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

Occupational Therapy Program

Robin Steed, PhD, LOTR
Program Director

The Program of Occupational Therapy offers a graduate degree leading to a Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT). The Master of Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449.  ACOTE’s telephone number, c/o AOTA, is 301.652.AOTA. For more information please visit www.acoteonline.org.

Occupational therapy enables people to do the day-to-day activities that are important to them despite impairments, activity limitations, or participation restrictions. Occupations are another name for these day-to-day activities. Occupations are goal-directed pursuits that typically extend over time, have meaning to the performer, and involve multiple tasks. Occupational performance areas consist of activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, rest/sleep, education, work, play, leisure and social participation activities. In therapy, a holistic philosophy is employed to assist individuals across the life span whose function has been impaired by disease, injury, or disorders of a physical, mental, or social nature. Occupational therapists, through their interventions, enable people to regain health as well as function. Intervention involves therapeutic use of meaningful and purposeful occupations, adaptation of environments and processes, promotion of health and wellness, and use of assistive technology and ergonomic principles. Employment opportunities for occupational therapists are available in a variety of institutional, (e.g., inpatient hospitals, nursing facilities), outpatient (e.g., outpatient clinics, partial hospitalization), and home community settings (home care, schools, day-care centers, wellness centers).

Completion of the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program prepares a graduate to practice occupational therapy. Twenty-seven months is needed to complete a total of 92 semester hours of coursework on-campus at the Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, and off-campus at practice sites within and out of the state. Included in these semester hours are six months of Level II Fieldwork. All Level II Fieldwork must be completed within 24 months following completion of didactic course work. The student must satisfactorily complete all requirements for graduation in no more than four calendar years.

Graduates of the Master of Occupational Therapy Program are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for occupational therapy administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Following successful completion of this exam, the graduate will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). This national certification is a prerequisite to obtaining a license to practice occupational therapy in most states, including Louisiana. Felony conviction may  affect graduate’s ability to sit for NBCOT certification examination or attain licensure.

The LSU Health Shreveport Master of Occupational Therapy program has had a 100% pass rate on the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy for the past eight years. Program results from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) can be found online at https://secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx

According to our graduate surveys, 100% of graduates who are seeking employment are employed within 6 months of graduation.

The total number of graduates from the LSU Health Shreveport Master of Occupational Therapy program during the 3-year period of 2014-2016 was 76 with an overall graduation rate of 90%

Application for Admission

Application Instructions

Application to the program is made through the Centralized Application Service for Occupational Therapy (OTCAS) at www.portal.otcas.org

            For questions contact OTCAS at:

            617.612.2860

            OTCASinfo@OTCAS.org

The Program in Occupational Therapy website has further instructions.

Admission Requirements

1.  Completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. We recommend majors in the social or physical sciences, but any major is acceptable.

 2.  Applicants must have a minimum overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (based on a 4.0 scale) for their undergraduate degree, and a GPA of 3.2 for prerequisite courses (effective 2014 application year).

 3.  Completion and submission of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) by October 31 of your application year. Applicants may only submit GRE scores that are from tests taken within the last five (5) years. The Minimum GRE requirements are a Verbal Reasoning score of 146, Quantitative Reasoning Score of 140 and 4.0 on the Analytical Writing.

 4.  Completion of all prerequisite courses prior to enrollment in the 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 20 hours of verified contact with one registered occupational therapist (OTR). Additional observation hours in other areas of clinical practice are strongly recommended. The Document of Experience form is available on the program website.

7.  Completion of an application is required through the centralized process at OTCAS.

8.  Applicants must be able to meet the MOT Program Technical Standards prior to admission and during enrollment.

Academic Progression Requirements

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

1. A minimum cumulative LSUHSC-S GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation.
2. Any student falling below a cumulative GPA of 3.0 will be placed on scholastic probation.
3. Students on scholastic probation are not eligible for financial aid.
4. Students on scholastic probation are not eligible for graduation from the program.
5. Academic progression is reviewed at the conclusion of each semester.  Students successfully reestablishing a cumulative GPA of 3.0 will be reinstated as a student in good academic standing.
6. The minimum scholastic requirement for course work is a grade of C.  However, no more than 9 credit hours of C grades may be counted toward a degree.
7. Students dismissed from the program may reapply to the program to be considered for competitive readmission.  
8. All didactic courses must be taken in sequence.  All didactic course work must be successfully completed before the student begins Level II Fieldwork.
9. According to the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®), students must successfully complete 24 weeks of full-time Level II Fieldwork.
10. 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.
11. Students must complete the entire program within forty-eight months of the student’s start date.
12. 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.
13. In order to achieve the status of satisfactory academic progress, the student must meet the following minimum requirements:
    1. Satisfy the scholastic requirements listed above and in the SAHP general section of the catalog/bulletin.
    2. Successful completion of the required number of credit hours per semester established by the Program.

