Program Mission and Description

The mission of the entry-level occupational therapy program is to prepare students to be occupation-based, person-centered practitioners providing evidence-based interventions to restore valued daily living activities and to be leaders creating new services promoting health and wellbeing in diverse settings.

Occupational therapy is a health profession in which engaging in meaningful activities and occupations enables recovery from illness and optimizes health and wellbeing.  Occupational Therapy (OT) addresses how we decide, navigate and manage our daily activities (occupations) in life. Those activities can be brushing your teeth, drinking acup of coffee, driving to work, baking chocolate chip cookies, reading a book, riding the bus, hiking in nature, or holding hands with a loved one. Occupational therapy is a dynamic profession that plays a crucial role in helping individuals overcome physical, emotional, and cognitive barriers to daily living.

The occupational therapy program emphasizes educating practitioners to be analytical problem-solvers and creative program designers and to become leaders who are guided by professional and personal values to address health disparities and advocate for health and wellbeing. The occupational therapy program highlights the importance of evidence-based practice, knowledge translation and becoming leaders who are capable of creating new services.

Seton Hill University’s mission emphasizes educating students to act critically and creatively, educates students who are committed to transforming the world and prepares students to become leaders who are guided by professional and personal values to address health disparities and advocate for health and wellbeing.

 

Accreditation

The Seton Hill University occupational therapy program is a developing program currently in Candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number, ℅ AOTA, is (301) 652-AOTA, and its web address is www.ACOTEonline.org

Candidacy Status means that the program has demonstrated a plan for courses, faculty, and learning resources, and is approved to admit students and implement the program.  The accreditation process, which takes approximately two years, is designed to start before the first class of students enters the program and complete before the first class graduates from the program. The program must be accredited by ACOTE prior to students’ graduation in order for those graduates to be eligible to take the national certification (practice) examination offered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and be ready to practice.

Program Length, Format and Cost

The length of the professional doctorate program is 90 credits that are completed in 3 years (6 semesters or 28 months). The first four semesters (18 months) consist of in-person classes held on three days each week, including hands-on experiential learning (level I fieldwork or practicum) in each semester. The final 10 months consist of full-time supervised practice in level II fieldwork and doctoral capstone experience, including professional reflections submitted online through the university’s learning management system distance learning on the university’s learning management system.

The cost of the program is posted on Seton Hill University’s website occupational therapy homepage. The total cost includes tuition, course fees, textbooks and program fees. Published fees are subject to change.

Admission

Admission Criteria
Admission to the occupational therapy program is based upon academic preparation and personal skills appropriate to the demands of the occupational therapy profession. Occupational therapy theory and practice draw upon the social and natural sciences and require a foundation in the liberal arts (communication and problem-solving, historical, cultural and global awareness, multiple modes of inquiry, reasoning and expression, self-reflection and assessment).

The program does not discriminate against any applicant because of race, color, religion, age, ethnic origin, gender, gender expression, or disability. Reasonable accommodations will be used for admission of students with a disclosed disability that may affect performance of technical standards and capacities in occupational therapy.

Admission Requirements
Completion of a bachelor’s degree:

The program invites applications from candidates who have, or will have received by the time of enrollment, an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Official transcripts must demonstrate completion of an undergraduate degree before beginning the program.

All undergraduate majors are accepted as long as prerequisite coursework is in progress and completed prior to beginning the program. Persons who have a bachelor’s degree in Health Science or Psychology have close connections between theirbachelor’s degree to the occupational therapy program requirements. We welcome all persons, experiences, and voices. Different perspectives strengthen our learning community.

Completion of prerequisite courses: 

Anatomy and Physiology I
Anatomy and Physiology II
Developmental Psychology
Abnormal Psychology
Sociology or Anthropology
Statistics or Research

Completion of application in Occupational Therapy Centralized Application System (OTCAS):

Transcripts from all colleges or universities attended
Prerequisites
Letters of Recommendation
Personal Statement
Essay Question

 

Admission Process

The admission process is wholistic and does not depend on any one component.  Evaluation of eligibility for admission is completed at any time and will support persons with individualized planning for completing baccalaureate and pre-requisite requirements. The admission process for a specific cohort begins one year prior to the cohort’s starting date and is completed on a rolling basis. Additional details are on the program’s website.

Transfer credits may be accepted for prerequisite courses. No transfer courses or advanced placement courses are accepted for courses in the occupational therapy program. Credit for experiential learning is not accepted for courses in the occupational therapy program.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements are successful completion of 90 credits (all courses) in the occupational therapy doctorate graduate curriculum and successful completion of fieldwork and capstone experiences. Level II fieldwork and doctoral capstone experiences must be completed within 24 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program.

