Doctor Occupational Therapy (OTD)

An introduction to the profession of occupational therapy, covering the history, philosophy, practice settings, current status, and future trends of the profession with emphasis upon the concept of occupational justice. Discuss and analyze concepts of evidence-based reasoning, occupational participation, and ethics with reference to conduct, professional development, leadership research, and theory development over time in conjunction with the overarching concept of occupational justice. Specifically, founders and influential theorists will be discussed and related to the development of the current occupational therapy practice framework and scope of OT practice. Prerequisite: Admission to the OTD program

Within this course students will be initially exposed to the occupational therapy process through learning the occupational therapy practice framework and how to utilize the framework with individuals and groups. This course provides an introduction to professional terminology and the formulation of reasoning processes necessary for occupational therapy practice. Prerequisite: Admission to the OTD program.

Evaluation is the essential foundation of the OT process that consists of conducting an occupational profile and analysis of occupational performance. Theories, models of practice, and frames of reference are used to inform and guide choices in assessment to complete an analysis of occupational performance and then ascertain clients' needs, problems and concerns related to occupational performance. Within the course, students will learn to critically examine assessments. Evidence based practice is introduced as a foundational skill. A thorough understanding of the assessment selection and use process, including administration, interpretation, and utilization of assessment findings within the occupational therapy process to reach identified client goals, is the focus. At the end of this course students will be able to locate, evaluate and determine how and why assessments are utilized in the occupational therapy process. Prerequisite: Admission to the OTD program.

This course introduces the occupational therapy student to the neurological foundations of human performance, behavior, and emotion. The structure of the nervous system and the theories of nervous system organization along with the pathophysiology and management of various neurological disorders will be introduced through lecture and lab experiences. Prerequisite: Admission into the OTD program.

Students will build upon previous knowledge of the structure and function of the human body by examining the musculoskeletal system in greater depth. This will include the study of the active and passive structures and the forces that impact human movement. Students will be asked to apply their knowledge of the human body to occupational therapy assessments of strength, range of motion, and analysis of movement. They will gain an appreciation of how limitations in these areas will impact an individual's ability to engage in occupation. This increased knowledge will lay the groundwork for higher-level analysis of abnormal movement patterns and treatment interventions in subsequent coursework. Prerequisite: Admission to the OTD program.

This is the first in a series of six interventions designed to critically examine the OT process, client factors, assessment and intervention strategies to promote occupational engagement across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on understanding theoretical constructs to guide assessment and intervention strategies. The first intervention utilizes theories, models and frames of reference based on developmental, biomechanical and rehabilitative content. Understanding of the motor and sensory systems, and theoretical constructs will guide assessment and intervention strategies. Focus will be placed on the occupational impact that development, disease, and injury can have for individuals across the lifespan. Students will specifically examine typical and atypical functioning, foundational skills for motor and sensory assessment and treatment, and the impact of these deficits on occupational participation. Prerequisites: Completion of the first OTD semester.

This is the second of a series of six interventions designed to critically examine the OT process, client factors, assessment and intervention strategies to promote occupational engagement across the lifespan. The second intervention utilizes theories, models and frames of reference based on sensorimotor, motor planning, and motor learning content. Emphasis is placed on understanding of sensorimotor and neuromuscular systems, and theoretical constructs will guide assessment and intervention strategies. Focus will be placed on the occupational impact that development, disease, and injury can have for individuals across the lifespan. Integration of all concepts from the first two intervention courses will be used to complete case-based learning modules.

This first Critical Inquiry course focuses on using professional knowledge and evidence to inform OT practice with a particular emphasis on motor, sensory, and neuromotor client factors that support occupational performance. Critical reasoning utilized throughout the OT Process is employed through case-based learning as students examine the literature and solve issues related to theories, conditions, assessment, needs, and interventions covered in Interventions IA and IB. Through this constant use of the literature students will develop an attitude and process of inquiry that can be utilized whenever faced with a new situation. This reflective process will promote the development of advanced knowledge.?Students are encouraged to search the literature in their area of interest; building the foundation for their culminating doctoral project with evidence focused on these client factors as they seek to relate theory to practice. At the end of this course students will identify a possible area of interest, propose and discuss this with faculty mentors and receive feedback to carry forward into upcoming coursework. Prerequisite: Completion of the first OTD semester.

