Essential Functions of the Profession
In addition to educational and professional standards, Occupational Therapy Assistant students encounter physical, cognitive, communicative, and environmental factors in the classroom, internal and external labs, field trips, and fieldwork.
The federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) bans discrimination of persons with disabilities. In order to identify essential performance components, which may challenge the success of a student in becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant including participation in the academic activities of the classroom and fieldwork education, the student needs to carefully review the essential functions. Although the performance requirements may vary depending on the specific area of practice, the most common physical, cognitive, and communicative, and environmental requirements are listed here.
If a student is unable to perform a requirement as listed, the student should see the ADA coordinator to identify eligibility for accommodation(s) and the steps in obtaining accommodation(s). Eligibility for accommodation requires professional documentation.
SPEECH |
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| Communicate/Clarity | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
HEARING |
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| Conversation | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Telephone | Sometimes (1-30%) | ||||
SIGHT |
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| Natural or Corrected | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Depth Perception | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Color Vision | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
MOBILITY |
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| Lift, Push, or Pull 40 lbs. | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Lift, Push, or Pull 75 lbs. | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Standing | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Move about facility | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Bending | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Crawl, stoop, or crouch | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Kneeling | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Running | Sometimes (1-30%) | ||||
| Walking | Frequently (31-75%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
CLIMBING |
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| Stairs | Sometimes (1-30%) | Job Essential | |||
| Others | Sometimes (1-30%) | Job Essential | |||
JOINT MOBILITY |
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| Neck | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Arms/Hands | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Trunk/Pelvis | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
| Hips/Legs | Always (76-100%) | Daily | Job Essential | ||
REASONING |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Deal with abstract and concrete variables, define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. | Yes |
| Interpret instructions furnished in oral, written diagrammatic or schedule form. | Yes |
| Deal with problems in standard situations | Yes |
| Carry out detailed, simple-to-complex written or oral instructions | Yes |
MATHEMATICS |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Simple skills - add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole numbers and fractions, calculate time, simple measurements, percentages, and norms | Yes |
READING |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Complex skills - comprehend medical records, documents, evaluations, manuals, journals, instructions in use and maintenance of equipment, safety rules, and procedures | Yes |
WRITING |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Complex skills - Patient documentation using behavior objectives, technical terminology, and functional outcomes for reimbursement | Yes |
| Simple skills - complete English sentences with correct medical terminology for medical records documentation | Yes |
REPORTING |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Oral reports at team conferences, staffings, family conferences, and family/staff/caregiver education sessions | Yes |
PERCEPTION |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Spatial - ability to evaluate and treat visual perceptual skills in the areas of visual discrimination, figure-ground, spatial relations, position in space/form consistency, visual memory and visual sequential memory | Yes |
| Form - ability to perceive pertinent details in objects, models, or in pictorial or graphic material, and visual sequential memory | Yes |
CLERICAL |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Ability to perceive pertinent detail in verbal and tabular material; to observe differences in copy, to proof-read words and numbers, and to avoid perceptual errors in arithmetic | Yes |
DATA |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Synthesizing | Yes |
| Coordinating | Yes |
| Analyzing | Yes |
| Copying | Yes |
PERSONAL TRAITS |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Ability to comprehend and follow instructions | Yes |
| Ability to perform simple and repetitive tasks | Yes |
| Ability to maintain a direct care work load of average 6 hours/day | Yes |
| Ability to make generalizations, assessments, or decisions without immediate supervision | Yes |
| Ability to relate to other people, including diverse populations, beyond giving and receiving instructions | Yes |
| Ability to motivate people | Yes |
| Ability to perform complex and/or varied tasks | Yes |
| Ability to accept and carry out responsibility for direction, control, and planning | Yes |
| Ability to adapt approach to individual needs of clients | Yes |
| Ability to maintain poise and flexibility in stressful or changing conditions | Yes |
| Ability to conduct self in accordance with professional ethics | Yes |
| Manage time/rationale in efficient manner | Yes |
WORK |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Work outdoors | Yes |
| Work indoors | Yes |
| Exposure to extreme hot or cold temperatures | No |
| Work at unprotected heights | No |
| Be around moving machinery | Yes |
| Exposure to marked changes in temperature/humidity | No |
| Exposure to dust, fumes, gases, odors, mists, or other irritants | Yes |
| Exposure to excessive noise | No |
| Exposure to solvents, grease, or oils | Yes |
| Using computer monitor | No |
| Working with explosives | No |
| Exposure to vibration | No |
| Exposure to flames or directed heat | Yes |
| Work around others | Yes |
| Work with others | Yes |
| Exposure to slippery or uneven surfaces | Yes |
| Work in confined spaces | Yes |
TRAVEL |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| By car | Yes |
| By car in high traffic | No |
| By car for 6-hour days | No |
SAFETY EQUIPMENT (REQUIRED TO WEAR) |
Job Essential: Yes/No |
| Safety glasses | Yes |
| Face mask/face shield | Yes |
| Ear plugs | No |
| Hard hat | No |
| Protective clothing | Yes |
| Protective gloves | Yes |
| Exposure to blood and other body fluids, including potentially infective materials. | Yes |
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