With degree programs that can be completed in as little as 20 months, OTA offers a career path that can in itself support your income needs and fulfill your career goals–or that can easily segue into a more advanced degree like becoming an occupational therapist.
But the ability to assist in an occupational therapy setting is just the beginning of the benefits to be gleaned from becoming an OTA. Graduates will additionally be better equipped to navigate the complexities of the healthcare system, finding opportunities to meet needs in a variety of practices and settings.
An OTA degree can be just the first step to a long and fulfilling career in healthcare.
In This Article:
Campus Resources: Learning to Navigate The Healthcare Employment Landscape
The process of earning an OTA degree will include lots of coursework and hands-on experience, but that is only the beginning of the learning that will take place during the degree program.
Wise students will take advantage of the knowledge of their professors regarding the past and current employment climate in the healthcare industry.
In addition, the student’s academic advisors will have access to recruiters and staffing professionals. They will be able to give timely insights into the demands and needs of the current workforce, regional and seasonal changes in employment prospects, and how to give a good impression to potential employers.
Course Work: Core Courses Provide a Foundation for Professionalism
While an OTA degree includes many courses that will specifically help with occupational therapy, they also include a core component of several classes that are broadly applicable to multiple healthcare career paths.
These typically include courses that will help with professional communication with other medical professionals, general courses in human anatomy and physiology and psychology, and medical terminology.
These courses are sometimes treated by students as unnecessary obstacles to their ultimate degree, but in fact they are vital to becoming truly professional in any healthcare setting.
Knowing the correct terminology for patient symptoms and typical treatment protocols will ensure that students will be able to effectively communicate with their future employers and coworkers.
These core courses will also provide a foundation of how other professionals will expect students to conduct themselves upon entry to the workforce. Learning the basics in these classes will help students to avoid rookie mistakes that can make them appear inept, possibly presenting a poor impression to staffing professionals during the hiring process.
COTA: An Entry Level Career Stepping Stone
Becoming a certified occupational therapy assistant is a great first step into the medical field. It can allow students to begin to earn money while continuing their education.
But beyond earning potential, OTA certification also gives a context for hands-on learning of medical professional practices. This can also be an excellent opportunity to build a reputation of dependability, while networking with multiple professionals in a variety of healthcare settings.
OTAs are in demand at physical therapy practices, hospitals, longterm care facilities. They may work in pediatric settings, geriatric settings, with injured patients or patients recovering from surgery.
This access to multiple patient demographics and settings also means possibilities of networking with a variety of medical professionals. This can lead to irreplaceable insights into needs for other certifications and lines of work that may improve the student’s career opportunities, making their skills better aligned with the needs of the local healthcare industry.
Become Certified as an Occupational Therapy Assistant To Kickstart Your Healthcare Career
As previously stated, occupational therapy assistants are needed in a variety of contexts. As a result, this is an amazing starting point for your medical career.
Enter an occupational therapy degree program and start the process of reaching your career goals. The result will be a valuable certification, a good entry level position, and exposure to multiple recruiters who will be impressed by your pursuit of excellence and dedication to helping patience.
Start your healthcare journey today to achieve a better tomorrow.
