Accreditation

The associate-degree-level 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 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Hawkeye Community College Accreditation
National Certification Examination
All states require licensure in order to practice. State licensure is usually based on the results of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Certification Examination.
Successful completion of this program qualifies the student to test for license/certification in the state of Iowa.
Graduates who successfully pass the National Board Certification for Occupational Therapy and have their scores immediately sent to designated states are able to practice once the individual state’s licensure criteria is met. Graduates who have been practicing and plan to move to a different state need to review that state’s occupational therapy practice acts. As a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) you have access to the OTA licensure requirements by state.
See our State Licensure Google Sheet to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Occupational Therapy Assistant program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.
Also see the American Occupational Therapy Association Career Licensure for more information about state licensure.
Licensure and Certification Disclosure
National Certification Examination
Graduation Year |
Students
Entering/Graduating |
Graduation Rate |
Number of First-Time Test Takers |
Percentage of First-Time Test Takers
Who Passed the Exam |
2018 |
18/15 |
83% |
14 |
93% |
2019 |
17/15 |
88% |
9 |
60% |
2020 |
16/13 |
81% |
11 |
100% |
2021* |
8/4 |
50% |
4 |
100% |
2022 |
12/7 |
58.33% |
7 |
86% |
Total |
71/54 |
71.12% |
44 |
88% |
* COVID-19 Pandemic
Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Mission
The mission of the Occupational Therapy Assistant program is to prepare qualified healthcare practitioners to work in collaboration with others for a better community and inspire lifelong learning.
Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Mission in Alignment with the Hawkeye Community College Mission
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program mission mirrors that of the College in stressing the importance “empowering students and enriching communities” (Hawkeye Community College, 2021) and “improving the communities we serve” (Hawkeye Community College, 2021). As occupational therapy practitioners, Occupational Therapy Assistant program graduates will learn the value of continual skill improvement and the importance of continued expansion of their treatment techniques and strategies. Investigation of global-wide solutions to impairment of occupational performance will be explored in multiple didactic courses and fieldwork experiences, furthering students’ readiness for providing occupational therapy services to diverse populations within the communities they live.