School of Health & Community Services

Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physical Therapist Assistant (OTA/PTA)

Improving client health, movement and quality of life is the reward for a career as an Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physical Therapist Assistant (OTA/PTA). As an OTA/PTA, you will work under the direction of occupational therapists (OT) to help clients of all ages and health conditions successfully perform daily activities related to self-care, leisure, and work, school, or play. You will also work under the direction of physiotherapists (PT) to provide treatment that helps patients recover from illness or injury to increase mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or lessen physical limitations.

This two-year diploma program offers extensive classroom training and valuable practicum experiences with potential employers in hospitals, private clinics, home care settings, schools, and community programs. Through the use of games or crafts, group activities, exercises, assistive devices, and various electrotherapy and physical modalities, you’ll have opportunities to bring your compassion and creativity to a health care and rehabilitation team.

Offered on-site in Medicine Hat or online, the first nine courses are common to two different diplomas:

Occupational Therapist Assistant/Physical Therapist Assistant, and
Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant.

This unique approach provides you with an excellent core upon which to build more specific skills depending on your interests and pursue additional diploma completion or degree transfer opportunities.

Did you know?
Medicine Hat College's Therapist Assistant program was the first program in Western Canada to offer formal educational preparation for Occupational Therapist Assistants, Physical Therapist Assistants, and Speech-Language Pathologist Assistants and is a considered to be a leader and innovator in the field. Our faculty members continually partner with various provincial/national educators and professional groups in an effort to clarify and standardize the role of support personnel in rehabilitation service delivery. This kind of dedication, combined with a great curriculum and fieldwork opportunities, provides you with the background needed for a promising future.

High School Route

High school diploma with:
• ELA 30-1 (min. 60%)
• Biology 30 (min. 60%)
• Two 30-level subjects (min. 60%), one of which must be
a 30-level science or Math 30-1 or Math 30-2

Mature Student Route

ELA 30-1 (min. 60%)
Biology 30 (min. 60%)

Transfer Student Route

ELA 30-1 or a post-secondary level equivalent (min. 60%, or C)
Biology 30, a post-secondary level equivalent or a university level lab science
course postsecondary level equivalent or a university level lab science course (min.
60%, or C)

English Language Proficiency

Students also need to meet English Language Proficiency at a higher level than the general college. For the International English Language Proficiency System (IELTS) students must have an overall band score for 7.0 with no band score less than 7.0.

Pre-Program Requirements

Once successful in gaining admission and having received the program orientation package, students must:

Complete a standardized health form, program of immunization.
Provide a current Police Information Check with Vulnerable Sector Check. (Students are obligated to inform the Program Coordinator immediately of any change in the status of their criminal record.) A positive Police Information Check (PIC) may prevent fieldwork placements and, as a result, completion of the program.
Provide current Intervention Record Check (Alberta Residents only).

During the program, students must:

Provide proof of current CPR/AED Certification from one of the following:
- Heart & Stroke Foundation (BLS - Basic Life Support),
- Canadian Red Cross (HCP - Health Care Providers),
- St. John Ambulance (CPR for Health Care Providers)
Obtain an N-95 Mask Fit Test

First Year

Fall OS or Group 1 Online

IDST 100 - Introductory Communications for Helping Professionals
ENGL 1XX or 2XX* (ENGL 252 recommended)
KNES 261 - Human Anatomy
PSYC 2XX - (PSYC 201 recommended)
TAPC 110* - Introduction to Health Care and Rehabilitation

*ENGL 125 is offered online at MHC. Other English courses are not offered online at MHC but are available in an online format through other post-secondary institutions. Contact Academic Advising for more information.

