Occupational Therapy (Grad)
Occupational Therapy Department
Ivelisse Lazzarini, EdD, OTD, OTR/L, Director
Tamerill Faison, OTD, MS, OTR/L
Theresa Smith, PhD, OTR, CLVT
Kiticia Williams, OTD, OTR/L
Campuses
Summary
The professional, entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) pathway is a three-year, 104-credit, full-time program completed over nine semesters, including summers. The curriculum comprises traditional, hybrid, and fully online courses in a close-knit, cohort-based model, highlighting the importance of hands-on applications and training. Across the curriculum, students benefit from Level I and Level II clinical experiences. The OTD program culminates in a Scholarly Project Implementation Experience (SPIE), incorporating a 14-week student-designed research project and public presentation to facilitate, promote, and sustain research agendas and evidence-based occupational therapy practices.
Commitment
The NDMU-OTD aims to prepare the next generations of occupational therapy practitioners to apply in-depth knowledge and skills of inclusive, equitable, client-centered, evidence-based, culturally competent, distinctive, and sustainable healthcare practices. As a rehabilitation profession, the NDU-OTD is driven by the frameworks and models of rehabilitation science articulated by the American Occupational Therapy Association (Moyers & Dale, 2007), the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning–Disability and Health (2001), the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research of the National Institutes of Health. Occupational therapy aims to optimize clients' occupational performance within their social, economic, and environmental spaces. The quintessential goal of OT interventions is to facilitate sustainable approaches to achieving health, well-being, and participation in life through engagement in occupations (AOTA, 2014). The OTD program envisions that effective, sustainable development practices will benefit all people and the planet, affording prosperity to improve individuals' lives and well-being. The previous statement reflects the occupational therapy doctorate program's philosophical underpinnings and provides the curriculum design foundations.
Fieldwork
Opportunities for clinical experiences are built into the curriculum to provide gradually increased levels of responsibility and experience in occupational therapy settings under the guidance and supervision of a qualified occupational therapist.
- Level I Fieldwork provides an introductory experience where you can become more comfortable with client needs in a supervised setting. It helps to enrich didactic coursework by seeing firsthand the concepts discussed in class. It also provides an opportunity to explore different practice settings. At NDMU, level I fieldwork includes placements related to physical dysfunction; mental health; pediatrics; and education, wellness, community, and emerging trends.
- Level II Fieldwork provides more in-depth experiences working directly with clients to enhance your skills as a practitioner. The NDMU curriculum includes two full-time placements.
Capstone
The capstone is the culmination of your OTD studies and is comprised by:
- Two Research Courses
- Five Capstone Planning Courses
- Capstone Presentation
- Capstone Doctoral Rotation
Planning for the doctoral capstone requires collaboration with faculty and a mentor to prepare for the experience. You will develop in-depth skills in areas such as practice, research, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, and theory development.
The Capstone Experience occurs over a minimum of 14 weeks or 560 hours under the supervision of a mentor, who may or may not be an occupational therapist depending on the expertise needed to provide appropriate direction. No more than 20% of the 560 hours may occur off-site from the mentored practice experience. Time spent off-site may include independent study activities, such as research and writing.
Program Accreditation
The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.
The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist 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, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.
NOTE: A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as an individual 14-week capstone experience within 12 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework and Level II fieldwork as well as completion of preparatory activities defined in 2018 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3.
Degrees and Certificates
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Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapy Doctorate