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Blog / Students March 12, 2025

ACC OTA Students Learn Hands-On Skills With West Coast University MSOT Cohort

March 12, 2025

In the world of occupational therapy, collaboration and hands-on learning are the building blocks for success, especially when it comes to working with children. Occupational Therapy Assistant students from American Career College-Orange County recently had the chance to dive into the world of pediatric therapy alongside graduate students, exploring the creative and interactive techniques used to support children’s development.

“We’re all just collaborating and working together to see what it’s like to be the therapist and the child,” ACC-Orange County OTA student Benita D. shared about spending the day with graduate students from West Coast University’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy cohort.

Through this immersive learning experience, students practiced activities such as prone swinging, focusing on head control and stability. The process started gently, with soft swinging motions, and gradually increased in intensity to mirror actual therapy sessions. As a result of these activities, these students gained practical skills and valuable insights into child occupational therapy.

“We have the same mindset, but we could also collaborate together with the same language and bring back bigger ideas with each other and go off by each other's interventions and kind of correct ourselves,” WCU MSOT student Kathy A. explained.

Group activities provided a wonderful opportunity for growth, as both cohorts shared similar goals and paths. This collaboration allowed them to build on one another’s knowledge and refine their skills. This environment of mutual learning encourages creativity and teamwork, which are essential for success in pediatric occupational therapy.

Mistakes are not just allowed — they’re encouraged as part of the process. These future clinicians learn to grow from challenges, preparing them to thrive in the field and make meaningful impacts in children’s lives.

“It’s OK to make the mistakes, but this is where they learn from it and then become really great clinicians when they’re on the field” ACC-OC OTA program director Vicky Vu shared.

As Vu pointed out, the program serves as a valuable pathway for OTA students, offering insightful learning experiences and collaborative opportunities with current MSOT students. These activities provide OTA students with a clearer understanding of the skills and knowledge needed to advance into the MSOT program.

“The OTA students can bridge over to the MSOT program, so this gives them actually an idea of what the OTR program looks like and where how they can pursue the MSOT program as well,” Vu said.

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