Fieldwork IA course will integrate information learned in OT courses through field and classroom experiences. Fieldwork will correlate with the intervention courses and focus on using the OT process to assess an individual's motor, sensory, and neuromotor factors. Students will have the opportunity to discuss and synthesize their experiences emphasizing how motor, sensory, and neuromotor factors observed in fieldwork impact occupational performance. Through fieldwork and classroom experiences, students will learn to develop positive professional work skills and behaviors, exhibit ethical integrity, identify the roles of occupational therapists, and understand the occupational therapy process emphasizing person, environment, occupational performance factors. Fieldwork is a Pass/Fail course and you must pass this course in order to progress through the OT program. Prerequisites: Good academic standing in all previous and current OTD coursework. All fieldwork health and training requirements complete.

Research is essential to the profession of occupational therapy. Within this course students will explore quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Examination of the aim and priorities of research related to the profession, the range of research, characteristics of effective scientific inquiry and the necessity of evidence-based practice to the profession of occupational therapy will be studied. An important emphasis is ethics in research and an understanding of the relationship obligations between researchers and people involved as participants in research. Prerequisite: Completion of the first year of OTD courses.

Leadership and Management in OT Practice focuses on the roles, knowledge and skills used when leading and managing OT services. This includes the tasks of planning and organizing systems and programs, addressing staffing and coordination of teams for success, evaluating program outcomes and controlling for quality and finance factors. Students will understand how to complete needs assessments to design and implement programs to address health needs of individuals and populations as well as outcomes assessments to determine program impact to influence policy and program development. Prerequisite: Completion of the first year OTD courses.

This is the third of a series of six interventions designed to critically examine the OT process, client factors, assessment and intervention strategies to promote occupational engagement across the lifespan. Building on the concepts of Interventions IA and IB this course emphasizes the integration of the sensory, motor, visual, perceptual, and cognitive systems. An understanding of theoretical constructs to guide assessment, intervention strategies, and discharge planning with a focus on cognitive, visual perceptual and sensory processing theories to promote occupational engagement and participation across the lifespan is addressed. Students will examine typical and atypical functioning and disability and the impact on occupational participation. Prerequisites: Successful completion of Interventions IB course work.

The fourth of six interventions courses designed to critically examine the OT process, client factors, performance skills and patterns. Theoretical constructs guide assessment, intervention, and discharge planning with a focus on cognitive, cognitive-behavioral and behavioral theories to promote occupational engagement and participation across the lifespan. Students learn about the psychosocial, spiritual, social, and cognitive client factors that impact typical and atypical functioning, and disability. Impact upon occupational participation and remediation of occupational injustices are addressed. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Interventions IIA.

In this second course of the CI series, students will continue to use literature and critical reasoning to anticipate the OT Process with a particular emphasis on psychosocial, cognitive, visual perception and spiritual client factors that support occupational performance. Utilizing a case-based learning approach, students will examine the literature and solve issues related to theories, conditions, assessment, needs, and interventions covered in Interventions IIA and IIB. This constant examination and reflection on the literature will encourage students to think beyond current practice skills, behave as consumers and critical reviewers related to available evidence and will promote the development of advance knowledge to inform their doctoral capstone.

Building upon content knowledge gained in Research Methods and Leadership and Management in OT, as guided by growing individual interests and study in the Critical Inquiry series, students develop a scholarship agenda that will support the development of their culminating project. Students search literature, develop a research proposal, implement a process of scholarly study, and write scholarly reports as individuals or in small groups. This work will support the development of their culminating project that relates theory to practice and demonstrates synthesis of advanced knowledge. This is the first of at least two Scholarship courses, and possibly three, as guided by their project mentor and committee. The emphasis during this first class will be on finalizing a research proposal, literature review and beginning implementation. Institutional Review Board approval will also be incorporated if the research proposal involves people as participants.

