Help improve people’s quality of life through rehabilitation programs supervised by Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Recreation Therapists. Learn how to set up body movement programs, explain treatment techniques and implement therapeutic leisure activities.

The Therapist Assistant Diploma will prepare the graduate to work as an Assistant to Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Recreational Therapists. It is a two-year diploma of full-time study including four semesters of coursework plus 18 weeks of practical experience in clinical settings.

Principles, theory and practice will be taught at the Assistant level in the disciplines of Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Recreation Therapy. Students will obtain an academic and practical foundation in the areas of health and rehabilitation science, and will take introductory-level university courses in English, Biology and Psychology. The Therapist Assistant Diploma curriculum is reflective of the growing and evolving scope of practice for Therapist Assistants. It has been developed in consultation with therapists, therapist assistants, and employers province-wide and is informed by national trends and provincial trends and competencies.

The Therapist Assistant Program at Okanagan 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, 2019 for the period until April 30, 2025.

Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Education Accreditation Program, www.otapta.ca.

Therapist Assistants work in a variety of settings from hospital practice to home and community care, long-term care and private practice where supervision from Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists and/or Recreation Therapists is provided.