Occupational Therapy
(Daisy Marquis Jones program in occupational therapy)
Chair: Dianne Trickey-Rokenbrod, OTD, MBA, OT R/L
Occupational therapists help people across the lifespan participate in the activities they want and need to do through occupation therapeutic interventions. Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recover from injury to regain skills, and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Occupational therapists can be found working in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, private practice, psychiatric facilities, out-patient clinics and home care agencies. In addition, there are emerging practice areas, such as:
• consulting on home and building designs to assure accessibility,
• consulting with business and industry on ergonomics and health maintenance strategies,
• developing assistive devices and consulting on technology,
• working with community and public health agencies.
Occupational Therapy Vision Statement
To be recognized as a leader in developing exceptional occupational therapy practitioners by integrating a liberal arts and sciences curriculum with an evidence-based professional curriculum emphasizing occupation, clinical reasoning, leadership, and the value of lifelong learning.
Occupational Therapy Mission Statement
The Occupational Therapy Division of Keuka College is committed to developing innovative, independent thinking, evidence-based practitioners who effectively promote best practice within client-centered environments through the use of technology and the therapeutic application of occupation to enhance quality of life. The division supports practice in diverse settings and across the lifespan through hands-on experiential learning in traditional and non-traditional practice settings.
Occupational Therapy Program Philosophy
Beliefs About Humans’ Occupational Performance and Learning
Consistent with AOTA’s philosophy of occupational therapy education and the philosophical base of occupational therapy, the curriculum of the OT Division at Keuka College examines human performance and participation in meaningful everyday occupations, across the lifespan, in many contexts. We believe “occupations may be used for health promotion and wellness, remediation or restoration, health maintenance, disease and injury prevention, and compensation/adaptation” (AOTA, 2011, para. 4).
We also view students as occupational beings. We believe that students learn most effectively when they are positively engaged, supported, and encouraged to develop the skills and confidence to facilitate their own learning. Through the teaching-learning process we prepare students to integrate “clinical reasoning, professional values, theories, evidence, ethics and skills” (AOTA, 2015, para. 2).
Teaching and Learning
The philosophy of teaching and learning within the OT Division at Keuka College is also consistent with the AOTA philosophy of OT education, which states that students are occupational beings who engage dynamically with both the learning context and the teaching-learning process (AOTA, 2015, para. 2). While each member of the Keuka College OT faculty has a unique teaching approach, we all value the principles of active and diverse learning, collaboration that builds on past knowledge and experience, professional judgment and self-reflection, and lifelong learning (AOTA, 2015, para. 3). We use elements of Bloom’s taxonomy to guide the progression of coursework as students move from the Developing Phase to the Baccalaureate Phase to the Graduate Phase (see below). Three curricular themes are integrated throughout our courses, and these themes form the basis for our teaching priorities: (a) people as occupational beings, (b) practice, and (c) leadership (see below).As stated in our mission, the OT Division at Keuka College is committed to developing practitioners who provide compassionate, evidence-based, and client-centered services to individuals, groups, communities, and populations. We expect our students to embrace self-directed learning, to demonstrate active and respectful engagement in the educational process, and to be committed to the process of becoming healthcare professionals. Our curriculum and teaching philosophy—along with a strong liberal arts foundation and many opportunities for experiential learning—support our mission. As a faculty we endorse the following principles that guide our teaching and define our program:
• We set high standards for academic performance, clinical competence, and professional behavior. We strive to be both challenging and fair, and to serve as role models to our students for professionalism, compassion, and clinical excellence.
• We provide individualized teaching and support that recognizes the diverse learning needs of our students, and we value the relationships we form through small class sizes, consistent advisement, and individualized instructional approaches. Since students enter our program as freshmen, we are especially committed to teaching and advisement practices that foster students’ growth and development over the course of five years.
• We emphasize the importance of evidence-based practice, scholarly activity, and critical thinking, since these skills are critical to the development of practitioners, advocates, scholars, and future leaders.
• We integrate experiential learning in many forms across the curriculum, consistent with the vision and mission of Keuka College. These experiential activities provide our students with valuable opportunities for professional exploration, skill building, self-reflection, and the development of personal confidence.
• We promote professional development and the value of lifelong learning throughout all academic and experiential activities.
References:
American Occupational Therapy Association (2015). Philosophy of occupational therapy education. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(Suppl. 3), 6913410052.http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.696S17.
American Occupational Therapy Association (2011). The philosophical base of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65 (Suppl.), S65. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2011.65S65
Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., &Bloom, B. S. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Academic Curriculum
The Division of Occupational Therapy offers a five-year master of science degree program in which students receive a bachelor of science degree in occupational science after the completion of four years of study and a master of science degree in occupational therapy after the fifth year. This is a freshman-entry program, but transfer students may be accepted in the sophomore year, providing that the student has completed the necessary courses and there is space available in the program. The fifth year of study consists of one summer and two academic semesters, which includes two full-time fieldwork level II experiences.
