Occupational Therapy (OTD)

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Student Learning Outcomes for Occupational Therapy:

Students will be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to effectively collaborate with others (colleagues, professional contacts, clients, faculty, etc.).
Identify/ diagnose occupational performance and participation and construct plans to influence change and enhance occupational performance for individuals, populations, and organizations.
Engage in occupational therapy practice that integrates critical thinking, reflective practice, creativity, and ethical reasoning in the occupational therapy process.
Design and implement evaluations and interventions that are occupation-centered and theory-based, with entry-level competence.
Demonstrate ability to plan community programs, educate others, provide consultation, and provide care coordination/ case -management.
Contribute to the body of evidence that supports traditional and emerging occupational therapy practice and/or the understanding of human occupation.
Demonstrate leadership in the management and delivery of occupational therapy services, evaluation of program effectiveness, conflict management, and professional development.
Recognize opportunities for and demonstrate principles and skills related to advocacy.

The Doctorate in Occupational Therapy requires three years or 8 semesters (this includes two summer semesters/ sessions) of graduate academic study, six months of clinical Level II Fieldwork, one Capstone Experience with the requirements listed below. To begin coursework toward the doctorate program in occupational therapy, students must have successfully completed prerequisites including earning a GPA of 2.9 by the end of their junior year and earning a minimum of a C- in all required courses. Students will start to take graduate level courses in the senior year but will officially be registered into the doctorate degree only after completing the fourth year of the occupational therapy program and earning an undergraduate degree in Health Sciences.

Successful completion of the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy affords the student the opportunity to take the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Examination and to become licensed to practice occupational therapy as individual jurisdiction requires. Please note: a felony conviction may affect an individual’s qualification to take the NBCOT certification exam and/or obtain professional credentials.

The Doctorate in Occupational Therapy requires:

Additional requirements to attain the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy degree:

Maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00 throughout the graduate program. Achieve a minimum grade of C- in all graduate courses.

A student must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 to remain in good academic standing in Elizabethtown College graduate programs. Students who fail to maintain the minimum cumulative GPA at the end of any semester will be placed on academic probation. Students on academic probation will have one semester in which they are registered to return to good academic standing. Students who fail to meet the conditions of their academic probation can expect dismissal from the program.

Students who have withdrawn from the College must petition the graduate program for readmission. To be eligible for readmission, applicants must be in good standing and the academic program must have the capacity to accept additional students. Additional conditions of readmission may be imposed by the specific graduate program for which the applicant seeks readmission.

It is up to the discretion of the student’s major program to determine if undergraduate and graduate courses may be taken concurrently. Graduate courses may count toward undergraduate programs; however, undergraduate courses may not count toward graduate programs. Undergraduate program courses taken by graduate students to complete credit deficiencies are free elective credits only and do not fulfill any major requirements. Graduate courses may not be met via Challenge Tests.

Students must pass both Level I and Level II Fieldwork experiences. Only one Level II failure may be repeated; student withdrawals from Level II fieldwork will be reviewed by the program on a case-by-case basis and may be considered a failure based on the student’s fieldwork performance prior to the withdrawal. Students are required to complete 24 weeks of full-time fieldwork or its equivalent of Level II fieldwork within 18 months of completing graduate didactic coursework.

Students must successfully complete all required didactic coursework, all Level I Fieldwork experiences, and both Level II Fieldwork experiences before completing the Capstone Experience.

Accreditation

The Occupational Therapy program has maintained a fully-accredited status since 1976 by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The BS/MS Occupational Therapy degree program is fully accredited. The Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) has received Candidacy accreditation status. The organization can be contacted at ACOTE, c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Box 31220, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449; (phone) 301-652-2682; (fax) 301-652-1417; www.acoteonline.org.