Considering a career in healthcare? You may not have thought about the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant (OTA/PTA) program, just like Gabriela. Now, she finds herself in a highly fulfilling field.
Gabriela a soon-to-be graduate of the program, returned to school for the second time. When she first attended post-secondary, her goal was to become a doctor, specifically a pediatrician however, partway through her studies she realized, that path wasn’t for her.
However, what she did know, was that she wanted to work in healthcare.
A friend who attended Mohawk spoke highly of their personal experience, so she knew when she was ready to pursue something new, Mohawk was a great option. When the time came, she was prepared to apply to a different program in health but had spoken to an occupational therapist who expressed that the area was emerging and that there was a demand for more OTA/PTA’s.
She encourages everyone to explore and research programs because “I honestly had no idea what an OTA/PTA was until I looked on Mohawk’s [website] and I actually went in and changed my application to OTA/PTA and I’ve really enjoyed it.” After researching, she learned that, you’re dual trained which means you can work with both occupational therapists and physiotherapists, and in non-traditional roles such as research are career paths, and that the OTA/PTA at Mohawk College is an accredited program. “As I am beginning to job hunt, the jobs I am seeing are requiring graduation from an accredited OTA/PTA program.”
Classes in the first year are concrete and foundational but in the second year, it gets very specific and exciting, moving into topics such as mental health and specific conditions. She says "that’s where you can start to see and think where you could potentially start or be interested in working.”
Labs begin in the second semester where students work on each other, applying some of the theory learned in semester one. The third and fourth semesters are when students begin placements and when they get to apply what they’ve learned in a real-world environment.
Placements are found for students, taking interest, geographical location, and preferences into consideration.
Gabriela’s first placement was at Juravinski Hospital in the Musculoskeletal Oncology Rehabilitation Unit.
In her first placement, she was fully independent within 4 weeks, attending huddles and working with her preceptor on the plans for the patient and executing them through gym visits, engaging in the exercises with them, discussing plans with patients and encouraging them as much as possible within her scope of practice.
She says that her second placement at Ron Joyce Children's Health Centre in the Developmental Pediatrics and Rehabilitation Unit “is a big learning curve because [in our labs] we practice on each other, we don't get to have that pediatric experience.” In this setting, she gets to use the principles of the OTA/PTA program but incorporated within the pediatric school.
In her experience with her professors, she says “we have a mix of occupational therapists and physiotherapists who are our professors, so we are taught by both disciplines, and they love what they do, you can see that when they teach. You can see the knowledge, excitement, and passion for their profession. The program also invites graduates to speak on their career journey. This allows students to learn about pathways that grads have taken and know what opportunities exist in the industry.
There are also allied health job fairs held at the IAHS Campus that OTA/PTA students can attend to network and connect with employers to learn about employment opportunities.
On top of support within her program, Gabriela was able to take advantage of some great supports and services available at Mohawk.
She connected with her student success advisor who provided advice on program planning, academic status, and program pathways, to create a plan for success
She also took advantage of Career Services – using their resume and cover letter service which she found eye-opening. She worked one-on-one with a Mohawk College team member who went through job opportunities, discussed formatting, and how to edit the resume based on each job. She recommends everyone check out career services especially when you get close to graduation and are searching for jobs.
Ideal for those wanting some flexibility, the program is delivered in a hybrid model. Gabriela found this helpful to be able to work while in school and says that getting involved outside of your program is very important to finding community. Whether that be through Student Life, the MSA, volunteering, clubs, and more.
Gabriela explains “I think one of the reasons why I enjoyed [my overall student experience] was the fact that I also worked with Student Life on campus. I was able to get involved with different programming for students, so that allowed me to interact with people outside of my program, which is also very exciting.”
Outside of her program, she cites this as being one of the main contributors to her Mohawk experience being so fulfilling.
She says “I have really enjoyed my time as a Mohawk [Student] going back to school as someone who left a full-time permanent job.” Adding that if you’re not sure if the OTA/PTA program is right for you, it “could be what you’ve been looking for that you just didn’t know [about] it.
If you're interested in healthcare and specifically interested in helping those who are in transition and want to work closely with clients. [In this industry] we get to see that patient from beginning to end and I find that's one of the most rewarding things that you could experience.”
