Rockland Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program had a 100 percent pass rate for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam in 2020. In comparison, the national pass rate was 78 percent. The OTA program is a health science curriculum that prepares students to work in a variety of educational and health-related settings. Upon completion of their academics, students must take the national certification exam in order to practice as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. What makes this accomplishment even more significant is that despite the disruption during their clinical internships, and the immense challenges these students endured due to the pandemic, the sixteen RCC students who took the exam all successfully passed on the first attempt.
“We have always been very proud of our OTA Program,” says RCC President Dr. Michael Baston. “The recent 100% pass rate underscores the quality of the program, the commitment to quality teaching standards by our faculty, and the dedication and hard work of the students we serve.”
“We commend Donna Knoebel, Program Director for the OTA Program, and the faculty for this remarkable success,” says Dr. Kathy Hopkins, Dean for the School of Nursing, Health & Wellness. “This also reflects positively on the hard work and perseverance on the students’ part, especially during this challenging year.”
“Despite the disruptions of this past year during their clinical internships, and the immense challenges these students endured,” Knoebel says, “all students who took the exam successfully passed on the first attempt. One of them noted: ‘The program helped us develop the clinical judgement for us all to pass the NBCOT exam,’ and another student told me ‘I feel the program prepared us to tackle both the preparation and the execution of the exam with increased ease. It felt like a natural extension of our studies and testing.’ I am so proud of their success.”
The OTA Program offers entry into one of the fastest growing professions in the United States, a highly rewarding career whose professionals are in great demand. A virtual OTA information session is scheduled for Monday, April 5th at 4 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet OT faculty, learn about the OTA curriculum, program requirements and the application process. Registration must be done in advance at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmtOEFJrnQAZZBQWlAoLrJO2QqVCY9kIzzeZzhWmMXvxuXeg/viewform The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is 301-652-AOTA.
For those unable to attend the session but interested in pursuing an Occupational Therapy Assistant major at Rockland Community College, email rmezoff@sunyrockland.edu for further information and assistance.
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