Occupational Therapy — O.T.D. (Entry Level)
Program director
Heather A. Javaherian-Dysinger
Capstone coordinator
Praveen Injeti
Academic fieldwork coordinator
Heather Roese
Transforming lives through occupation, service, and whole-person care.
The Department of Occupational Therapy's mission is to educate future practitioners who:
- Are compassionate, mission-focused, servant leaders who demonstrate excellence and integrity.
- Expand knowledge and practice through research and innovative programming.
- Provide client-centered, occupation-based whole-person care to promote health, wellness, lifestyle, and service at individual, community, and societal levels.
Curricular threads:
- Occupation-based practice.
- Evidence-based practice and research.
- Health, lifestyle, and wellness.
- Mission-focused community engagement and service.
- Advocacy and leadership.
Clinical experience
Aligning with the unique mission of Loma Linda University, students in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program have the opportunity to experience fieldwork in community practices and emerging areas as well as traditional sites. Students participate in three Level I fieldwork experiences, exposing them to different areas of practice to observe and begin building an understanding of occupational therapy practice. In addition, students take part in community-engagement experiences throughout the program, building their sense of service and using their skills to serve and collaborate with community partners.
Each student completes two Level II fieldwork experiences. The fieldwork coordinator works with the student to arrange the fieldwork sites in different settings. The program culminates with the doctoral capstone, which is a 14-week (560 hours) individual experience where the student gains advanced skills in a specific area. Students are responsible for their own transportation and must complete the fieldwork within twenty-four months of the didactic coursework. Students must also complete a background check and any specific facility requirements prior to beginning fieldwork.
CPR certification
Students are required to have current adult and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification for all scheduled clinical experience. All CPR certifications must be completed at a health-care provider level and accredited through the American Heart Association. Classes are available on campus at Life Support Education, University Arts building, 24887 Taylor Street, Suite 102.
Immunizations
For all scheduled fieldwork experience, students are required to have immunizations for MMR, TDAP, hepatitis B series, varicella, as well as a yearly tuberculosis test.
Program goals
Students will:
- Become competent occupational therapy practitioners who are equipped to pass the certification exam and practice in various settings.
- Become experts in the use of their occupation to create innovative programs and services to meet local and societal needs.
- Use research to guide their practice and scholarly contributions to the profession.
- Reflect values of service, faith, and wellness in their personal and professional lives.
Program learning outcomes
By the end of this program, the graduate should be able to:
- Utilize occupation-based practice to promote life participation, meaning, and health.
- Embrace values of health, lifestyle, and wellness in interventions and service delivery to promote whole-person care.
- Utilize evidence-based practice to guide and inform intervention and occupational therapy services.
- Demonstrate mission-focused community engagement and service.
- Engage in leadership and advocacy to serve others at the local community, regional, national, and international levels with values of compassion, faith, and occupational justice.
Professional registration and certification
Upon satisfactory completion of the occupational therapy entry-level O.T.D. degree—including completion of Level II fieldwork within 24 months of completing academic preparation, completion of the doctoral capstone, and upon recommendation of the faculty, the graduate is eligible to take the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). The board offers computerized examinations on demand throughout the year. After successful completion of this examination, the individual will be a registered occupational therapist (OTR).
Many states require licensure in order to practice. The student should consult the Occupational Therapy Board for the state in which they plan to practice. The American Occupational Therapy Association provides recognition essential to the practice of occupational therapy in the United States and most foreign countries.
When graduates apply to write the certification examination with NBCOT, they will be asked to answer questions related to the topic of felonies. Felony convictions may affect a candidate's ability to sit for the national certification examination or obtain state licensure. For further information on these limitations, contact NBCOT at: 1 Bank Street, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; telephone: 301/990-7979; website: nbcot.org. Graduates practicing in the state of California must acquire licensure from the California Board of Occupational Therapy. For further information, contact CBOT at 916/263-2294; email: cbot@dca.ca.gov. The office address is: 1610 Arden Way, Suite 121, Sacramento, CA 95815.
The Entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation, and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates 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).
The Master of Occupational Therapy Program is on inactive status with ACOTE as the program is transitioning to the entry-level Doctor of Occupation Therapy.
The Master of Occupational Therapy Program was re-accredited in May 2013, with a full 10-year accreditation status through May 2023, by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929; telephone: 301/652-AOTA; website: www.acoteonline.org.
The program is currently in an inactive status, is closed to admissions, and is in a teach-out mode.
Admission is based on a selective process. In addition to Loma Linda University and School of Allied Health Professions admissions requirements, the applicant must also complete the following requirements:
- Earned a prior bachelor's degree in any major from an accredited college or university.
