Occupational Therapy, M.O.T. (CIP 51.2306)

Minimum Requirements for Admission

Admission to the Occupational Therapy program is on a competitive basis and preference is given to Louisiana residents. The following are the minimum admission requirements for application to the program:

1. Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university by the first day of class in the OT program.
2. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and a GPA of 3.2 for prerequisite courses by the application deadline.
3. Completion and submission of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) from within the last five (5) years by the application deadline. The Minimum GRE requirements are a Verbal Reasoning score of 146, Quantitative Reasoning Score of 140, and 4.0 on the Analytical Writing.
4. Grade of “C” or better in the following required prerequisite courses from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university by the first day of class in the OT program:
   • Abnormal Psychology (3 credits)
   • Human Anatomy/Lab (4)
   • General Chemistry (3)
   • Developmental Psychology (lifespan) (3)
   • Inferential Statistics (3)
   • Motor Development (3)
   • General Physics or Bio-mechanics/Lab (4)
   • Human Physiology (3)
   • Introduction to Sociology (3)
5. Eighty percent (80%) of the prerequisite courses must be completed by December 31st of the year of application.
6. Applicants must acquire a minimum of 40 observation hours and document the hours using the OT Document of Experience form by the application deadline. The occupational therapy areas of practice MUST include: a) 20 hours in a pediatric setting under one pediatric LOTR; and b) 20 hours in an adult inpatient rehabilitation setting under one adult rehabilitation LOTR.
7. Selected applicants will be contacted to arrange an interview.
8. Accepted applicants must be certify that they meet the technical standards established by the program with or without reasonable accommodations.

Technical Standards for Occupational Therapy

Technical standards are essential abilities and characteristics required for admission, progression, and graduation from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions. The following standards consist of certain minimum physical and cognitive abilities and sufficient mental and emotional stability to assure that students are able to complete the entire course of study and participate fully in all aspects of the academic and clinical curriculum, with or without reasonable accommodations:

Intellectual Ability and Problem Solving:

An occupational therapy student must possess the ability to:

• Understand, remember and synthesize information from a variety of sources and to make logical decisions based on that information, often in the moment, resulting in effective and efficient solutions.
• Apply complex theoretical concepts to real world problems, adapting solutions according to environmental feedback.
• Generate numerous alternative solutions to problems.
• Guide one’s own learning through reading and other forms of self-instruction.
• Write coherently, objectively and succinctly without spelling and grammatical errors consistent with APA guidelines.

Sensation/Observation:

• Hearing and vision within functional range (ability to hear soft voices, attend to signs of distress in client, to read small print, etc.).
• Ability to regulate tactile, vestibular and olfactory input from the environment
• Ability to attend to details consistently with distractions.
• Comfortable with being touched and touching others.
• Ability to perceive proprioceptive, tactile, and sensory input from clients in order to complete evaluations and treatment.

Body Function:

• Sufficient strength and endurance for moderate to strenuous activity 8 hours a day.
• Ability to lift 20 lbs. independently from floor to overhead.
• Ability to perform 50% of a physical transfer of client up to 200 lbs. with assistance or assistive device, from bed, tub seat or wheelchair.
• Sufficient motor planning skills to navigate complex healthcare environment safely.
• Sufficient manual dexterity to use evaluation tools, splinting materials, adaptive equipment, etc.

Emotional Regulation and Communication:

An occupational therapy student must possess the ability to:

• Manage and monitor own behaviors through self-reflection.
• Organize and manage time in order to complete educational and clinical responsibilities.
• Cope with stressful situations including assignment deadlines, constructive feedback from faculty and peers, public speaking, changing environments and schedules, emotionally laden interactions with clients, etc.
• Willingly to work with a diverse client population including persons of various ages, disabilities, sexual preferences, ethnic, racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Identify and interpret emotional affect, nonverbal cues, and response to intervention by individual clients and groups of clients.
• Communicate (verbally, non-verbally, and in writing) professionally in English with clients/patients, family members, caregivers, faculty, and colleagues. Acknowledge and respect individual values and opinions to foster harmonious working relationships.

Professional:

An occupational therapy student must possess the ability to:

• Abide by the American Occupational Therapy Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice: www.aota.org.
• Maintain CPR certification.
• Abide by the program’s professional dress code and professional development policy outlined in the LSUHSC-S Master of Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Experience Manual.
• Comply with program requirement to complete one three month fieldwork out of state and to arrange transportation and living accommodations for all fieldwork assignments in a timely fashion, accept all fieldwork placements as scheduled by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, abide by all policies in the LSUHSC-S Master of Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Experience Manual.
• Comply with the full tuition of fieldwork courses.

LSUHSC-S seeks to comply with the American with Disabilities Act by providing reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability, or pregnancy complications resulting in difficulties with accessing learning opportunities.

It is the responsibility of a student with a disability (or a student who develops a disability) and who needs accommodations to contact the School of Allied Health Professions Admissions and Records Office to initiate the procedure for requesting accommodations and provide adequate documentation of the general nature and extent of the disability and the functional limitations to be accommodated. All requests are reviewed by school’s ADA Officer to determine what reasonable accommodations, if any, are appropriate for the student.

For further information, please view the LSUHSC-S Student Policy for Requesting Accommodations.

Method of Application

Procedures for applying for admission to the Occupational Therapy program are as follows:

1. The LSUHSC-S Occupational Therapy program accepts applications for admission via the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). The Occupational Therapy website has further instructions.
2. Selected applicants will participate in an admissions interview and the action taken by the Admissions Committee will be forwarded in writing to the applicant.
3. Accepted applicants are expected to notify the program in writing as to whether or not they plan on enrolling in the program by a date noted in their acceptance letter. Upon notification of acceptance, a $150.00 non-refundable commitment fee is required. This fee will be credited toward the first semester’s tuition.
4. Accepted applicants are assigned a provisional admission status until meeting conditions outlined in the acceptance letter and completing pre-matriculation requirements (e.g. drug screen, criminal background check) set forth by the Office of the Registrar. Failure to meet these requirements may result in revocation of acceptance offer.

Transfer of Credit

In general, graduate credit earned in another recognized institution will not be accepted. The student may petition the program director for consideration of transfer credit. If granted, the student will be required to complete satisfactorily an independent study on material related to the course topics.

Academic Progression Requirements

The following requirements pertain to the status of academic progress for students enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program.

1. Satisfy the scholastic requirements listed in the SAHP general section of this catalog/bulletin.
2. All didactic courses must be taken in sequence.  All didactic course work must be successfully completed before the student begins Level II Fieldwork.
3. According to the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®), students must successfully complete 24 weeks of full-time Level II Fieldwork.
4. If the student does not meet the expectations of the Level II fieldwork placement, they will earn a grade of “F”. Students who receive a failing grade or withdraw from a fieldwork placement (per student, AFWC, or fieldwork educator request) in one Level II experience may be given permission to take the course for a second time.  Students failing more than one fieldwork placement will be terminated from the program.  All fieldwork experiences must be completed within 24 months of fulfillment of didactic coursework.
5. Students must complete the entire program within forty-eight months of the student’s start date.
6. All Level II fieldwork (FW) experiences must take place at two separate sites.  This can be either one FW in state and one FW out of state, or both FW’s out of state.

Grade appeals may be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in the section of this catalog/bulletin entitled “Student Grade Appeals ”.

Curriculum

• Occupational Therapy Curriculum