Western New England University is pleased to announce that the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) has voted to grant Status of Accreditation to the Western New England University Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program. The program, which launched in the fall of 2016 with ACOTE candidacy status, is now fully accredited for the next seven years.
"We started with a vision to be the first entry-level doctor of occupational therapy program implemented and accredited in Western Massachusetts," said Cathy A. Dow-Royer, Ed.D., OTR/L, who is the Chair and Founding Program Director of Occupational Therapy at the University. "Although this vision is now a reality, it could not have occurred without the professional integrity, intellectual dedication, collective competence, and work ethic of the faculty membership, and our instructional and administrative support staff."
Seven year review cycles are granted to those programs that have no areas of noncompliance and have demonstrated exceptional educational quality. In the Report of On-Site Evaluation (ROSE), the ACOTE on-site team described the WNE Program as being "… a state-of-the-art program that is unique, high quality, and cohesive."
ACOTE Accreditation means that graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR).
For more information about the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at Western New England University, visit the website at wne.edu/pharmacy-and-health-sciences/academics/otd/.