Progression

Academic rigor is demonstrated with a grade “B” or above for each course and with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Professionalism is demonstrated with self-reflection and faculty reflection on a professional behavior assessment.  Professional competence is demonstrated with successful completion of Level II, fieldwork and the doctoral capstone experience and project.

Any student who receives a grade below “B” on a course exam, competency, or major class project must meet with the course instructor to develop a plan for academic success. Any student who receives a course grade below “B” will be placed on probation. An additional grade below “B” may result in dismissal. Students may use the academic grievance procedure to challenge course grades, probation or  dismissal.  Additional information is in the program handbook.

License to Practice

Graduates of the Seton Hill OTD Program 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) pending accreditation with ACOTE. After successful completion of this exam, the graduate will be an occupational therapist, registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification examination.  A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Curriculum

Curriculum threads are content themes that are embedded in courses throughout the curriculum and represent the core of occupational therapy practice.  Curriculum threads include occupation, evaluation and intervention, evidence-based practice and professionalism. In each curriculum thread, core expectations are identified for each level of education (understand and apply, analyze and synthesize, evaluate and create). The student’s responsibility for self-directed learning increases with each program level.

Occupation: In order to be a client-centered and occupation-centered practitioner, an occupational therapist must have occupation infused in all aspects of practice. Engagement in meaningful occupation shapes assessment, intervention, participation, advocacy and quality of life. In order to achieve this integration, the occupational therapy curriculum identifies occupation as a thread and addresses different aspects of occupation at each program level.

Evaluation and Intervention: The use of theory and professional reasoning, are essential to evaluation and intervention and contribute to complex problem-solving with clients. The elements of evaluation and intervention are central to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. Critical thinking and the creative ability to recognize complexity are embedded in professional practice. Students encounter scientific, narrative and conditional reasoning in successive program levels. Students evaluate complexity and create interventions to address needs at
the highest program level.

Evidence-based Practice:
Evidence-based practice is a dynamic process in which knowledge is translated to practice. For effective practice, a therapist must be able to obtain and evaluate information that is relevant for assessment, intervention, program and population services. Pursuit of lifelong learning propels practitioners to raise questions, search for evidence and communicate results to systematically advance practice through scholarship.

 

Professionalism: Essential to effective occupational therapy practice is a strong, positive and well-defined professional identity. Occupational therapists should possess a thorough knowledge of their personal and professional values and principles, and their therapeutic use of self. This knowledge helps therapists remain true to their authentic self while developing the agility necessary to adapt to the multiple contexts and priorities involved in practice. To this end, this occupational therapy curriculum thread provides students with developmental opportunities to demonstrate a commitment to ethical practice, professional integrity, leadership, advocacy, scholarship, life-long learning, and professional
growth.

Competencies

Occupation

Analyze effects of disease on areas of occupation (ADL, IADL, education, work, play, leisure, social participation), performance skills (motor, process & communication), client factors (body function and structure).  

Develop occupation-based activity as means for intervention including activities consistent with client’s occupational profile (meaningful) and use purposeful activity (goal-directed) as means for intervention including targeted client factors and performance skills.

Analyze occupation-based population needs and synthesize program interventions that address targeted unmet occupational needs.

Evaluation and Intervention

Demonstrate diagnostic / procedural / conditional reasoning that shows awareness of complex detail within each component (i.e. problem, goal, intervention, theory), ability to choose theoretical approach, assessments, interpret evaluation data, and to develop intervention that shows consideration of safety, and a realistic scope.

Demonstrate client-centered interactive / narrative reasoning that shows evidence of integration of complex components (i.e. biological, psychosocial, socio-cultural, occupational profile, performance skills, performance patterns, contexts) and that contributes to understanding the person as an occupational being.

Demonstrate skills in documentation and communication for interprofessional practice. Demonstrate program level evaluation and intervention competencies for targeted population needs.

 

Evidence-based practice

Demonstrate the ability to use theory and research evidence to make practice decisions. 

Demonstrate ability to independently search for, select, analyze and synthesize appropriate evidence related to targeted practice questions. 

Demonstrate ability to critique professional literature and develop a literature review reflecting in-depth knowledge to support solutions designed for practice challenges.

Professionalism

Analyze the impact of health disparities (SDOH) on populations and the need for occupational justice.  Demonstrate ability to function within an interprofessional team and in a variety of professional roles (manager, consultant, entrepreneur) in existing and emerging practice settings.

Apply management skills of planning, organizing, directing and controlling for managing effective and efficient service delivery.Analyze factors contributing to mission, vision, culture, strategic planning, program evaluation, quality improvement and risk management and synthesize core themes.