The Profession

"Occupation" can be considered those everyday things people do to occupy themselves, including looking after themselves, caring for a loved one, enjoying life, doing the things they want to do, and contributing to the social and economic well-being of their neighbors and communities.

The Occupational Therapist provides rehabilitative services to persons with physical, developmental, or mental disabilities. The goal of therapy is to enable clients to function as independently as possible in the areas of self-care, work and leisure. They may help a disabled homemaker learn how to perform household tasks, teach a child how to manipulate a toy, or perhaps help an injured worker return to work by improving hand strength and coordination.

The key to success of the occupational therapy process is the ability to establish rapport with the patient. Those best suited for this profession are those who genuinely like people and can relate to both individuals and small groups. Since this is a profession without a set of ready-made answers for every situation, the potential student must be flexible, creative and a good problem solver.

The focus of occupational therapy is on performances in areas of daily living, work and productivity, play or leisure, cognition and social interactions. These areas require individualized care and empathy in the provision of client centered services to integrate performance, roles, and contexts. The health care system is complex and ever evolving. Therefore, the occupational therapy educational philosophy is also a dynamic and open system that allows for learning progression and evolution as new knowledge, skills, and technologies are acquired.

The Program

The purpose of the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is to prepare competent, entry-level occupational therapy practitioners to provide holistic care to individuals and families. The program is grounded in Christian principles, organized in a progressive manner, and built on a solid foundation of arts and sciences. The curriculum for the Master of Science Degree Program is a 27-month degree consisting of 7 full-time trimesters created to prepare students as generalists in the field of OT. During these terms, students will participate in a variety of fieldwork experiences that expose them to a number of settings offering occupational therapy. Graduates of the program will be eligible to apply for the NBCOT Certification Exam.

Facilities

The Occupational Therapy Lab has been designed to simulate typical occupational therapy clinics in a variety of settings. The Lab includes kitchen, bathroom areas, and laundry areas, complete with adaptive equipment and devices commonly recommended for occupational therapy patients. In the Lab, the student gains experience and comfort in working in these environments with equipment and materials they will ultimately use in a clinic setting.

Admission Requirements

The successful applicant will:

1. Meet General Graduate Studies admission requirements.
2. Provide evidence of satisfactory health and immunization requirements.
3. Possess the ability to meet mental and physical requirements.
4. Present evidence of having earned a Bachelors degree from a regionally accredited institution.
5. Present current official transcripts from all undergraduate and/or graduate institutions attended. Transcripts will be considered official only when received directly from the institution and not hand-delivered by the applicant or faxed by the institution attended. Official transcripts are also needed for each College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), and/or International Baccalaureate (IB) examination taken.
6. Present a minimum undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
7. Present an official copy of a satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) taken within the last 5 years. GRE or MAT scores on college transcripts are also acceptable.
8. Provide an essay outlining reasons for choosing to become an occupational therapist, experiences or interactions you have had with an occupational therapist, reasons for choosing to attend a faith-based institution, and why you have specifically chosen ADU.
9. Provide three recommendations using ADU forms. Recommendations from friends or family members are not accepted.
10. Pass satisfactory criminal background checks for each state where the applicant has resided in the 24-month period preceding the date of admission to ADU.
11. Pay an application fee of $100.00.
12. Successfully complete the interview process (interviews are by invitation only).
13. Pay a non-refundable deposit of $500.00, once admitted, to reserve a place in the program.¹
    Note: Due to the competitive nature of the admission process applicants should understand that meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admission into the program. Also, applicants will be screened and the most qualified individuals will be invited for an interview.

¹ The ADU Academic Bulletin states that each applicant accepted to a professional program must pay a non-refundable $500.00 deposit to reserve his or her place in the program. Once the student is enrolled in the program, the deposit will be applied toward the student's account. If an individual does not enroll, he or she will forfeit the deposit.

Accreditation

Adventist University of Health Sciences is accredited to award Master's, Bachelor's, and Associate of Science degrees and certificates by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, 404-679-4500. The University is also accredited by the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges and Universities.

The entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program at Adventist University of Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its Web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program 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). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Admission Process

Students must first meet graduate admission requirements and be accepted to the University before they are eligible to be accepted into the Occupational Therapy Program. Acceptance to the University does not guarantee acceptance to the Occupational Therapy Program. Completed application files are reviewed by the Occupational TherapyAdmission Committee. An applicant's file should be complete and contain the official required documents by the March 1 deadline. The program begins each Fall trimester.

Transfer Policy

Occupational therapy courses must be taken at Adventist University of Health Sciences. Professional courses taken at other institutions are not transferable for this degree.

Health Assessment, Immunizations, and CPR Requirements

The health assessment and immunizations must be current. Refer to the current Academic Bulletin for a listing of the requirements.

Laptop Computer and Software Bundle Requirement

Adventist University of Health Sciences is a laptop campus. Each student must have a laptop that meets the university criteria. This can be found in the Software and Hardware Requirements section in the Academic Bulletin. Students are responsible for the purchase, care, and updates necessary for course requirements.

Background Check

ADU will conduct a background check on all students before they will be allowed to practice in the clinical setting. Any student convicted of a felony may not be allowed to practice at Florida Hospital.