Learning Opportunities in Occupational Therapy
Hands-on learning is a major part of the DrOT and MOT programs. You will learn how to be effective in hands-on therapy, to provide expert consultation, and to design home programs for families and caregivers. All students will have the opportunity to participate in experience-based curriculum at off-campus training sites.
Learn by Doing
At University of the Sciences, you don’t have to wait to begin experiencing what it’s like to be an occupational therapist. From the beginning, class work is fully blended with hands-on learning.
- You’ll be in the field nearly every semester, learning through doing.
- You’ll enhance your knowledge base through hands-on involvement.
- Class sizes are small, so you’ll get personal attention during lectures and in labs.
- You’ll have valuable opportunities to interact and communicate with nationally recognized faculty and fellow students.
- You’ll learn in a friendly, supportive environment.
Clinical Fieldwork
To help you implement your class work, you will have an opportunity to participate in fieldwork experiences one day per week starting in your third year. You’ll complete two 3-month clinical internships, working with patients of all ages from infants to the elderly. DrOT students complete an additional 4-month rotation, which will complement your specialty area, either community-based practice or leadership.
During your fieldwork, you may work with clients in a variety of settings, such as:
- Community centers
- Preschool and kindergarten through grade 12 settings
- Community outreach programs
- Long-term care residences
- Hospitals
- Rehabilitation centers
- Therapeutic equestrian programs
- Client homes
- Senior centers
Effective Summer, 2013 you will be expected to secure your own transportation to and from your fieldwork sites. You will also be required to do one of your Fieldwork Level II experiences out of the Philadelphia area, defined as 100 miles or more away from the USciences campus. If you have extenuating circumstances and feel you cannot travel for any Level II experiences, there is a process whereby you may petition the faculty for an exemption to this policy. Petitions are considered on a case by case basis.
Doctoral Research or Project
Students in the final year of the DrOT program participate in either research to enhance the practice of occupational therapy or a project to explore a specific area of OT. Your research or project, as well as your clinical practice, will be geared to the specialized track you choose (community-based practice or leadership).
Grants and Community Partnerships
Through grants and community partnerships our OT students have:
- Developed activities to improve the lives of intellectually and developmentally challenged people at an occupational training center.
- Organized a health and safety fair for children and their families in a disadvantaged community.
- Observed and interacted with preschool children and designed, created, and implemented a community garden for them.
- Developed a health and wellness program for seniors in independent- and assisted-living facilities.
- Developed and participated in summer camps that focused on quality of life for women impacted with cancer.
Learning Outcomes
Each program at the University has developed student learning goals. Graduates of the occupational therapy program will achieve these learning outcomes.
Additional Information
Occupational therapy students must consistently demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, the physical, emotional and cognitive essential functions and technical standards that are necessary for successful completion of the Occupational Therapy Programs at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.