Frequently Asked Questions

Anticipated places of employment:

• Hospitals
• Home Health Agencies
• Mental Health Facilities
• Outpatient Clinics
• Pediatric Facilities
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Schools
• Skilled Nursing Facilities
• Community Agencies
• Inpatient Facilities

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) has approved Virginia Western Community College’s application to offer the OTA program. Pending accreditation candidacy approval from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), the program will accept its first cohort of students in the fall 2025 semester.

The Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant program will be five semesters which will include a summer semester. 

Yes, there will be a maximum number of students admitted each fall to the program. We plan to admit 24 students into the program each fall.

Applicants must meet the general admission requirements for the college. Cumulative grade point average (GPA) must be ≥ 2.50 by the end of Fall 2024 based on at least 12 credit hours of college credit or if less than 12 credit hours of college-high school GPA. If your GPA is not above a 2.55, you are encouraged to seek advising from the Health Professions Advising and Applications Office about how this will impact your eligibility and how to improve your GPA as early in the process as possible. You may also plan to contact your Program Advisor, if a current student at VWCC, Ms. Rhonda Perdue. If you are not a current VWCC student and has not attended VWCC, you may contact New Student Advising as well.

The preferred composite/total score on the TEAS is a minimum of 60%.

CLEP and AP exams may be transferred in as a general education course(s) per college policy, but results will not be utilized in a student’s GPA calculation.

When a student’s GPA is reviewed, there will be no rounding that occurs. The GPA that is reviewed will only include to the hundredth, no additional portions of the GPA will be considered. This policy aligns with the program policy of not rounding grades.

The following college level prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher by the end of the Spring 2025 semester:

• SDV 101 (Orientation to Health Professions – 2 cr.)
• BIO 141 (Human Anatomy & Physiology I – 4 cr. with lab)
• ENG 111 (English Composition I)
• PSY 230 (Developmental Psychology)

BIO 141 must be taken within the 5 years prior to the fall semester you are applying for. BIO 231 and BIO 232 with lab is an acceptable equivalent. Please note: the prerequisite for BIO 141 at VWCC is a recent college level Biology, (BIO 101 or NAS 2) successfully completed within the last three years. The prerequisite for either BIO 101 or NAS 2 is successful completion of MDE 10, previously successful completion of the math units 1-5 (within the last five years) or direct placement into college level math.

Please be sure and turn on your notifications in Navigate, as we will be communicating with you via Navigate to register for the TEAS. All communication regarding “next steps including the TEAS, will be sent to the email associated with your Navigate platform. In addition, please also turn on your notifications in Navigate as well.

Please complete this form and return to HPAAO. (PDF)

TEAS is the Test of Essential Academic Skills for Allied Health. The TEAS measures basic essential skills in the academic content areas of reading, mathematics, science and English and language usage. We are interested in all scores of the TEAS with the minimum preferred total score of 60.

TEAS testing is usually conducted mid-March. All qualified early applicants should receive additional details by early March regarding TEAS testing dates. Only qualified applicants, who meet the minimum criteria, will be tested during this time period.) All communication regarding the TEAS will occur with your email in Navigate and remember to turn on your notifications in Navigate.

An Occupational Therapy Assistant Admission Committee, which meets near the end of the spring semester, makes the admission decisions. Decisions are emailed to the applicants as soon as possible, usually during the 3rd full week of May.

Decisions are made based on a scoring rubric that takes into account GPA, course achievement, TEAS scores, and performance in an interview and essay. If two students have the same final admission score, the student with the higher score of GPA points from the rubric plus total TEAS points from the rubric will be ranked higher. If two students have the same rubric TEAS plus GPA total rubric points, the student with the higher college GPA will be ranked higher.

The core OTA (OCT) courses must be taken in sequence as outlined in the college catalog (including a summer semester). The core program coursework is only offered during the day. The program is considered a full-time day-time class and fieldwork (clinical) experiences may also occur during holidays.

Yes, the cost of clinical attire, background check and drug screen, health examination, vaccines, board examination fees and other costs will be associated with this program. Please review the Estimated Cost on the OTA website for additional details.

Virginia Western Community College faculty and students must comply with the policies required by fieldwork facilities with which we have legal agreements. If a student refuses to comply with a fieldwork facility immunization and vaccination requirement, Virginia Western Community College will attempt, but cannot guarantee, to assign a student to an alternative fieldwork facility. A student will be placed in an alternative location only if it meets the educational objectives of Virginia Western Community College and program requirements for fieldwork placement. Faculty also must be available to appropriately supervise students at the clinical facility. Refusal to comply with a fieldwork facility immunization and vaccination requirement by a student in our health programs may impede your progress in the program or your ability to remain in the program.

Medical marijuana (cannabis oil, CBD, THCA, or cannabis treatments and medications that utilize chemicals present in marijuana) is legal for holders of an MMJ card (Cannabis prescribed by a physician); however, medical marijuana use is prohibited at all fieldwork sites!

Note: It is the student’s responsibility to “clear” their urine drug screen. Marijuana remains part of the urine drug screen for clinical partners associated with the VWCC health professions programs. The presence of marijuana metabolites in urine will result in a “positive” drug screen finding that prevents a student from obtaining clinical placement and resulting in removal from the program. There are no exceptions to this rule as healthcare facilities have the right to ban the use of these drugs by hospital employees or fieldwork students.

