Occupational Therapy is a health/rehabilitation profession whose practitioners work in a wide variety of settings including acute care hospitals, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric hospitals, community mental health facilities, schools, and nursing homes, to name a few. This profession contributes to the physical and emotional independence; and the well being of an individual or group of people through the selection of occupations or activities from everyday life that have meaning and purpose to the individual. This enables the individual to gain, regain, enhance, or prevent loss of habits, skills, tasks, routines or roles that the individual has performed in the past, or is learning to perform in order to participate fully as a contributing member of his or her community or personal environment. Occupational therapists provide services and programs for people of all ages who have physical, emotional, social, or developmental problems. Occupational therapy involves finding the right occupations or activities, designing the right environment, or creating the right opportunities for experiences that lead towards health, independence of function and the prevention of dysfunction.
Occupational Therapy Program
The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the:
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814-3425; Tel:(301) 652-2682.
Graduates of the Program will be able to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the:
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), 800 South Frederick Avenue, Suite 200, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150; Tel:(301) 990-7979.
After successful completion of (6) six months of full time fieldwork experience ( field experiences must be completed within 24 months of graduation) in an occupational therapy program and passing the NBCOT exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). Most states require licensure in order 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 certification exam or attain state licensure.
Tuskegee University offers a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. This program is designed to prepare students in:
* Occupational Science
* Biological and Behavioral Sciences
* Health/Rehabilitation Services
* Human Developmental Processes
* Evaluation and Analysis of Specific Life Tasks and Occupations
* Therapeutic Processes and Procedures
* Professional Communication and Management
* Scholarly Activities Related to Research and Evidence Based Practice
The Occupational Therapy student must possess the ability to: * Travel to community training locations for instruction, observation and/or evaluation
* Comprehend, analyze, integrate and synthesize general and technical information, ideas and concepts presented in written, audio and visual forms
* Apply basic principles and concepts in business, bioethics and the social, behavioral, psychological, physical and biological sciences to the logical solution of problems in the field of occupational therapy
* Function effectively, efficiently and flexibly under stress and changing conditions
* Objectively observe and evaluate conditions and/or practices related to occupational therapy
* Display mature, ethical judgment in decision making
* Set up,adapt, and utilize a variety of media, occupations and equipment for therapeutic intervention among a diverse population
* Understand and utilize evidence based practice in occupational therapy
* Design and implement beginning level research studies
* Understand and utilize evidence based practice in occupational therapy
* Participate in and understand the value of scholarly activities
* Understand the process of securing grants.