Students will work with their mentor during this course as focused on their proposed area of interest for their doctoral capstone project. Students will utilize critical thinking as they examine and reflect on the literature and research and network with persons having content expertise. Students will be encouraged to think beyond current practice skills to promote the development of advanced knowledge. Prerequisites: Completion of OTD 575 and OTD 580.

Fieldwork IB course will integrate information learned in OT courses through field and classroom experiences. FW IB will focus on analyzing the psychosocial, cognitive, and spiritual factors of clients using the OT process in class and field experiences. Students will have the opportunity to discuss and synthesize their experiences emphasizing how psychosocial, cognitive, and spiritual factors impact occupational performance and participation across the lifespan. Through fieldwork and classroom experiences, students will learn to develop positive professional work skills and behaviors, exhibit ethical integrity, identify the roles of occupational therapists, and understand the occupational therapy process emphasizing person, environment, and occupational performance factors. Fieldwork is a Pass/Fail Course and you must pass this course in order to progress through the OT program. Prerequisites: Good academic standing in all previous and current OTD coursework. All fieldwork health and training requirements complete.

This is the fifth of a series of six interventions designed to critically examine how the environment impacts occupational participation across the lifespan. Students will examine how the context and environment may alter the assessment of client factors, treatment planning, intervention strategies, and discharge planning in various practice settings. This course emphasizes environmental theories and models of service provision. Students will understand how clients access the continuum of care including treatment progression, discharge planning and termination of services provided by OT practitioners as part of an inter-professional team. Beyond direct intervention students will gain an appreciation of the complex issues facing individuals, families, and communities. Prerequisites: Successful completion of Interventions IIB.

This is the final in a series of six interventions designed to critically examine how the environment impacts occupational participation in emerging practice settings, primary care, health promotion, evolving technologies, and community-based programs. This course emphasizes health promotion theories and emerging models of service provision. Focus is on health, wellness, and prevention services in direct care, community-based settings, and population-based health care. Emphasis is placed on the role of OT as coach, consultant, and advocate for occupational justice and an understanding of the impact that complex conditions can have for individuals, families, and communities across the lifespan. The final learning module applies content to prevention and population-based health issues. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Interventions IIIA.

In this third course of the Critical Inquiry series, students will continue to build upon their reasoning skills and knowledge of the OT Process to understand how contextual and environmental factors, along with client factors, will impact occupational performance. Critical reasoning utilized throughout the OT process is employed as students examine the literature and solve issues related to theories, conditions, assessment, needs, and interventions covered in Interventions IIIA and B. This constant examination and reflection on the literature will encourage students to think beyond current practice skills and will promote the development of advanced knowledge. Additionally, they will continue to develop and modify their culminating projects by adding literature examining these same contextual and environmental factors related to their individualized goals leading toward their culminating doctoral project relating theory to practice. ?Students finalize individualized objectives and continue to examine literature to support knowledge in their advanced area of interest to carry forward into upcoming coursework and develop a model connecting theory to practice.

Through the experiential component of the course students will be challenged to expand their understanding of the OT process and all the Person, Environment, and Occupational Performance factors to a variety of practice settings and environments. The course will correlate with Interventions IIIA and B courses focusing on the environmental impact on occupational performance and population interventions to promote successful engagement in occupations. Fieldwork is a Pass/Fail course and you must pass this course to progress through the OT program. Prerequisites: Good academic standing in all previous and current OTD coursework. All fieldwork health and training requirements complete.

This is the second of at least two scholarship courses, and possibly three, as guided by the student's project mentor and committee. The emphasis of this second Scholarship course will be on implementation, analysis, and completion of the research proposal designed to support the culminating project. Topics were initiated in the Research Methods and Leadership and Management in OT courses, guided by growing individual interests and study in the Critical Inquiry series, and a scholarship agenda established in Scholarship I to support the development of their culminating project. Students search literature, implement a process of scholarly study, and write scholarly reports as individuals or in small groups. This work will support the development of their culminating project that relates theory to practice and demonstrates synthesis of advanced knowledge.

