Department of Occupational Therapy Website 

http://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/alliedhealth/ot

Occupational Therapy is a healthcare profession devoted to providing skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all aspects of their lives. Occupational therapists work with persons with acute and chronic physical, psychosocial, mental, and developmental disabilities. An occupational therapist may aid in the growth and development of premature babies; create a learning environment for physically and mentally challenged children; adapt home environments for persons with stroke, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and other disabilities; or create activities that are designed to restore mental health for persons with emotional, mental, or substance abuse problems. Occupational therapy focuses on "skills for the job of living" which includes all of the necessary skills for individuals to "live life to its fullest" and lead independent and satisfying lives.

The Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) is an entry-level professional program designed to enable the student to develop advanced critical reasoning skills and to prepare the graduate for professional practice in a variety of settings. Graduates will also have the capability of assuming responsibilities in the areas of administration, program development, consultation, advocacy, and research in occupational therapy.

The program consists of 114 semester hours and is eight consecutive semesters in length. Courses include a variety of topics and include lectures, hands-on labs with experiential learning, simulation online, and simulation live with standardized patients in our state-of-the-art USA Simulation building. Most courses in the program are web-blended allowing for a combination of in-seat and online learning. Fully online courses are embedded during the last year while students are out at clinical and capstone sites.

Level I Fieldwork

  Students will complete level I fieldwork at various clinical and community sites while taking related coursework. These experiences will enhance student knowledge and understanding of OT practice. Each student will complete three level I fieldwork experiences allowing them to explore a variety of sites and populations.  Students must meet the site-specific requirements to be accepted at that site. Level I fieldwork performance is graded by the onsite supervisor and students must pass these experiences to progress in the coursework. 

Level II Fieldwork

  After completion of all required OT coursework with adequate grades from the first five semesters, students will progress to level II fieldwork. This includes 24 weeks of full-time Level II Fieldwork as required by accreditation standards. OTD students will complete two Level II rotations, 12 weeks each.  Level II Fieldwork is available in a variety of medical and community sites representing a diverse range of learning opportunities for students. All Level II Fieldwork must be completed within 12 months following completion of academic requirements. Students must meet the specific site requirements (immunizations, background checks, drug screens, prior training, etc...) for each clinical fieldwork site to be eligible to attend these sites. Student performance is graded by the onsite supervisor and students must demonstrate adequate performance in a variety of OT skills to pass each rotation. Students must pass both Level II fieldwork rotations to be eligible to progress to the Doctoral Capstone Experience (Capstone) component of the curriculum.

Doctoral Capstone 

  The Doctoral Capstone is an integral part of our OT curriculum. The goal is to provide in-depth exposure to one or more of the following- clinical practice research, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, and theory development. It consists of two parts the capstone project and the capstone experience. The Capstone includes a student-centered project designed through collaboration with faculty and the Capstone setting. Each student will complete an individual capstone project to demonstrate the synthesis and application of newly gained knowledge based on the individualized specific objectives and aligns with our OTD mission and curriculum and also aligns with the needs of the onsite partner. Each student will complete a 14-week capstone experience with a partner agency which must be started after completion of all coursework, Level I and Level II fieldwork, and completion of preparatory activities.  The Capstone must be completed within 12 months following the completion of all academic requirements and Level II fieldwork.

Accreditation

Status: Pre-Accreditation Status

Degree Requirements

The requirements for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate Degree include all of the following:

• Students must pass with grade C or better each course within the OTD program   ** Note the number of C grades allowed is very limited
• Students must complete all 114 graduate credit hours with appropriate grades to meet graduate school and OT department requirements
• All occupational therapy coursework taken prior to Level II Fieldwork must be completed with a grade of "C" or better and a minimum GPA of 3.0 for a student to be eligible to proceed with Level II Fieldwork.
• Level II Fieldwork will be graded as "U" unsatisfactory and "S" as Satisfactory. The onsite supervisor will grade students by utilizing the American Occupational Therapy Association Fieldwork Performance Evaluation. A student will be allowed to withdraw from fieldwork, without penalty, under special circumstances, for example, a serious illness/newly acquired disability. Withdrawal from Level II Fieldwork requires the recommendation of the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and the permission of the Department Chairperson. All repeat fieldwork experiences must be completed within one year.
• If a student fails a Level II Fieldwork course a "U" or unsatisfactory will be recorded as the grade. Students may be required to complete remediation tasks prior to requesting an additional level II FW opportunity. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator will schedule the repeated fieldwork at the earliest available time, but no later than 12 months following the completion of all other prior academic requirements. Students are not allowed to progress to doctoral capstone until successfully completing two level II fieldwork courses.  A student failing to achieve satisfactory passing performance for two out of three attempts of the 12-week fieldwork placements shall be dismissed from the program.
• Students must perform well and complete all aspects of the doctoral capstone and the doctoral capstone project to earn passing grades on these courses as well

**The grading system for graduate-level includes "A", "B", "C", and "F" and F*

Grading and Retention

GPA Policy

A minimum overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program. Any semester in which the OTD student drops below a 3.0, the student is placed on “probationary status” and has a period of two terms to attain a cumulative 3.0 GPA or be dismissed from the Graduate School.

C Grade Policy

The USA OT Department allows a maximum of two final course grades of C or a maximum of 8 credit hours of C that may be counted toward a clinical doctoral degree program. Each student that receives a final course grade of C will be expected to meet with their faculty advisor to determine a remediation plan. Students who acquire a third final course grade of C will be academically dismissed from the program.

Other Grading Policies

Any student who receives an F or F* grade will be academically dismissed from the graduate school.

Dismissal Appeal

Students may appeal dismissal in accordance with the CAHP Appeals Process for Academic Dismissal, but reinstatement is not automatically granted and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Graduation Plan- 114 credit hours, two level II fieldwork rotations, Doctoral Capstone