Location
Start Dates

  • September 02, 2025
Duration

6Terms

Course Delivery

  • Face to Face - Synchronous
Tuition & Fees

Domestic: CAD $18,918
International: CAD $49,728

Domestic student admission for the Fall 2025 intake opens October 1, 2024. 

Program Description

The Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant diploma program prepares students to work in today's dynamic health care system. This program provides students with a strong occupational and physical therapy assistant background and incorporates essential assistant-level skills in therapeutic recreation and speech-language pathology. Extensive hands-on learning using equipment and technology in the lab combined with practicum placements prepare students to transition seamlessly into a discipline-specific or interdisciplinary role in rehabilitation.

This program includes 49 theory credits (735 hours), 11 lab credits (165 hours), and 19 practicum credits (840 hours).

Accreditation

The Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma Program at Bow Valley College has Candidacy Status and can now take the next step towards accreditation by the Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant Education Accreditation Program (OTAPTA). Having Candidacy Status does not mean that the Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma Program at Bow Valley College will be accredited once the process is finished, but the first step is complete.


Facilities

The Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant Diploma program has a designated lab to simulate rehabilitation practice in the areas of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and recreation therapy.

Work Integrated Learning

Learners will be required to travel to various locations to complete their Work Integrated Learning placements.  It is the learner’s responsibility to arrange travel to their clinical and/or practicum sites. Placements will take place within Calgary and surrounding areas including rural locations & areas across the province.  Every effort is made to accommodate learners for Work Integrated Learning placements within the program's duration, but in rare instances there may be a delay in program completion until a Work Integrated Learning placement can be arranged.

Learners are responsible for any costs associated with their placement such as parking, transit, or accommodation.

Work Integrated Learning placements may include day shifts, evening shifts, night shifts, and/or weekend shifts. Shifts are determined by the placement sites and not the College.

Pre- Clinical Requirements

  • A current Police Information Check (PIC) with a Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS) must be submitted prior to learner's first work integrated learning placement. Please look for information regarding submission deadlines. The PIC will be valid for the duration of the program, unless changes are required, in which case a new PIC will be required. PICs must be dated no earlier than ninety (90) days prior to the program submission date.
  • To facilitate learners, Work Integrated Learning placements with our external partners, Rubella vaccination is mandatory, and many sites require proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. Failure to provide evidence of vaccinations will delay program completion. All other immunizations are highly recommended. Up-to-date immunizations are valid for the duration of the program.
  • Learners are required to have current CPR certification and it must be renewed annually. Bow Valley College offers FACP9101: Basic Life Support CPR (Healthcare Provider Level) through Extended Education.
  • N95 mask fitting is required prior to the first Work Integrated Learning placement. Learners will be able to register for this course (SAFT9406: N95 Mask Fitting) through MyBVC once they have started their program.

If learners do not meet the requirements for Work Integrated Learning by the program’s submission deadline date, they will not be permitted to participate in Work Integrated Learning experiences for that term.

Course Listings Request More Information Applying FAQ
Domestic Applicants

Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402


Admission Requirements

Academic Requirements

English Proficiency Requirements

Applicants considering this program must be able to work variable shifts and weekends; be on their feet for extended periods of time; use their knees, back, and arms to move clients who have minimal body strength; and function effectively in stressful situations.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Program estimate cost, learners can refer to the Program Tuition Fee Chart or use the Cost Estimator. When budgeting, learners should consider learner association fees, textbooks, learning materials, required devices such as a laptop, software application fees, Police Information Checks, and required vaccinations as well as the cost of tuition.

Learner Success Services has Financial Aid Advisors  that learners can meet with for assistance with loans and grants, including applying for financial aid. There are also student loan information sessions offered regularly that can be signed up for.

Bow Valley College offers an extensive list of Scholarships & Bursaries that learners can apply for. A student Award Advisor member can meet with learners to discuss awards they may be eligible for and provide information on emergency bursaries in times of urgent financial need. The student awards include scholarships & bursaries open to the College in addition to school specific awards.

Course Listings Request More Information
Domestic Applicants

Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402

Course Listing


Full course outlines are available here.

Curriculum subject to change.

Term 1

Required CoursesCredit

This first-year composition course introduces learners to academic writing and critical thinking. They read and analyze sociopolitical, cultural, and gender issues in texts with an emphasis on experiences of people whose voices were historically silenced, particularly those of Indigenous communities in Canada. Learners develop strategies to communicate their own ideas and integrate them with those of others by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing source material. Learners present their written assignments professionally according to APA formatting guidelines.

