Doctor of Occupational Therapy

Learn more about applying to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program and our admissions process, requirements, and deadlines. To apply, candidates may submit an application for admission via the OTCAS Application.

Students need only have a bachelor’s degree to begin in the program. The comprehensive learner-centered educational program fosters critical thinking skills; embraces professionalism; and instills a commitment to lifelong learning, community service, and leadership.

The OTD program at Western New England University is responding to the national and international call for changing the way healthcare is delivered and the way healthcare professionals are educated by emphasizing:

• population health perspectives that focus on community, health, wellness and prevention, and health literacy;
• innovative interprofessional practice models in traditional and community-based health settings that focus on collaborative teams;
• interprofessional education/practice research applications that permit faculty and students to develop as applied scholars of teaching and practice; and
• practitioner, leader, and scholar roles and competencies to revolutionize the delivery of inclusive, equitable, client-centered, evidence-based, culturally-competent, and distinctive occupational therapy.

Rapidly changing healthcare systems are demanding more of entry-level practitioners. The OTD curriculum is meeting this call, by providing academic preparation beyond a generalist level, including advanced graduate knowledge, skills, and fieldwork/experiential opportunities. The OTD program is completed over 8 consecutive semesters, including summers. The 109 credit curriculum will include:

• Level I Fieldwork (70-140 hours)
• Level II Fieldwork (960 hours)
• Doctoral Experiential (560 hours)

The program combines opportunities for classroom learning, the development of performance laboratory skills, and on-site practice experience (i.e. Level I & Level II Fieldwork). The program integrates sequential course content with a series of 5 Level I Fieldwork experiences (Year One and Two), providing a strong foundation for Level II Fieldwork (Semester 6 & 7), and the Doctoral Experiential (Semester 8).

The curriculum design includes four primary professional themes: Leadership; Scholarship; Clinical Excellence; and Autonomy/Identity. Evolving from these broad themes are the core interwoven threads upon which the curriculum is built. The threads are: Interprofessional Education/Practice; Information/Assistive Technology; Health, Literacy, Diversity and Cultural Competence; and Population/Community-Based Health Practices.

The structure and content of the OTD curriculum fosters an understanding of the development of occupations across the lifespan and in a variety of contexts, e.g., environmental, virtual, and spiritual. Woven throughout the curriculum are components of the occupational therapy process, including occupation, research and evidence-based practice, client centered practice, ethics, cultural competence, evaluation, treatment, management of OT services, service delivery, and clinical skills. In addition, a series of course sequences are designed to tie the threads into a complete doctoral curriculum. The course sequences include: Occupational Performance (2 adult/aging courses, 2 pediatric courses, 2 lifespan courses) Population Health and Interprofessional Practice (2 courses); Research /Evidence-Based Practice 1 and 2; Level I fieldwork 1 through 5; Level II Fieldwork 1 and 2; and Doctoral Experiential Development and Mentorship 1 through 4.

Graduation Requirements

Eligibility for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree requires that students remain in good standing in the academic program by maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, meeting didactic course grade requirements (B- minimum), and passing Level I and Level II fieldwork courses and the doctoral experiential residency courses (pass/fail). In addition, students must satisfactorily complete Level II fieldwork and doctoral experiential implementation courses within 18 months following the completion of the last didactic courses in the curriculum. Furthermore, students must meet the COPHS standard for being of “good moral character,” and must fulfill their university obligations for payment of tuition, fees, and other costs.

Student Outcomes

*As of August 15, 2022 

 NBCOT Certification Exam Results:

In accordance with ACOTE Standard A.4.2, NBCOT data are calculated and reported by calendar year for new graduates passing the exam within one year of graduation. NBCOT calculates pass rate by calendar year (January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020) rather than by graduating class.

Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) are available online at https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance.

Phone: 301-990-7979

Email: info@nbcot.org

Address:
One Bank Street
Suite 300
Gaithersburg, MD 20878

Graduates of the 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). After successful completion of this exam, the graduate will be an occupational therapist, registered (OTR). In addition, most states have licensure laws requiring OTs and OTAs to be licensed in order to practice (a few have certification or registration by state agencies). 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.

While the laws and procedures are similar in each state, they are not identical. The process for obtaining a license in the state or states in which an individual may wish to work can be found through the state occupational therapy regulatory agency. The AOTA website has a link to the state boards here. In order to obtain a license, individuals must:

• Graduate from an accredited educational program
• Complete the required fieldwork
• Apply for and pass the NBCOT exam
• Apply for a state license and pay a fee for each state/jurisdiction in which the individual wishes to practice or be licensed

For additional state-specific licensure disclosure information, please refer to the WNE Licensure and Certification Disclosures webpage.

The OTD program employs an administrative and faculty team who hold doctoral degrees. Our experienced clinicians in occupational therapy practice are scholars who are adding to the growing body of disciplinary knowledge. Faculty at Western New England University is renowned for its commitment to individualized student learning and faculty availability to support the learning process.

Three newly constructed, spacious laboratories for the OTD program are equipped with academic technology that reflects the focus on technology in health care education and practice. The technology in each laboratory space includes:

• computer-based course delivery that can be viewed from multiple 80” smart TV screens;
• voice lecture capture for learners to visually review power point presentations and listen to the faculty lecture;
• video capture of faculty/learner demonstrations for reviewing in preparation for examinations and laboratory practica;
• digital document cameras to project hard copies of instructional materials; and
• Blu-Ray/DVD players to project purchased instructional materials.

The occupational therapy children/youth and adult/aging performance and participation laboratories are specifically designed to provide applied graduate learning opportunities in realistic environments that simulate hospital rooms, pediatric settings, outpatient rehabilitation centers, nursing facilities, community-based practice agencies, etc. The laboratories offer graduate learners the opportunity to rehearse evaluations and practice interventions for clients with health conditions and diseases including multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure, autism, stroke, cerebral palsy, intellectual and learning disabilities, arthritis, neurocognitive disorders, etc. Using client-centered and evidence-based assessment tools, therapy equipment and supplies, graduate learners experience what it is like to:

• measure and develop interventions to reduce deficits in functional use that result from impairments in posture control, movement, sensations, balance, visual-perception, cognition, mood, etc.;
• collect data on barriers to life performance and provide strategies to assist in the areas of dressing and hygiene, cooking and home maintenance, work, play and leisure activities, social/cultural participation, etc.
• monitor and manage post-operative wound care;
• evaluate the environment and set goals for classroom participation for children in wheelchairs;
• choose and apply appropriate thermal or electrical modalities;
• assess feeding/eating and provide parental support for at-risk infants and young children;
• select and fabricate splints to mobilize the hand/wrist;
• observe balance and develop planning to support safe community mobility in the well elderly population.