Occupational therapy is a health discipline that provides services to people whose lives have been disrupted by physical injury, illness, and developmental, psychosocial, or aging-related problems. Occupational in this sense does not necessarily refer to a persons employment. Instead, it means therapy that enables a person to gain the function necessary to perform day-to-day work, self-care and leisure activities as related to ones roles. Occupational therapy assistants are often part of a health team that not only includes an occupational therapist but may also include physicians, nurses, social workers, teachers, physical therapists and other specialists. Besides preparing to become occupational therapy assistants, students in this program learn many skills that will serve in other helping careers. Occupational therapy assistants are employed at public schools, long-term care centers, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and geriatric day centers to name a few. Assistants work under the supervision and consultation of an occupational therapist to provide patient treatments. They also provide assistance with patient assessments. The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. AOTAs phone number is (301) 652-AOTA. Graduates of the program will be able to sit for the national certification examination for occupational therapy assistants administered by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) located at 12 S. Summit Avenue, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. NBCOTs phone number is (301) 990-7979. After successful completion of this examination, the graduate will be a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). Washington State requires licensure in order to practice. Felony convictions may affect a graduate's ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination and attain state licensure. NBCOT offers an Early Determination Review to individuals who (1) have been charged with or convicted of felony, (2) have had any professional license, registration or certification revoked, suspended or subject to probationary conditions by a regulatory authority or certification board, and/or (3) have been found by any court, administrative or disciplinary proceeding to have committed negligence, malpractice, recklessness or willful or i