The faculty will review students’ academic progress at the conclusion of each Semester reporting results to the SAHP administration.

Student Employment Statement

Due to the demands of the curriculum, students are discouraged from seeking outside employment.

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.

Applicant Advising

Informational sessions are conducted for individuals interested in applying for admission. These group sessions include an orientation to the Occupational Therapy Program and information on admissions procedures. Persons interested in attending an informational session should consult the Program of Occupational Therapy website for specific dates and times.

Technical Standards for Master of Occupational Therapy

The mission of the Program in Occupational Therapy at LSU Health - Shreveport is to prepare an entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy student who can evaluate, manage, and treat patient/clients across the lifespan and in a variety of settings. LSU Health - Shreveport Occupational Therapy students are expected to complete the academic and clinical requirements of the program. The LSU Health - Shreveport program is intense and the student must possess both the physical and psychosocial attributes that are essential for best practice.

If the student has a limitation in any of the following skills and abilities due to a medically diagnosed physical, emotional, or cognitive impairment and wishes to request an accommodation, then he or she must notify the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs  in the School of Allied Health Professions AFTER being accepted in to the program. The University will provide reasonable accommodation as long as it does not fundamentally alter the nature of the program or unduly disrupt the educational process.

Intellect

1. Cognition: good judgment, cognitive flexibility, insight, concept formation.
2. Memory: short-term, long-term and working memory.
3. Thought: logical/coherent thought, generalization of concepts, appropriate thought content.
4. Emotional: coping and behavioral regulation, impulse control, emotional stability, motivation.

Sensation

1. Vision: Visual acuity, visual field, visual attention, visual fixation, and visual scanning ability.
2. Hearing: Tolerance to ambient sounds.
3. Touch: Comfortable with being touched by others and touching various textures.

Body Function

1. Neuromusculoskeletal: Active range of motion within functional limits, normal muscle tone, normal endurance and stamina for age, normal gait, functional fine and gross coordination, good motor planning skills.
2. Cardiovascular: Blood pressure and pulse within normal limits for age.
3. Voice and Speech: Word enunciation, clarity, and appropriate intonation.
4. Hair/Nail/Skin: Fingernails at a functional length; Hair, beard and/or mustache, and skin clean and conform to safe work practice.
5. Body: Daily bathing is expected with appropriate application of deodorant to prevent odor.

Emotional Regulation and Communication

1. Organizational skills: Ability to organize and manage time in order to complete educational and clinical responsibilities.
2. Adaptation: Adapt to changing environments, display flexibility in different clinical situations, and learn to function in the presence of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of clients.
3. Touch: Demonstrate the ability to use professional touch in interactions with students, faculty, and clients of both genders.
4. Honesty: Truthfully answer questions on applications for certification and licensure about any previous history of conviction of a crime.
5. Care of others: Students must demonstrate compassion, ethical behavior, integrity, empathy, and concern for individuals from all facets of society.
6. Non-verbal cues: Identify and interpret emotional affect, nonverbal cues, and response to intervention by individual clients and groups of clients.
7. Flexibility: Plan and modify treatment in response to subtle observations and emotional responses
8. Communication: Professional communication with clients/patients, family members, caregivers, faculty, and colleagues. Communication includes not only speech but also reading, writing, and nonverbal communication.

Education Setting

The student will:

1. Reference all assignment with the APA format and incorporate the OT Practice Framework Terminology.
2. Successfully complete and receive a passing score from the faculty on the Professional Development Assessment, prior to continuation in the program.
3. Acknowledge and respect individual values and opinions to foster harmonious working relationships.
4. Arrange transportation and living accommodations for all fieldwork assignments in a timely fashion.

Professional

The student will:

1. At all times abides by the American Occupational Therapy Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. www.aota.org.
2. Maintain a current CPR card

Curriculum

• Master of Occupational Therapy Curriculum