Occupational Therapy Assistant, A.A.S.

Jennifer Fernandes, A.A.S, B.S., M.B.A., C.O.T.A./L, Associate Program Director
(914) 674-7831
jfernandes5@mercy.edu

Associate in Applied Science

ACOTE’s Disclosure Statement regarding Probationary Accreditation Action: 

The occupational therapy assistant program at Mercy University, Dobbs Ferry, New York, was placed on Probationary Accreditation effective April 6, 2025, because the area of noncompliance related to 2018 Standard A.6.4. Certification Exam Pass Rate is so serious that the program’s capability to provide acceptable education experience for the students is threatened.  

The program has been requested to submit a Progress Report to return the program to full compliance with the Standards within the mandated time period for correction. 

The Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Mercy University has been granted a status of Probation Accreditation-Inactive 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. This status indicates that the program is not currently enrolling new students and does not plan to enroll new students in the future. While the program is on Accreditation-Inactive status, the graduates of the program remain 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 recognized as 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. Please note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). ACOTE contact information is: ACOTE, c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD  20814. The phone number is 301-652-2862. ACOTE’s website is www.acoteonline.org and email is accred@aota.org. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national certification examination of the occupational therapy assistant administered by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). NBCOT offices are located at One Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. The phone number is: 301-990-7979, the email address is info@nbcot.org, and their website is https://www.nbcot.org/

After this exam, the individual will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, (COTA). Passing the NBCOT examination is currently required in order to obtain a license and practice as an Occupational Therapy Assistant in most states (including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). Please refer to each state’s “Practice Acts” for a particular state’s licensure requirement.

NOTE: A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

NOTE: Students must be in good academic standing with a grade point average of 2.75 or higher in all major courses (all those courses that begin with OCTR) in order to advance to the full-time advanced clinical component of the program. All Occupational Therapy Assistant students are required to complete all Level II Fieldwork within 18 months following completion of academic coursework.  All required coursework and fieldwork must be completed within five years from the initiation of coursework in the major concentration of occupational therapy.