Winter OS or Group 2 Online

KNES 265 - Functional Anatomy
Junior SOCI
TAPC 111 - Rehabilitation Process
TAPC 112 - Health Disorders & Conditions in Rehabilitation
TAPC 113 - Growth and Development for Rehabilitation Service Providers

Spring OS or Group 3 Online

OPTA 212 - Principles and Techniques of Client Contact

Second Year

Fall OS or Group 4 Online

OCTA 215 - OTA Therapeutic Processes I
OCTA 216 - OTA Therapeutic Processes II
PHTA 215 - PTA Therapeutic Processes I
PHTA 216 - PTA Therapeutic Processes II
TAPC 210 - Professional Integration for the Therapist Assistant

Winter OS or Group 5 Online

OCTA 217* - OTA Therapeutic Processes III
OPTA 217* - OTA/PTA Therapeutic Processes IV
TAPC 218 - Career Preparation for the Therapist Assistant
PHTA 217* - PTA Therapeutic Processes III

*These courses are fieldwork courses.

SEE COURSE DETAILS HERE

Graduates of this program will find employment opportunities with:

Health Regions/Hospitals
Rehabilitation Centres
Continuing Care Facilities
Schools
Community and Government Health Agencies
Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Fieldwork Requirements

All program requirements must be completed appropriately and satisfactorily prior to commencing fieldwork.
Students who have not successfully met their course and program requirements will not be permitted into the fieldwork courses.
Fieldwork arrangements are made by Medicine Hat College with consideration of student preferences; however, students may be required to complete fieldwork at sites other than those requested by students. Once arrangements are confirmed, they are usually not modified.
Students should expect to complete at least one fieldwork course/placement outside of Medicine Hat.
DL students may also be required to travel outside of their home area in order to complete their fieldwork requirements.
Students may anticipate additional costs associated with these placements, e.g., travel, accommodations, etc.
At this time, fieldwork placements occur only in Canada.
Fieldwork placements are usually full-time placements unless otherwise approved by the coordinator and fieldwork sites.

Continuation Specific to Fieldwork

Immunizations required must be up to date prior to program start date, shadowing and fieldwork placement(s).
Participation in all activities related to fieldwork is mandatory.
Immunizations must be maintained throughout the program.Additional immunizations may be required for fieldwork.
Students must successfully complete lab examinations in OCTA 215, OCTA 216, OPTA 212, PHTA 215, and PHTA 216 prior to entering fieldwork.
All fieldwork experience must meet attendance and participation requirements as specified.
Should a student receive an unsatisfactory evaluation on a fieldwork placement, they will be required to discuss this situation with Medicine Hat College faculty. This evaluation may result in having to repeat the placement.
Students that receive an unsatisfactory evaluation in more than one placement, will be required to withdraw from the program.
Students may be required to obtain a recent police information check and/or similar checks, at their expense, prior to entry into some fieldwork sites.
Should the students performance and/or health be question able in relation to the delivery of safe client care and/or the maintenance of the professional standards of the program,they may be asked to leave the fieldwork site and may not receive credit in the fieldwork course.

Additional Information

Program Accreditation

The Occupational/Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Medicine Hat College has been accredited by the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Education Accreditation Program (OTA & PTA EAP) in collaboration with Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (PEAC) and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT). The status of Accreditation was awarded to the program on April 30, 2022 for the period until April 30, 2028.

Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Education Accreditation Program
Suite 26, 509 Commissioners Road West
London, Ontario
N6J 1Y5
(226) 636-0632
www.otapta.ca

Prior Learning and Online Learning (OL)

Prior Learning

If you have been employed in the field prior to entering this program, you may be eligible for prior learning assessment. Please contact the Coordinator for further information.

Online Learning (OL)

If you are enrolled in the online delivery, you are expected to participate in experiential learning opportunities that are group or individually based. You should be prepared to travel to Medicine Hat College for lab workshops in OPTA 212, OCTA 215, OCTA 216, PHTA 215, and PHTA 216.
You must normally complete all courses in each group prior to beginning courses in subsequent groups. Programs completed otherwise will require submission of Prerequisite Waiver forms.
Tuition and other fees are charged on a course by course basis; textbooks and supplies are additional.