Lab courses require a high level of touch. We simulate occupational therapy treatments and procedures while in class. We will practice and model principles of therapeutic touch, informed consent, and respectful behavior. Everyone is responsible for communicating questions or concerns about communication style, amount of touch required, given, or received during class from students and instructors. Students who have questions about their ability to practice and complete treatment simulations with fellow students or instructors have the responsibility to direct their concerns to instructors or Program Director at an appropriate time and location. In addition, touch of others will be required in fieldwork settings as well.

The CSC: Introduction to OTA consist of specific coursework that is designed to allow applicants to the OTA program to complete some of the courses required within the AAS and to also offer a job skill option to applicants in case of non-admittance to the program. Not all prerequisite and support classes are included in the CSC. The HLT 141, CST 100, HLT 105, & PHI 220 are not included in the CSC and the BIO 142 is not included in the Introduction to OTA-Pediatrics option. If you are using Financial Aid to cover the cost of classes, FA will not cover the cost of courses not included in the Introduction to OTA (either option). If you wish to complete those courses prior to entry, you need to plan to pay for those courses out of pocket. If you are accepted into the AAS Occupational Therapy Assistant program, at that time, FA will then cover those courses. The plan change for accepted students, to be placed into the AAS program from the CSC, typically occurs in late May or early June for the accepted students and is in effect for fall semester.

It allows applicants who may not be accepted into the AAS OTA program, to academically prepare students to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certification exam, if the EMS 111/120 course sequence is completed. Also, if you have a healthcare licensure/certification (such as CCMA, CNA, Phlebotomist, etc,) if you submit a copy of your current license to the Health Professions Advising and Applications Office, we can complete paperwork on your behalf to determine if Credit for Prior Learning can be awarded for one of the options under the job skill portion of the CSC: Introduction to Occupational Therapy Assistant. Please note the CSC: Introduction to OTA-Pediatrics does not have a job skill option as the CHD 120, 145, 205 are considered “job skill” for that option.

There is a team of advisors for the OTA program. In Fralin Room 214, Ms. Rhonda Perdue, Program Advisor, provides advising about applying and preparing for the OTA curriculum for continuing VWCC students. Rhonda Perdue can assist with career planning and course selections and may be able to assist with preliminary information.  You may schedule an advising appointment, if you are a VWCC student, using Navigate with Ms. Perdue.  If you are a new student, please schedule your first advising appointment with a New Student Advisor, using Navigate https://www.virginiawestern.edu/advising/new-student-advising/ (advising based on last name). In the Health Professions Advising and Applications Office, there are Ms. Jasmine Terry and Ms. Pam Woody, in Fralin Room 214. The Health Professions Advising and Applications Office (Woody or Terry) will process your file and determine current GPA, completes evaluation of previously completed course work and determines transfer of credit, and if the prerequisites are met. They will be available to advise you after your academic application file is complete (all official transcripts have been received and reviewed), at which time you will be emailed an “Advising Letter”. The advising form letter will give you important details about your prerequisites, career support classes, transfer of credit, and etc. ( Please note if you do not receive the Advising Letter, you will not be considered for the fall program as this indicates official document(s) are missing from your academic file in the Health Professions Advising and Applications Office. You need to verify receipt of all academic submissions if you do not receive the Advising Letter within four to five weeks upon submission of any application materials to Pam Woody in the Health Professions Advising and Applications Office. Exception is March through June prior to fall start due to program deadlines and acceptance occurring during those months.) For information on the application process, you may follow the checklist for application located under the “forms” section of each website. You are encouraged to return to the Forms website as in the future, there will be a presentation “Application and Program Overview” posted on the forms website of the OTA program website. Program policies and procedures are discussed in detail by the Program Director during the interview phase.

The program follows the college policy on non-discrimination that states “this College promotes and maintains educational opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupation qualification) veteran status or other non-merit factors.”

There is not a waiting list. All applicants who meet the deadline who are minimally qualified and complete the application process will be considered for the program each year. Applicants that wish to begin preparing for possible future consideration can submit the Occupational Therapy Assistant application form with a note attached informing us of your future goal. You will still have to provide official transcripts with the application if you desire advising from the advisor so proper courses can be suggested. If you are planning to take classes to meet prerequisite requirements or completing support courses prior to entry, you will benefit from advising and receive updates on changes to the curriculum (if any).

Yes! Upon successful completion of this program, graduates are required to take the national certification exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After notification of passing the national certification examination, the individual is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).

All states require licensure in order to practice, and state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Each state has its own criteria for granting licensure. Prospective students should be aware that in Virginia, and in many other states, completing a fingerprint and background check process may be part of the licensing process. If students have any concerns regarding possible findings on these reports, they may contact the  National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Virginia Board of Medicine, or the state regulatory body  in which the prospective student plans to work.”

In order to be licensed in the state of Virginia, applicants for licensure must:

• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be a graduate of a two-year college-level education program for occupational therapy assistants acceptable to the Board
• Satisfactorily pass an examination administered by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy
• Meet the requirements of a background check and fingerprint screening

Pending approval by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has assigned the College a December 16, 2024 Candidacy Application due date.  The College will be notified of the ACOTE Candidacy Decision in April 2025.  At this time students may be notified of acceptance into the program and the first class will begin in August 2025.