Felician University is now accepting students into an Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, after being granted candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

Felician University is a leader in teaching future educators in the Nursing and Education Professions, and with the new program is poised to become an Institution of Higher Learning also teaching Occupational Therapy skills.

Program Director Kelly Garcia, MOT, OTRL/L says occupational therapists work with clients of all ages, diagnosis, and abilities, and after an evaluation develop a treatment plan to maximize their independence in areas which have become compromised. Kelly goes on to explain, “This might entail modifying how the client performs the task, modifying the environment, or the task itself.”
Many think of an Occupational Therapist as the healthcare professional one sees following a car, work, or sports accident, but Director Kelly says it could also, “be a congenital disability, something that’s acquired, or something that is a result of sickness,” that brings one to OT, the goal of which is “to help a person recover so they can maintain the activities that bring meaning to their lives.”

An Occupational Therapist Assistant is an important and meaningful part of the healthcare world and according to Director Kelly “they’re the ones that get to go in and work with the patient, they develop that rapport with the patient, they see them day in and day out and experience the ups and the downs with them and it’s just an amazing experience.”

Most importantly for many students and their families, the job market for Occupational Therapy Assistants in New Jersey is strong. The profession is predicted to have 31% growth in the next eight years, and the average starting salary for an occupational therapy assistant in this area is $69,000. Students can complete their degree at Felician in only 18 months.

Director Kelly says she developed the Occupational Assistant Program to match the Franciscan Values of Felician University, “so our curricular themes are competence, compassion, character, respect, diversity, and social learning.” Those concepts are threaded throughout the entire curriculum including a student’s service-learning project where she says, “you will find those core values and the ethical principles in healthcare that set us apart.’’

# # #

About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com.