Occupational Therapy

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Occupational therapists’ expertise lies in their knowledge of human occupation and how engaging in occupations can be used to impact human performance and the effects of disease and disability. Since engaging in occupation includes emotional aspects as well as the physically observable aspects of performance, occupational therapists approach their interactions with clients from a holistic perspective that addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial and contextual aspects of performance.

Occupational therapists direct their interventions toward helping individuals engage in meaningful occupations that contribute to their health, well-being and life satisfaction. By linking the ability of individuals to perform daily life activities with meaningful occupations, occupational therapists promote the individual’s participation in desired roles and life situations in the home, school, workplace and community.

Occupational therapists assist individuals in identifying goals and performing the activities needed to function in their home, school, community or work environments. By restoring, reinforcing, or enhancing an individual’s ability to perform daily activities, occupational therapists help that person adapt to limitations or reshape their lives to become more productive and meaningful. By addressing problems that threaten individuals’ quality of life, occupational therapists promote and maintain health, diminish or correct pathology, facilitate satisfaction and develop abilities to perform tasks essential to productive living.

Occupational therapy is a challenging profession that provides services to individuals of all ages in a variety of health care and community settings. Occupational therapists often work in institutional settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers and school systems as members of interdisciplinary teams. While many occupational therapists continue to work in these settings, occupational therapists are also working with community businesses and agencies to bring occupational therapy services to a variety of places where people live, play and work. These include: community-based health care systems (home care), corporate environments, physicians’ offices, correctional institutions, hospice programs, specialized day care and day treatment programs, residences for persons with developmental or mental health disabilities and retirement communities.

The Occupational Therapy Program is a master’s degree program requiring 161 credit hours (approximately 48 classes) completed over 5 years (10 semesters). Students graduate in May following their fifth year and are eligible to sit for the national certification exam. Following successful completion of this exam, the graduate will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) and then may become licensed by individual states.

The occupational therapy curriculum provides a strong base of liberal arts and sciences with an emphasis on the physical and social sciences.  Through the combination of general education, liberal arts, and professional education, the student will become a practitioner who is culturally sensitive and well-rounded in your knowledge and interests.  During the first two academic years students will enroll in some foundational occupational therapy courses while focusing on general education classes.  Beginning the third year of the Program there is an increased concentration on occupational therapy coursework, including fieldwork experiences in a variety of health care an community settings.

A catalog, detailed program sheet outlining general education courses and major requirements, additional admission requirements  are available from your admission counselor. Degree requirements  and specific course listing may be found in the University catalog.

The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220 Bethesda, MD 20824 (telephone number: (301) 652-AOTA). Graduation from an ACOTE accredited program is required to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination. Having been charged with or convicted of a felony; having any professional license, registration or certificate revoked, suspended or subject to probationary conditions; or being found to have committed negligence, malpractice, recklessness or willful or intentional misconduct may result in the graduate being barred from sitting for the certification examination. The graduate will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR) after successful completion of the exam. The total number of graduates who passed the certification exam in 2008-2010 was 79 out of 84 first time test takers, which is an 94% pass rate. During that time the Program had 86 graduates. Most states require licensure to practice, and attainment of state licenses is usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination.

Health and Other Special Requirements

The following requirements must be met prior to participating in required Level I and Level II fieldwork:

• Physical Examination
• Documentation of Immunization and Titer Immunity 
  • Measles/Rubeola, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
  • Tetanus, Diphtheria and Acellular Pertussis (Tdap)
  • Polio series completed
  • Varicella titer or Varicella vaccinations
  • Hepatitis B Vaccine Series or Declination
    (Students may not be able to go to certain fieldwork sites if they do not receive the vaccine)
  • Flu Vaccine annual
  • TB-Tuberculin PPD test (documented 2-step initially, then annual)
• Health Insurance (copy of card annually)
• CPR Certification-American Heart Association Basic Life Support for the Health Care Provider required
• Current First Aid certification
• Urine Drug Screen
• Criminal Record Background check from Maryville University’s authorized agency and signed release to clinical sites (possible checks include:  state criminal checks, disqualification lists, sex offender lists, social security number, address and alias)
• Fitting for a respiratory isolation device (i.e. N95 Mask) may be required by some clinical sites
• A few hospitals in Missouri now require nicotine screenings for all new employees.  Therefore it is anticipated that students may be excluded from some clinical sites based upon their use of nicotine
• Malpractice insurance
• Signed release of information forms to allow Criminal Record Background Check, Urine Drug Screen, health and other pertinent data to be provided to the Clinical Education Program and to facilities where the student completes fieldwork experiences.

Progression in the Occupational Therapy Program

The following requirements must be met for students to remain in good standing in the Program.

1. Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater throughout the entirety of the program. Failure to achieve this minimum grade point average will result in the student being placed on probation.  If a student is on probation and fails to meet the minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average for a second consecutive or nonconsecutive semester, they will be dismissed from the Program.
2. Earn no less than a “C” (“C-“is not acceptable) in all required courses. Students earning below a “C” in any required course will not be allowed to progress to subsequent coursework until the course is retaken when it is next offered and passed with a C or better grade. Courses may be repeated only once.
3. Achieve and maintain satisfactory levels of professional behaviors each semester in the areas of time management, organization, engagement in academic and fieldwork experiences, self-directed learning, reasoning/problem solving, written communication, initiative, observation skills, participation in the education process, verbal communication/interpersonal skills, professional boundaries and use of professional terminology. Failing to achieve expected levels of professional behavior will delay scheduling of fieldwork experiences and may result in the student being placed on probation or being terminated from the Program.
4. Maintain full-time enrollment status (12 credit hours minimum) in courses taken for letter grades (not pass/fail).
5. Comply with University Academic Integrity Policy and Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics.
6. Successful completion of all general education requirements by the Spring semester of the 3rd year in the Occupational Therapy Program.
7. Pass background checks and urine drug screen. Failure to pass either of these screenings may result in dismissal from the Occupational Therapy Program.
8. Successful completion of all required courses prior to enrollment in Level II fieldwork.
9. Successful completion of all Level II fieldwork prior to enrollment in courses for the final semester.
10. All academic and fieldwork requirements must be completed within five calendar years after beginning the second year of the Occupational Therapy Program.

Fees for the Occupational Therapy Program

Students also can expect to pay additional expenses associated with the experiential portion of the program such professional attire for fieldwork, lab fees for selected courses, fieldwork required insurance coverage, health tests, CPR & First Aid certification, immunizations, background checks, drug screens and living and transportation expenses during fieldwork. Other expenses include AOTA membership and textbooks that are used across the Program and as professional references once in the field.

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