Occupational Therapy Program
Overview
D’Youville College offers a five-year occupational therapy program leading to a combined bachelor's and master's degree. With approximately 110 students, the program features strong professional involvement and an ongoing curriculum review. The master of science degree in occupational therapy is an entry-level degree created for students with a BA or BS in another area of study. The three-year degree program includes courses in occupational therapy theory and practice, six months of supervised fieldwork, and research.
Fieldwork
The Department of Occupational Therapy has clinical agreements with over 300 hospitals, school systems, rehabilitation centers, mental health sites, and community based facilities across the United States and Canada. International fieldwork options can be pursued. Local sites are available for many fieldwork experiences.
Three levels of fieldwork education are integrated into the occupational therapy curriculum. The first level is comprised of site visits and Level I. Level II fieldwork comprises the second level and Community Practice comprises the third level of clinical fieldwork.
Site Visits
Visits to health care agencies are part of certain entry-level courses. These visits orient the student to a variety of services provided in the local area, focusing on the context in which occupational therapy services are delivered or could be provided.
Level I Fieldwork
Experiences during the academic phase of the program enable students to apply classroom learning in the clinical setting. These experiences are associated with specific intervention courses and place students in various health care arenas with a variety of consumers/patients.
Level II Fieldwork
Level II fieldwork consists of two full-time 12 to 13 week clinical training experiences, (Part-time options are available). Each student treats a wide range of disabilities and age groups. Emphasis is on applying knowledge through in-depth activities, tasks, and the responsibility for delivering health care to patients. Clinical experiences may include acute hospital settings, inpatient psychiatric settings, rehabilitation centers, day treatment centers, nursing homes, school systems, developmental centers, and community health initiatives.
Community Practice
An advanced placement in a community setting or educational environment allows you to explore non-traditional or specialty applications of occupational therapy. Community Practice occurs in the graduate year following fieldwork.
Three levels of fieldwork education are integrated into the occupational therapy curriculum. The first level is comprised of site visits and Level I. Level II fieldwork comprises the second level and Community Practice comprises the third level of clinical fieldwork.
Site Visits
Visits to health care agencies are part of certain entry-level courses. These visits orient the student to a variety of services provided in the local area, focusing on the context in which occupational therapy services are delivered or could be provided.
Level I Fieldwork
Experiences during the academic phase of the program enable students to apply classroom learning in the clinical setting. These experiences are associated with specific intervention courses and place students in various health care arenas with a variety of consumers/patients.
Level II Fieldwork
Level II fieldwork consists of two full-time 12 to 13 week clinical training experiences, (Part-time options are available). Each student treats a wide range of disabilities and age groups. Emphasis is on applying knowledge through in-depth activities, tasks, and the responsibility for delivering health care to patients. Clinical experiences may include acute hospital settings, inpatient psychiatric settings, rehabilitation centers, day treatment centers, nursing homes, school systems, developmental centers, and community health initiatives.
Community Practice
An advanced placement in a community setting or educational environment allows you to explore non-traditional or specialty applications of occupational therapy. Community Practice occurs in the graduate year following fieldwork.
Department Mission Statement
The Occupational Therapy Department provides innovative occupation-based programs with a faculty of scholars and clinicians dedicated to developing highly respected, dynamic practitioners and professional leaders. The OT programs prepare students to assume these roles within educational, medical, and community-based settings. Emphasizing theory, scholarship, clinical skills, and professionalism, the programs foster competencies to meet the challenges of serving people in an ever-changing global environment.
Department Philosophy
In keeping with the philosophical foundation of occupational therapy, the D’Youville College OT department embraces the belief that active engagement in occupation is the vehicle for human development, adaptation and competence. Therefore, occupation is an essential component of wellness and healing in human beings. Furthermore, the department emphasizes the continuous and reciprocal relationship between human occupation and the context in which it is performed.
The OT department takes the position that learning is an ongoing, developmental, dynamic process that builds on prior knowledge and experience, and integrates professional knowledge, practical experience, clinical reasoning, and self-reflection. We promote critical inquiry and an understanding of the importance of the application of theory and research to evidence-based practice and the advancement of the profession.
The department encourages occupational therapists to be advocates for social and occupational justice in their work and in their lives.
The OT department takes the position that learning is an ongoing, developmental, dynamic process that builds on prior knowledge and experience, and integrates professional knowledge, practical experience, clinical reasoning, and self-reflection. We promote critical inquiry and an understanding of the importance of the application of theory and research to evidence-based practice and the advancement of the profession.
The department encourages occupational therapists to be advocates for social and occupational justice in their work and in their lives.