Occupational Therapy, M.O.T.

Program Description Policies Mental and Physical Requirements Admission Requirements Reapplication Process

Progression Completion Readmission Policy Fieldwork Information Curriculum

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Department Chair and Program Director: Tia Hughes

Faculty: Ron Carson, Chris Moghimi

Academic Fieldwork Coordinator: Kim Gensolin

Clinical Faculty: Milly Rodriguez

Mission Statement

The mission of the Occupational Therapy Program is supportive of the Adventist University of Health Sciences mission through the provision of quality educational experiences to prepare competent occupational therapy professionals who are able to use critical thinking skills to address effectively the healthcare needs of a diverse population and of the community. The program will provide experiences to develop a professional graduate who is able to reason critically, to use evidence-based resources, and to provide competent services in a caring and spiritual manner.

Licensure and Accreditation

For information regarding Adventist University of Health Sciences regional and church accreditation, see the General Information  section of this Academic Catalog.

The entry level Occupational Therapy Master’s Program at Adventist University of Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the National Certification Examination for occupational therapists, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination (https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx).

A background check is required for admission to the Occupational Therapy Master’s Program. The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and various state licensing agencies require disclosure of all felony convictions. The results of this background check may impact eligibility for certification and licensure. Eligibility should be determined in advance of beginning an educational program. Felony convictions may be resolved by the NBCOT’s Qualifications Review Committee. Mental health intervention may also affect the individual’s ability to obtain state licensure. For further information, see the Student Handbook Supplement.

Program Description

The Master of Occupational Therapy program is designed to prepare competent, entry-level occupational therapy practitioners with skills in patient assessment and treatment intervention. The program is a 27-month course of continuous didactic and clinical experiences grounded in Christian principles, organized in a progressive manner, and built on a solid foundation in the arts and sciences.

Policies

The Occupational Therapy Student Handbook Supplement contains the program policies. By accepting enrollment as an occupational therapy student, each applicant agrees to abide by the policies as outlined in the Supplement.

All students must present:

• Yearly verification of tuberculosis screening. If the test is positive, refer to the Communicable Disease Policy in the Student Handbook for additional information.
• Updated immunization records including hepatitis B, MMR and Tetanus-Diphtheria.
• Verification of varicella vaccination or show immunity (titer).
• Evidence of physical examination within three months prior to beginning the program.
• Verification of current certification in professional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from the American Heart Association, including infant, child, and adult CPR.
• Evidence of a successfully completed FIT test prior to the professional program deadline.

A background check is required for admission to the Occupational Therapy Program. The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and various state licensing agencies require disclosure of all felony convictions. The results of this background check may impact eligibility for certification and licensure. Eligibility should be determined in advance of beginning an educational program. Felony convictions may be resolved by the NBCOT’s Qualifications Review Committee. Mental health intervention may also affect the individual’s ability to obtain state licensure. For further information, see the Occupational Therapy Student Handbook Supplement.

Health Insurance

All students who will participate in a clinical environment are required to carry health insurance upon admission into the program and must maintain this insurance for the duration of the program.

Mental and Physical Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Master’s degree in the Occupational Therapy Program must:

• Have sufficient hearing and vision to monitor and assess patient health needs, to monitor various equipment and background sounds, and to communicate by telephone.
• Be able to speak in a clear and concise manner.
• Have communication abilities sufficient to interact professionally with others in verbal and written form and have reading skills appropriate to understand patient charts, reports, and orders.
• Possess the ability to lift 15 pounds independently and place objects of this weight at various levels, including floor level and overhead.
• Be able to lift patients to accomplish bed/chair/stretcher transfer.
• Stand and walk without difficulty and be able to push a gurney or wheelchair.
• Be able to stand and/or sit for an extended period of time.
• Be able to perform fine and gross motor skills with both hands.
• Possess manual dexterity sufficient to fabricate and modify splints and adaptive equipment, perform range-of-motion exercises/activities, position another person, and perform components of sensory, motor, and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) evaluations.
• Possess critical thinking skills sufficient to think clearly and act appropriately in stressful situations.
• Possess interpersonal skills sufficient to interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
• Possess the ability to work in clinical environments which involve exposure to persons with physical and mental disabilities, such as pain, grief, death, stress, communicable diseases, blood and body fluids, and toxic substances.
• Have mobility sufficient to move from room to room and maneuver in small spaces.
• Have tactile ability sufficient to perform palpation functions of physical examination and/or other functions related to therapeutic intervention.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Master of Occupational Therapy Program must:

1. Submit an application online through OTCAS.
2. Submit current official transcript from all undergraduate and/or graduate institutions attended. Transcripts will need to be submitted to OTCAS. Transcripts from institutions outside the United States must be evaluated by World Education Services (WES).
3. List any courses taken by College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam on your OTCAS application. Transcripts may need to be sent to OTCAS to verify these credits.
4. Obtain a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
5. Submit evidence of a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution to OTCAS.
6. Present the following undergraduate courses either as having been completed in the applicant’s undergraduate program or as taken post-baccalaureate but prior to admission to the MOT program:

• English I & II
• Human Anatomy and Physiology I & II (with labs)
• Pathophysiology (Disease Conditions)
• General Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Sociology or Anthropology
• Public speaking
• College Algebra
• Statistics
• Medical Terminology
• One of the following four-credit courses (including lab):
  • General Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry

7. Submit three recommendation forms using OTCAS.
8. Submit a personal essay using OTCAS. Your personal essay should address why you selected OT as a career and how an Occupational Therapy degree relates to your immediate and long-term professional goals. Describe how your personal, educational, and professional background will help you achieve your goals.
9. Submit a supplemental essay to ADU that includes your reasons for choosing to attend a faith-based institution and reasons you have specifically chosen ADU.
10. Submit a supplemental application fee of $50 to ADU
11. Submit an official copy of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last 5 years to ADU. A competitive score for the GRE is 300 or above (900 or above if taken before 2011). A competitive score on the writing section is 3.5.
12. Submit a resume to ADU listing professional and educational activities.
13. Provide evidence of English language proficiency for those applicants for whom English is not their primary language or who have graduated from a non-English speaking school (see English Language Proficiency section).

If invited, applicant will be required to attend a face-to-face interview on the ADU campus.

Note: Due to the competitive nature of the admission process, applicants should understand that meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admission to the program. Also, applicants will be screened, and the most qualified individuals will be invited for an interview. Students will be given preferential consideration for admissions to our degree program when they have successfully completed 12 college-level hours at ADU.

If accepted to an on-campus professional program, the student is expected to pay a nonrefundable deposit of $500 to reserve his or her place in the program. The applicant’s acceptance letter will contain a deadline indicating when the deposit must be received by the University. Once the student enrolls in the program, this deposit will be applied toward the student’s account. Students who have paid the deposit, but decide not to enroll in the program, will forfeit the deposit. If that student is admitted to the same program at a later date, he or she will be required to pay the full deposit amount again. If an applicant is admitted to a program with prerequisites in progress and becomes ineligible for admission due to his or her grades, a full refund will be provided. A professional program deposit is not transferable to another department.

Reapplication Process

Applicants who are not admitted to the Master’s in Occupational Therapy program during a specific admission cycle may reapply to the program for the next admission cycle as long as they have successfully met the minimum admission requirements. Reapplicants are expected to meet the published admission deadlines by submitting the following additional information to the Office of Enrollment Services.

1. Contact the OT Program Department Chair to discuss if reapplying to the program is possible.
2. Submit an application online with a non-refundable $50 reactivation fee.
3. Updated official transcripts from any accredited institutions attended since the original application was submitted.

Progression

As the Master’s of Occupational Therapy Program is a “block program,” 27-month, continuous course of study, students will be deemed making continuous satisfactory progress toward a Master’s degree when they:

1. Complete all scheduled professional and cognate courses with a grade of B (3.00) or better on a 4.00 grade point scale.

Completion

Adventist University of Health Sciences will consider students for graduation with a Master’s of Occupational Therapy degree and for eligibility for the NBCOT certification examination in Occupational Therapy when they have:

1. Met the general requirements for the Master’s of Occupational Therapy degree.
2. Completed all required courses in the Master’s of Occupational Therapy curriculum with grades of “B” (3.00) or better.
3. Completed all required courses in the Master’s of Occupational Therapy curriculum within 50 months of their acceptance into the program.
4. Completed an acceptable Capstone Project.
5. Participated in the University’s Graduate Colloquium Program as instructed by the Department.

Readmission Policy

Students are considered for readmission to the Occupational Therapy Program when they meet admission requirements and:

1. Submit a re-application form to the Occupational Therapy Program no later than May 1 for re-entry in the Fall trimester, August 1 for re-entry in the Spring trimester, and January 1 for re-entry in the Summer trimester.
2. Have a graduate program GPA of 3.00.
3. Present annual verification of tuberculosis screening and maintain current professional CPR certification and health insurance.
4. Present official transcripts from any institutions attended while out of the program.

If a lapse of time greater than two years (24 months) occurs in a student’s program of study, prior ADU OT credits will not be accepted. Students who do not progress with their class cannot be assured of placement in their choice of subsequent classes. Readmission is subject to available space. Any department requirements set at the student’s departure from the program must also be met before the student may return. Students will be readmitted under current program policies.

Fieldwork Information

Level I and II Fieldwork: Students are exposed to a variety of clients across the human life span and to a variety of practice settings. These experiences are designed to promote clinical reasoning, demonstrate the values and beliefs that guide ethical practice, and develop professionalism and competence. Most fieldwork sites are located within a 60-mile radius of the Adventist University campus.

Level II Fieldwork: must be completed within 18 months following completion of academic preparation. Completion of degree requirements shall not exceed 50 months.

Students who withdraw or drop a Level II Fieldwork course must re-apply to the OT program in order to be considered for readmission.

Reliable Transportation: Students are responsible for their own transportation to fieldwork and field trip sites.

Additional Costs: Students are responsible for additional fees that are required for Level I and Level II Fieldwork rotations (e.g. additional background checks, drug screening, uniforms).