Requirements

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program begins every year in the Fall and requires all day attendance Monday through Friday. All prospective students are required to meet the admission criteria. A felony conviction may affect one or more of the following:

1. A graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination.
2. A student's ability to complete curriculum requirements.
3. A graduate's ability to attain state licensure.

The OTA Program will begin taking applications beginning on the second Monday in January. Application packets may be mailed or hand-delivered. Completed application packets must be received in the OTA Program Director’s office by 4:00 p.m. on the second Monday in June. The OTA Department Office is located in the I.B. Hand Business Building, Room #210.

Applications can be mailed to:

Occupational Therapy Assistant Program
Weatherford College
225 College Park Rd.
Weatherford, TX 76086

All materials must be included with your application. DO NOT submit materials separately.

For more information about the application process, please call the OTA Program Director, Mike McGough, 817-598-8989.

Application requirements include the following:

• Submit Weatherford College application by visiting www.wc.edu.
   
• Select the following tabs: Admissions -> How to Apply -> New Student Checklist.
   
• Evidence of successful completion of the Texas Success Initiative or evidence of being exempt.
   
• Submit the Health & Human Sciences OTA application with official transcripts from all colleges attended to Michael B. McGough, OTR located in the I.B. Hand Building, Suite 210 or email to mmcgough@wc.edu . If you attended Weatherford College, you will not need to request official copies of your transcripts, we will be able to access those for you on request.
   
• Completion of all prerequisite courses with a C or better prior to the first day of class.
   
• The prerequisite Anatomy & Physiology course must have been taken within the last five years prior to admission. However, the five-year stipulation may be waived if the applicant passes the National League of Nursing A&P Examination. Applicants may contact the OTA office for more information on scheduling this exam.
   
• Submit Proof of at least the first Hepatitis B Vaccine (three dose series), or a positive Hepatitis B titer, or Dept. of State Health Services waiver. The applicant must complete their Hepatitis B series and submit proof of the series to the OTA office, located at the OTA Office, Business Bldg, Room 210, on the Weatherford College campus. This is a 4-6 month process and must be completed prior to the first day of class. Please refer to Immunization and Criminal History Procedure at www.wc.edu. Prospective Students Academic/Programs Health Professions. Failure to meet the application requirements may result in denial of application. 
   
• Due to clinical situations resulting from COVID19, observation hours required for application to the Weatherford College OTA program have been modified as follows:
  
  
  • Applicants will locate 2 online videos pertaining to occupational therapy and submit a typed, one-page summary of each. Summaries should reflect highlights of what the applicant considered most important. Summaries should also reflect why the applicant selected these particular videos. Applicants should include these summaries with their OTA application packet.
     
  • It is also recommended that all applicants review information at www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Considering-OT-Career.aspx. 
     
  • Applicants will be required to interview with the Program Director and a team of faculty prior to acceptance into the OTA Program.
     
  • Weatherford College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered on the basis of qualifications without regard to gender, age, race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, or the presence of a non-job-related disability or any other legally protected status.

Once selected for admission to the program, the student must complete the following:

• Complete a criminal background check
   
• Attend the mandatory program orientation
   
• Complete a 10-panel urine drug screen
   
• Submit proof of a current TB screen test, various titers, and immunizations
   
• Submit proof of major medical health insurance
   
• Complete a functional back screen (completed by a physician or physical therapist of your choice)
   
• Attend training and acquire AHA Health Care Provider CPR card
   
• Complete the remaining Hepatitis B Shots prior to beginning the first fieldwork experience.

Failure to meet any application requirements will result in denial of application. Failure to maintain shots as required will prevent the student from proceeding with clinical assignments and may result in dismissal from the program.

Information and specifics on obtaining the above criteria will be available to the student upon acceptance to the program. Start-up costs for immunizations, titers, urine drug screen, CPR, back/spine screen, and health insurance varies but could run as much as $400. Criminal history/background check is $24.95.

Program Restrictions

Please refer to the Occupational Therapy Assistant program student handbook. The DFW hospital council has also published certain restrictions applying to students in clinical sites.

English Proficiency Requirements

Before being accepted into the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program an applicant whose native language* is not English must submit an acceptable score on the TOEFL iBT. Additional information may be obtained from the OTA Department.

*A native language is a language that is acquired naturally during childhood & is usually spoken at home, as opposed to a language that is learned later in life, for example, as a part of a person's formal education.