(effective June 1, 2007)

Graduate Studies in Occupational Therapy
Jack Williams, Dean, College of Health Sciences
Ruth S. Ford, Associate Dean and Chair, School of Occupational Therapy

Ruth S. Ford, Yvette C. Hachtel, Lorry Liotta-Kleinfeld, Christine Manville, Scott D. McPhee, Teresa Plummer, Jeanne Sowers, Marsey Waller, Sue Young, Mary Dietrich*, Ann Eubank*, Tamara Garvey*, Chris Golden*, Patricia Harvey*, Gayle Hoesel*, Kathy Pire-Benton*, Heather Swanger*, Beth Sykes*, and Pauline Kimbro.
*Part-time

School of Occupational Therapy Vision
The School of Occupational Therapy's vision is to offer a comprehensive education to graduate students in a Christian environment, preparing them to become and continue to be occupational therapy practitioners who are committed to life-long learning, service and advocacy.

School of Occupational Therapy Mission

The school of Occupational Therapy provides comprehensive graduate education within a Christian, learning environment to enable students from diverse backgrounds to positively impact the community at large and enhance the human condition through appreciation of diversity, problem-solving, and utility of meaningful and purposeful occupations.

In achieving its mission, and that of the university, the School of Occupational Therapy provides:

1. Comprehensive, student-centered programs that encompass the scope of practice of occupational therapy and build upon the students' liberal arts and science foundational knowledge, their understanding of issues related to globalism and diversity as preparation for practice.

2. A Christian learning environment that promotes and assists in developing professional behaviors that incorporate the values and attitudes of excellence, caring, honesty, and respect that are consistent with the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for the American Occupational Therapy Association.

3. Didactic, laboratory, and clinical experiences that provide exposure to a broad range of traditional and emerging healthcare and human service delivery models

4. Exposure to basic skills associated with the potential varied roles of an occupation therapist as a direct care provider, consultant, educator, manager, leader, researcher and advocate for the profession and the consumer.

5. Opportunities to prepare the student to be a self-directed life long learner by encouraging independent inquiry, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, self reflection, and self- assessment.

6. To provide a foundation in occupational therapy research allowing the student to be an effective consumer of the latest research and knowledge bases that undergrid practice and contribute to the growth and dissemination of research and knowledge.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate - OTD Program

The occupational therapy curriculum is designed in such a way as to reflect the values and intent of the profession. Based upon the profession's philosophy, the university's vision and the program's mission, the curriculum, which includes both didactic clinical fieldwork components, and residency provides a learning experience that will prepare Belmont University graduates to enter various service delivery arenas. Students follow a structured, integrated sequence of learning experiences that prepares them as an entry-level generalist and a 16 week residency, allows the individual student to develop an area of advanced practice. Building upon a student's liberal arts education, the School of Occupational Therapy's main objective is to provide a professional graduate program that will prepare graduates to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of and implement the occupational therapy process model to include the ability to:
a) establish a therapeutic relationship with clients
b) evaluate clients using interview, observation, and assessment tools
c) identify problems appropriate for occupational therapy intervention and document an intervention plan.
d) effectively and efficiently implement client intervention
e) supervise the implementation of client intervention
f) consult and participate in health care planning
g) critique research

2. Plan for future professional development

3. Provide community and professional service and leadership

4. Express themselves clearly and persuasively in both written and verbal communication

5. Ascribe to a standard of ethical conduct in their personal and professional lives

6. Contribute to research and scholarly activities

7. Advocate for individual to population based needs through program development, community involvement, and policy development.

Accreditation

The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220. AOTA's phone number is (301) 652-AOTA.

Graduates are able 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 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.

Phi Theta Epsilon

Pi Theta Epsilon is the national academic honor society for occupational therapy students and alumni. This society recognizes and encourages superior scholarship among students enrolled in professional entry-level occupational therapy programs at accredited schools across the United States. The honor society chapter on Belmont University's campus is Beta Upsilon.

Student Organization

The Belmont Student Occupational Therapy Association (BSOTA) promotes increased awareness of the profession and assists occupational therapy students in their development as young professionals by encouraging participation in research projects and working with advocates to impact health care at the local and national levels. Membership is open to all students enrolled in the occupational therapy program.

Requirement for Admission to Occupational Therapy Graduate Programs

Admission to the Occupational Therapy Doctorate or Master of Science in Occupational Therapy degree programs is based on qualifications and space availability. Admission is awarded without regard to sex, race, color, age, religion, national origin, or handicap.

Admission to the Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Degree Program

Applicants to the professional Occupational Therapy doctorate degree program must have completed or shown evidence of substantial work toward the following in order to be considered for admission:

Applicants who already have an undergraduate degree must have:

1. A baccalaureate degree in a field or major other than occupational therapy, from an accredited college or university. The recommended grade point average is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
2. An acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the past five years. A combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE is recommended. GRE score reports should be forwarded to Belmont University from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Please specify Institution Code 1058 and School Code 0618 to the ETS.

Those students who are currently applying under the old 3+3 program have until Fall 2009 to be accepted into the program. You are advised to meet with the Associate Dean and OTD Program Director, Dr. Ruth Ford, 615-460-6708, for further details and to obtain a written letter of agreement.

Two letters of reference; at least one must be from a health care professional, preferably an occupational therapist. The person making the recommendation should mail these letters, using the forms provided.

Demonstration of familiarity with occupational therapy in the form of 50 hours of observational, volunteer experiences or prior work experience in occupational therapy. These hours do not have to be completed prior to the application process but must be completed before the start of occupational therapy classes.

A one page, handwritten essay explaining what becoming an occupational therapist means to you, based on your experience with occupational therapy.

Prerequisite course content areas are as follows:

1. Applicants are required to complete a minimum number of required courses before their admissions to the occupational therapy program. These are human anatomy, human physiology, statistics, biology, medical terminology, introduction to psychology, introduction to sociology/anthropology, and abnormal psychology. Human anatomy and human physiology can be completed as anatomy and physiology I and II respectively. Note that grades less than "B" are unacceptable for required prerequisite courses. Those students receiving a "C" or lower will need to retake that course prior to admission to the program.
2. Applicants are strongly recommended to have taken a class in human growth and development.
3. Other classes that have been found helpful to occupational therapy students include physics, effective writing, public speaking, and computer literacy.
   

The Admissions Committee can make a recommendation of : full, conditional, or denial of admission. Applicants who do not meet GPA requirements or GRE recommendations for full admission status, but who meet all other requirements may be offered conditional admission. The conditions of acceptance will be rendered to the applicant in writing.

The application deadline for early decision is January 1st of the entry year. The application deadline for regular admission is MArch 15th. Those applying after these dates will be contacted for subsequent class application.

A non-refundable $50.00 application fee must accompany all application materials. Checks should be made out to Belmont University. Admission to the Program is based on qualifications and space availability. Applications are not acted upon until all required materials have been received. A maximum of 32 students are admitted into the OTD Program each year. It is in the best interest of prospective students to complete their application early because of the limited number of positions in the class. Completed applications will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee and a written determination of their status will be mailed to the student. Competitive applicants who are still in the process of completing their admission requirements (pre-requisites, observation hours, etc) may be eligible for conditional acceptance however the conditional acceptance will be rescinded if all requirements are not completed by August 1 prior to the fall semester for which the student is applying.

Please note: If you are accepted in the OTD program, you will be required to be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR for infant, child and adult) and first aid training. You will also be required to submit results of a criminal background check. Background check information will be mailed to you in the summer preceding your first semester.

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