Helping people care for themselves and their loved ones after a debilitating accident or illness; facilitating patients’ return to work, school or daily routines; creating ways for people with chronic conditions to engage in meaningful activities: These are the challenges and rewards of a career in occupational therapy.
Rising demand for occupational therapists (OTs) makes it one of the fastest growing health care professions, with expected job growth of 16% through 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. News and World Report affirms that 22,700 new OT positions will open up during the next eight years.
A new entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate (O.T.D.) degree program launching at the University of Vermont — the first such program in the state — will help fill that demand while preparing students to become OT practitioners. Housed within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the O.T.D. degree aims to attract a diverse group of high-achieving, imaginative students who want to help people, and who come prepared with substantial background preparation in the life sciences. Applicants must have completed a baccalaureate degree in any major at an accredited institution.
OTs use creative thinking skills and knowledge of human development, body and brain science to help people recover or maintain skills needed for daily living. They may work in patients’ homes, workplaces, rehabilitation centers, hospitals or schools to support people recovering from accidents, surgery or stroke, children with sensory processing disorders and older adults experiencing physical and cognitive challenges. Therapeutic activities may involve practicing fine motor skills, like picking things up with tweezers or typing on a keyboard, or exercises to improve gross motor skills, such as maneuvering through an obstacle course. For patients struggling with motor planning, OTs might focus on daily routines like showering, feeding or getting dressed.
Developed with input from community clinicians, the UVM O.T.D. curriculum incorporates experiential learning components with traditional classroom settings and online coursework. Students will participate in community-based learning with opportunities for practicing skills developing expertise and exploring specialties. They will work as members of an interprofessional health care team with professionals in physical therapy, speech-language pathology, nursing, social work and psychology.
“We are weaving experiential and community-based learning throughout the curriculum to ensure the students are able to link learned concepts to everyday scenarios,” said program director Victoria Priganc. Students can explore specific areas of interest, such as working with older adults or children or doing research, through a scholarly capstone project in a community site, clinic or hospital setting. “The strong community support we have for this program is exciting.”
Applications for the eight-semester, full-time, year-round program may be submitted now for admission to the first cohort, which begins in August 2022. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a doctorate degree in occupational therapy and achieve the competencies set forth by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®). Upon completion of the degree, students will be eligible to sit for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam.