Healthcare

Occupational Therapy Assistant

Make a difference in your community by providing therapeutic modalities to your patients. Learn from seasoned instructors who actually work in the field.

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About The Program

With this 16-week diploma program, you will master numerous occupational therapy techniques catering to different types of clients. Given our small class sizes, you can receive the proper attention and guidance you need from our highly-skilled instructors. Even if you have other major priorities that you need to juggle, you can still take this program through evening and weekend courses.

Career Opportunities

Occupational Therapy Assistants administer rehabilitation treatments to patients under the direction of an Occupational Therapist. Work settings include hospitals, private rehabilitation clinics, rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, retirement homes, sports medicine clinics, community health care agencies, and other medical settings. Graduates of this program may also become certified as a Personal Training Specialist and pursue a career as a Personal Trainer providing one-on-one coaching or working in a fitness facility.

Some career and education options may require advanced degrees, further training or experience.

Employers Who Have Hired triOS Grads

Physiomed
Medrehab Group Inc.
Back to Normal Medical Centre
Total Care Management
Great Lakes Physiotherapy

Salary

100 %

Employment Rate*

$ 20

Average Wage/HR**

$ 28

High Wage/HR**

*Employment Rate based on 2021 contactable triOS graduates employed in a related field within 12 months.

Source: workingincanada.gc.ca

NOC Code: 3414 - **Wage data rounded down to the nearest dollar. Average wage doesn't reflect the starting salary but represents the middle value between lowest to highest wages. Local (or regional) income may vary. Last updated in Dec 2022.

Program Details

Is your goal to be able to work at various healthcare facilities? Do you want to help patients live a comfortable life? If you’re aiming to become a healthcare professional, then the Occupational Therapy Assistant program is just what you need to get started.

Learn therapeutic techniques for children, older individuals, and mental health patients; gain in-depth knowledge on communication disorders and group interventions. You will gain practical knowledge in the field to help you succeed in any given circumstance, while on the job.

The program also emphasizes the communication, interpersonal, and reflective practice skills required to become lifelong learners and effective members of the healthcare team.

Students enrolled in the program receive:

Education from occupational therapists who work in the field;
Free subscriptions to Microsoft Office and Windows.

Course Listings

Advanced Interpersonal and Communication Skills

This course is designed to give students the opportunity to practice the interpersonal and communication skills required to work effectively in a health care team. Through an experiential learning approach, students practice the following skills: leading teamwork, establishing team norms, setting team goals, resolving conflicts, building group cohesion, problem solving, and evaluating team performance. Engagement in and facilitation of effective verbal and nonverbal communication is explored.

Communication Disorders

This course provides students with an overview of major speech and language problems that can impair the rehabilitation client's ability to communicate effectively. Students learn strategies to improve interactions with clients with communication disorders, and are introduced to common assistive communication devices. The course also provides students with a basic understanding of swallowing and swallowing disorders.

OTA Therapeutic Techniques for Children

This course prepares students to enable engagement in meaningful activities of daily living with children and adolescents. Topics covered include typical and atypical development, developmental theories, diagnoses related to pediatrics, assessment tools, and interventions for children and adolescents regarding self-care, productivity and leisure. The concept of family-centred care is applied to the occupational therapy process. The role of the OTA in understanding and contributing to the occupational therapy plan, and in supporting the OT in service delivery is explored.

Group Intervention in Occupational Therapy

This course prepares students to assist in the design and delivery of group treatment programs in occupational therapy. Through interactive labs, students apply the principles of group intervention directly to their own experience, learn how to lead an occupational therapy group, and realize the potential benefits and challenges of group intervention. The stages of group development as well as various frames of reference related to group intervention are examined. Students also have the opportunity to write a group protocol for a client population of their choosing.

OTA Therapeutic Techniques in Mental Health

In this course, students build on previous coursework by focusing on therapeutic use of self, activity and environment, as it applies to working with clients with psychiatric disorders. Topics covered include diagnoses and medication related to mental illness, and interventions with clients regarding performance of daily activities, education, work, leisure, and social participation. Students develop the skills needed to perform activity analysis, and to describe and respond to mental health symptoms.

OTA Therapeutic Techniques for Older Adults

This course prepares students to enable engagement in occupation with older adults. Topics covered include health promotion, age related disease processes, cultural diversity, splinting, seating systems, wheelchair mobility, and working with caregivers. Students develop skills to address physical and cognitive challenges that impact daily function in older adults. The role of the OTA in safely and efficiently implementing assigned service components within the occupational therapy process is examined. Students also apply evidence-informed research to occupational therapy intervention.

Personal Fitness

This course will prepare students to develop personal fitness programs for low risk clients. Students will learn how to determine exercise risk and gather information on current fitness level. They will use this information to incorporate cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and stretching into a safe and effective exercise program.

Admission Requirements

High school graduation diploma, or Mature Student Status (for more information please refer to the Program Overview at the top of this page or speak to your Education Consultant)
Physiotherapy Assistant diploma from triOS College or PCC/College of Applied Arts and Technology

Career Quiz

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Success Stories

Going to triOS has been one of the best things I have ever done. It has helped me with my career so much. I graduated with distinction and got hired at my internship. Thank you to the fantastic teachers at triOS. If I can do it so can you!!

Judy R.

Graduate