Occupational Therapy — M.O.T. (Bridge Program)

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.
• Whole-person care, health management, and wellness.
• Evidence-based practice and research.
• Mission-focused community engagement and service.
• Professional citizenship and advocacy.

Clinical Experience

Aligning with the unique mission of Loma Linda University, students in the Master 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 Academic Fieldwork Coordinator works with the student to arrange the fieldwork sites in different settings. 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.

By the end of the program, graduates should be able to:

1. Utilize occupation-based practice to promote life participation, meaning, and health.
2. Embrace values of Whole-person care, Health Management, and Wellness in interventions and service delivery to promote whole-person care.
3. Utilize Evidence Based Practice to guide and inform intervention and Occupational Therapy services
4. Demonstrate Mission-focused Community Engagement & Service through modeling values of LLU and regularly engaging in service
5. Engage in professional citizenship to advocate and serve others in the local community, region, national and international levels with values of compassion, faith, and occupational justice

• Graduated from an AOTA accredited OTA or CAPTE accredited PTA program;
• Current OTA or PTA license in good standing with home state of practice;
• At least 1 year of full-time practice as a COTA or PTA (equivalent to 1,500 hours/avg 30 hrs. per week or more);
• Bachelor's Degree;
• GPA 3.0;
• A grade of B and above required for all prerequisite courses. Grades of B-and below will not be accepted (no time limit).

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.

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. In addition, most facilities require COVID vaccinations. 

Professional registration and certification

Upon satisfactory completion of the occupational therapy M.O.T. degree, including completion of Level II fieldwork within 12 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; NBCOT website. 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 Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) is a Bridge Program at Loma Linda University which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE can be reached via AOTA at (301) 652-AOTA, and more information is available at ACOTE online.  The next accreditation site visit is scheduled in November 2026.

Graduates of the program are eligible to take the national certification exam for occupational therapists, administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Upon passing the exam, individuals earn the title Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR).

Licensure is required in all states to practice and is typically based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Exam.

 Students in the Master of Occupational Therapy Bridge program complete 76 units of coursework which includes 6 months of Level II Fieldwork.

A minimum G.P.A. of 3.00 is required quarterly as well as cumulatively throughout the program. Final grades below 75% or C do not meet the minimum standard for a passing grade in a course.

NORMAL TIME TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM

22 months (7 academic quarters); full-time enrollment required