Occupational therapy is a health care discipline that requires a strong academic curriculum in order to meet the needs of professional accreditation and public accountability. The curriculum focuses on the disciplines of anatomy, neurosciences, psychology, research, and sociology. The curriculum design leads students through the process of becoming future professionals through teaching the themes of people as occupational beings, practice, and leadership using the threads of scholarship occupation, professional development, and critical thinking.
Clinical Practice Experience
The students in the occupational therapy program engage in practice opportunities throughout their five years of education. Each January during the undergraduate phase of their education, students have the opportunity to spend two, two-week experiences or 140 hours annually in a variety of traditional and non- traditional settings. In addition, students complete two, three-month clinical practice experiences (fieldwork level II) during the graduate year. The fieldwork level II experiences are the culminating learning experiences in becoming an occupational therapist and must be successfully completed within one year of successful completion of the graduate year academic course requirements.
The occupational therapy program is accredited through 2018 by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at:
ACOTE
c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Association (AOTA)
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3449
(301) 652-AOTA
Graduates of the master’s degree 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). After successful completion of this exam, the graduate will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, most 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. For further information on these limitations, students may contact NBCOT at:
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
800 S. Frederick Avenue, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150
(301) 990-7979
www.nbcot.org
Bachelor of Science in Occupational Science
This degree does not provide eligibility for certification or licensure in occupational therapy. It is awarded after the fourth year of study in the five-year B.S./M.S. program in occupational science/occupational therapy.
Admission Policy
Students planning to major in occupational therapy should declare this intent during the admissions process this program of study requires applicants to have a 3.0 cumulative GPA prior to admission. Students may be considered for transferring into the program as a freshman or sophomore through the approval of the Chair of Occupational Therapy or designee. Transfers will be accepted per seat or space availability in the program. The Office of Admissions conducts all processing of external transfer applications. Students from other colleges and universities who are interested in this major and who wish to transfer, must meet the academic and course requirements of the program and will be placed in the course sequence by the Division Chair or designee.
Retention, Probation, Dismissal, and Appeal Process
Retention:
To remain in good standing in the Division of Occupational Therapy, students enrolled in the undergraduate program must meet all of the following conditions:
• maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better,
• receive a grade of C or better in all prerequisite and required support courses,
• receive a grade of C or better in all required occupational science courses,
• demonstrate appropriate professional behaviors within the academic, practice, and community environments as articulated in the Division of Occupational Therapy student manual.
Probation/Dismissal:
Students who are unable to meet the retention conditions will receive notification from the division chair and be placed on divisional probation. Students placed on divisional probation for grades or GPA conditions will be allowed one semester to meet the divisional retention standards. A student may only be placed on divisional probation twice (this includes academic and/or professional behavior). The division chair will document and notify the student regarding the conditions of academic and/or professional behavior probation. Students meeting the conditions for all levels of probation will be returned to good standing. Failure to return to good standing will result in the student’s dismissal from the division. Decisions relevant to retention, probation, dismissal, and appeal process do not impact the student’s standing at the college.
Appeal Process:
Students retain the right to appeal all decisions and actions of the Occupational Therapy Division. A student wishing to appeal an action or decision of the faculty must communicate this in writing to the division chair within 10 days from the date of the letter notifying the student of the faculty decision or action. The letter of appeal must contain all of the following elements:
• Those internal and external factors that contributed to the student’s inability to meet the Division of Occupational Therapy’s conditions for remaining in the standing,
• The qualities the student possesses that will enable him/her to be an effective occupational therapist if the occupational therapy faculty rules favorably on the student’s appeal,
• The specific action(s) the student will take to prevent a recurrence of the difficulties that led to the occupational therapy faculty’s decision and action.
• The appeal letter will be reviewed by the Student Review Committee for a determination.
Admission into the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy Program
The rigors of graduate education require that students are well prepared and have demonstrated the professional competencies commensurate with the demands of a master’s level curriculum. In order to enter the graduate phase of occupational therapy education, students must meet the follow conditions:
• Be in good standing within the division meeting all academic and professional behavior standards,
• Completion of Keuka College’s undergraduate degree in occupational science with a cumulative grade-point-average of at least 3.00. Courses cannot be repeated to increase GPA after the bachelor’s degree is completed and conferred,
• Demonstrate professional behaviors as articulated in the Division of Occupational Therapy’s student manual,
• Satisfactory completion of the required eight clinical practice experiences through the Field Period® and fieldwork level I experiences.
• Maintain cumulative GPA of 3.0 during the masters program, and a grade of C+ or higher in all masters courses.