Students will work with their mentor during this course as focused on their proposed area of interest for their doctoral capstone project. Students will utilize critical thinking as they further examine and reflect on the literature and research and network with persons having expertise. They will be encouraged to think beyond current practice skills to promote the development of advanced knowledge. Students finalize individual capstone project objectives in preparation of upcoming coursework where they develop a model connecting theory to practice.

This course provides instruction related to the procedures and requirements for completion of the capstone project and experience. Students solidify advanced knowledge applying theory to practice as related to their individual interests as they formalize their capstone projects and present those ideas to faculty and students. Students also formalize all goals, activities, supervision plans, and outcomes related to their capstone experience.

This course solidifies the advanced knowledge gained through the academic program into a specific doctoral project proposal. Students use the knowledge gained in analysis and synthesis of client factors, context, and environment factors, population needs and research findings related to their individual interests as they formalize their capstone project that connects theory to practice. The students will continue to build upon their reasoning skills and knowledge of the OT Process to understand the elements of their individual interest and how those impact occupational performance, participation, and overall health and wellness. The student may incorporate interviews, networking, and observation/field hours to identify relevant locations where advocacy and impact could occur during the experiential component.

This course is intended for specialized continued scholarship as indicated by a student's culminating doctoral project needs and as guided by their project mentor and committee. Students will define individualized objectives for this third optional course in collaboration with their culminating doctoral project mentor and mentoring team. Topics were initiated in the Research Methods and Leadership and Management in OT courses, guided by growing individual interests and study in the Critical Inquiry series, and a scholarship agenda established in Scholarship I and II to support the development of their culminating project that relates theory to practice and demonstrates synthesis of advanced knowledge.

This course explores some aspects of occupational therapy that are of strong interest to the student(s) in greater depth than is possible in a core course and at an advanced level. It may be offered individually or in small groups. Topics are determined by faculty mentors and students. Course may be repeated if the topics are different. This is a pass/no pass course.

This is the first Level II Fieldwork experience during which students are asked to demonstrate entry-level competency as an occupational therapy professional. These experiences may take place in a variety of practice settings, servicing a variety of clients across the lifespan. These experiences should allow the student to impact the health of their clients through the application of occupational justice; promote evidence-based reasoning and ethical integrity, while enabling practice to develop their competency and professionalism as an occupational therapist. Prerequisites: Good academic standing in all previous and current OTD coursework. All fieldwork health and training requirements complete.

This is the second Level II Fieldwork experience during which students are asked to demonstrate entry-level competency as an occupational therapy professional. These experiences may take place in a variety of practice settings, servicing a variety of clients across the lifespan. These experiences should allow the student to impact the health of their clients through the application of occupational justice; promote evidence-based reasoning and ethical integrity, while enabling practice to develop their competency and professionalism as an occupational therapist. Prerequisites: Good academic standing in all previous and current OTD coursework. All fieldwork health and training requirements complete.

In this course, students present their capstone project that has evolved throughout the curriculum supported by cases and projects. The capstone project reflects a synthesis of advanced knowledge connecting theory to practice. Critical reflection on the didactic coursework, practice experience that students encountered during Level II Fieldwork, and new information observed in the Capstone Experience is utilized to inform the proposed project which describes a service and role occupational therapy could play in support of occupational participation.

The Capstone Experience is a 14-week full time learning experience with objectives, supervision, and outcomes planned by considering the topic of advanced study that was the focus of the capstone project. The experience objectives are individualized to focus advanced skills in one or more of the following areas: clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, and theory development. The individualized objectives will at a minimum address a link to the domain of OT, occupational justice, occupational engagement of clients (individuals, groups, or populations) and require the use of critical thinking, evidence, and professionalism to both advocate for OT and help students explore a role beyond generalist. Prerequisite: This course may not commence until all didactic and fieldwork coursework is successfully completed.