HELENA — Helena College is preparing to welcome the first class of students into a new Occupational Therapy Assistant program, creating an in-state training option for a health care field college leaders say is in high demand across Montana.
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The college began exploring the program in 2021 as it looked for opportunities to expand its health care training programs and respond to workforce needs identified across the state.
“We have one of the lowest concentrations of OTA’s in the country, so there is a high demand for OT assistants,” Helena College OTA Program Director Michaela Parker said.
Occupational Therapy Assistants, commonly called OTAs, work alongside occupational therapists to provide skilled, hands-on treatment. Their work can help patients perform activities of daily living and live as independently as possible.
“They come up with the treatment plan in conjunction with their supervising OT, and then they carry out those treatment[s] to our patient,” Parker said. “They do the real hands-on work with our clients.”
To prepare students for that work, Helena College has built a new classroom and lab specifically for the program.
The space gives students opportunities to practice skills in simulated settings designed around different areas of occupational therapy, including pediatric, geriatric and orthopedic work.
For Helena native Rheanon McSwain, who is currently completing prerequisites and plans to apply for the program, that hands-on component is an important part of the training.
“Just being able to do these hands-on things is so important, especially in this field because it’s what you’re doing for your job and for your career,” McSwain said.
McSwain said occupational therapy also caught her attention because the work goes beyond a patient's physical needs, incorporating mental, emotional and cognitive factors.
“It’s tremendously needed, and knowing that this program can help build that is super important to me,” McSwain said.
For Helena College student Sean Colin, the program came along as he was looking to make a career change.
Colin previously worked with adults with intellectual disabilities, where he had the opportunity to see occupational therapy work firsthand.
“I had worked with intellectually disabled adults previously, and I had seen some of it, OT work, and I found that I was like, ‘Wow, this just seems so involved in a great way,’” Colin said.
The fact that he can now pursue that career without leaving Montana made the opportunity even more appealing.
“Montana feels like home for me right now. It would be difficult to leave,” Colin said. “Having that kind of job security around the state is promising.”
The program is designed as a four-semester cohort model, meaning students will enter as one class and progress through the program together. Helena College plans to accept up to 15 students into its first cohort.
For Parker, the larger goal is to create a local pipeline of trained OTAs who can take those skills into communities across Montana.
“By starting this Occupational Therapy Assistance program here, we’re expanding our options not just for our students, but our communities in need,” Parker said. “We want our students to graduate, go out into their communities, and help the people that have needed it for quite a long time.”
Applications for the program close Nov. 2, with the first day of classes scheduled for Jan. 13.