- A minimum science prerequisite G.P.A. of 3.20, and a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.20.
- Complete program prerequisites no later than December of the year prior to submission of an application.
- Complete observation experience—a minimum of 40 hours of documented observation in occupational therapy settings is required before application will be considered for admission.
Prerequisites
The applicant must complete the following subject requirements at an accredited college or university:
Human anatomy*
Human physiology*
Human lifespan development
Statistics*
Medical terminology
* Courses must have been taken within 5 years prior to application to our program.
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Summer Quarter | Units | |
AHCJ 510 | Human Gross Anatomy | 9 |
OCTH 501 | Professional Foundations I | 3 |
OCTH 505 | Occupation-Based Activity Analysis | 3 |
OCTH 701 | Service in Occupational Therapy Practice | 1 |
Autumn Quarter | ||
AHCJ 524 | Pharmacology | 1 |
OCTH 502 | Professional Foundations II: Human Occupation | 3 |
OCTH 510 | Functional Kinesiology | 1 |
OCTH 513 | Professional Foundations III: Documentation | 1 |
OCTH 514 | Conditions in Occupational Therapy: Behavioral Health | 4 |
OCTH 522 | Analysis and Intervention: Behavioral Health | 3 |
Winter Quarter | ||
AHCJ 705 | Infectious Disease and the Health Care Provider | 1 |
OCTH 506 | Functional Neuroscience | 3 |
OCTH 508 | Splinting | 1 |
OCTH 511 | Conditions in Occupational Therapy: Orthopedic | 4 |
OCTH 521 | Analysis and Intervention I: Orthopedic | 3 |
RELR 776 | Christian Spirituality and the Health Professional | 2 |
Spring Quarter | ||
OCTH 507 | Trends in Neuroscience | 2 |
OCTH 512 | Conditions in Occupational Therapy: Neuroscience | 4 |
OCTH 523 | Analysis and Intervention: Neuroscience | 3 |
OCTH 530 | Introduction to Neuro Theories and Techniques | 1 |
OCTH 570 | Critical Inquiry and Evidence-Based Practice I | 1 |
OCTH 712 | Level I Fieldwork | 1 |
Second Year | ||
Summer Quarter | ||
OCTH 504 | Professional Foundations IV | 1 |
OCTH 509 | Design and Technology | 2 |
OCTH 574 | Critical Inquiry and Evidence-Based Practice II | 3 |
RELE 707 | Ethics for Allied Health Professionals | 3 |
Elective | 1 | |
Autumn Quarter | ||
OCTH 515 | Conditions in Occupational Therapy: Infants, Children, Youth | 4 |
OCTH 524 | Analysis and Intervention: Infants, Children, Youth | 3 |
OCTH 534 | Introduction to Sensory Processing | 1 |
OCTH 545 | Current Trends in Occupational Therapy Practice | 2 |
OCTH 551 | Occupation and Wellness | 2 |
Winter Quarter | ||
OCTH 516 | Conditions in Occupational Therapy: General Medicine | 4 |
OCTH 517 | Introduction to Physical Agent Modalities | 1 |
OCTH 527 | Analysis and Intervention: General Medicine | 3 |
OCTH 575 | Critical Inquiry and Evidence-based Practice III | 2 |
OCTH 713 | Level I Fieldwork | 1 |
Spring Quarter | ||
OCTH 580 | Capstone Planning I | 1 |
OCTH 721 | Level II Fieldwork Experience 1 | 8 |
Third Year | ||
Summer Quarter | ||
OCTH 552 | Professional Transition | 3 |
OCTH 560 | Occupational Therapy Advocacy and Leadership | 3 |
OCTH 576 | Critical Inquiry and Evidence-based Practice IV | 3 |
OCTH 581 | Capstone Planning II: Proposal | 1 |
RELT 740 | World Religions and Human Health | 3 |
Autumn Quarter | ||
OCTH 722 | Level II Fieldwork Experience 2 | 8 |
Winter Quarter | ||
OCTH 582 | Capstone Experience & Project I | 3 |
OCTH 585 | Teaching and Learning Lab | 1 |
OCTH 586 | Business & Entrepreneurship | 2 |
OCTH 605 | Education for Health Professionals | 3 |
Spring Quarter | ||
OCTH 583 | Capstone Experience & Project II | 6 |
Total Units: | 133 |
- 1
Fulfills service learning requirement
A minimum G.P.A. of 3.00 is required quarterly as well as cumulatively throughout the program.
Normal time to complete the program
Three (3) years (10 academic quarters); full-time enrollment required