Examine human anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and the relationship between the structure and function of body systems relevant to rehabilitation therapy.

Explore fundamental concepts and theories in interdisciplinary rehabilitation and the unique roles and common practices of occupational therapy, physical therapy, therapeutic recreation, and speech-language pathology. Analyze the role of the therapy assistant within the interdisciplinary team.

Develop skills required to collaborate as an effective member of an interdisciplinary health care team. Explore functional roles within teams, communication strategies, conflict management, and cultural competency. Adapt communication strategies to perform client interviews and develop effective therapeutic relationships in simulated clinical and interprofessional scenarios.

Apply the principles of therapeutic mobility within a rehabilitation context, including body mechanics, functional mobility, bed mobility, lifts and transfers, gait retraining, gait aid fitting, wheelchair operation, and seating mechanics. Complete documentation and reporting requirements.

Explore therapeutic recreation and models of care that guide service delivery. Discuss the Leisure Ability Model as a framework to service, with a focus on promoting client wellness through goal-oriented leisure activities.

Term 2

Required CoursesCredit

Examine essential concepts of functional anatomy including terminology, the movement of joints during various activities, and biomechanical principles.

Examine diagnosis, pathophysiology, and management of various disorders encountered in rehabilitation.

Explore fundamental concepts, theories, and frames of reference specific to occupational therapy and its unique approach to client care. Apply foundational knowledge in activities of daily living (ADL), posture, seating, supportive surfaces, wounds, pressure, splinting, and orthotics. Assist with the modification and management of ADL equipment, splints, and orthotics, and provide client education.

Examine the importance of infection control, limb-handling, and chest physical therapy techniques in rehabilitation. Acquire skills to position clients effectively to promote comfort and safety in simulated clinical scenarios.

Explore the fundamental concepts and theories related to therapeutic modalities. Apply various physical therapy modalities such as thermal therapy, cryotherapy, ultrasound, traction, and electrotherapy and provide client education in simulated clinical scenarios.

Term 3

Required CoursesCredit

Examine client dementia from diagnosis to end stage and explore creative and dynamic approaches to care.

Explore fundamental concepts and theories of therapeutic exercise including resistance, balance, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercises. Assist with the planning, implementation, and modification of therapeutic exercises for individuals and groups.

Conduct functional, range of motion, and strength assessments within a rehabilitation framework of evidence-based, client-centered management.

Term 4

Required CoursesCredit

Learners will apply knowledge and skills in a speech-language therapy setting while gaining experience in the role of the therapy assistant. Under the supervision of a speech-language pathologist, learners will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate competencies.

Analyze the stages of therapeutic program development, implementation, and evaluation for clients of a variety of life stages, cultures, and conditions. With focus on the therapy assistant's role in the therapeutic recreation process, apply best practices for selecting activities, engaging clients in active participation, and observing and documenting client response to a variety of programs.

Examine mental health, cognitive function, and related therapeutic interventions. Explore the role of the therapy assistant in mental health and cognitive care.

Term 5

Required CoursesCredit

Examine typical and atypical motor development and the foundations of pediatric care, hand therapy, and amputee rehabilitation. Focus on client-specific considerations and explore various pathological conditions and impairments to provide culturally-sensitive and trauma-informed care.

Analyze the speech and language pathology framework of practice and the role of the therapy assistant in supporting speech, language, and communication. Outline typical speech sound development and common sound and motor speech disorders and apply treatment strategies.

Analyze the speech and language pathology framework of practice and the role of the therapy assistant in supporting language and swallowing. Outline the sequence of typical language development and normal developmental milestones. Apply treatment strategies for developmental and acquired language disorders, and assist in preparing assessments and implementing dysphagia management techniques.

Learners will apply knowledge and skills in a therapeutic recreation setting while gaining experience in the role of the therapy assistant. Under the supervision of a recreation therapist, learners will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate competencies.

Learners will apply knowledge and skills in a speech-language therapy setting while gaining experience in the role of the therapy assistant. Under the supervision of an speech-language pathologist, learners will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate competencies.

Practicum

Required CourseCredit

Learners will apply knowledge and skills in a rehabilitation setting to gain experience in the role of the interdisciplinary therapy assistant. Under the supervision of an occupational and/or physical therapist or team of preceptors that also includes recreation therapists and/or speech-language pathologists, learners will be evaluated based on their ability to demonstrate competencies at entry-to-practice.

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