Occupational Therapy

Daisy Marquis Jones Program in Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists (OT) help people across the lifespan participate in the activities they want and need to do. For example, OTs help children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, help people recover from injury to regain skills, and provide support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Occupational therapists can be found working in schools, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, skilled nursing facilities, private practice, psychiatric facilities, out-patient clinics and home care agencies. 

Occupational Therapy Vision Statement

To educate and inspire outstanding occupational therapy practitioners, leaders, and scholars.

Occupational Therapy Mission Statement

The occupational therapy program at Keuka College provides an exceptional education that integrates a liberal arts foundation and a commitment to experiential and lifelong learning. We strive to create a supportive environment encouraging students’ critical thinking and growth. We value leadership, scholarship and interprofessional collaboration. Keuka College graduates will occupy diverse workforce roles that contribute to the health and wellness of individuals, populations and society.

Occupational Therapy Program Philosophy

Beliefs About Humans’ Occupational Performance and Learning 
Consistent with American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) philosophy of occupational therapy education and the philosophical base of occupational therapy, the curriculum of the OT Program at Keuka College examines human performance and participation in meaningful everyday occupations, across the lifespan, in many contexts. We believe “occupations are fundamental to health promotion and wellness, remediation or restoration, health maintenance, disease and injury prevention, and compensation and adaptation” (AOTA, 2017, para. 4). We also view students as occupational beings. We believe that students learn most effectively when they are positively engaged, supported, and encouraged to develop the skills and confidence to facilitate their own learning. 

Teaching and Learning 

The philosophy of teaching and learning within the OT Program at Keuka College is also consistent with the AOTA philosophy of OT education, which states that students are occupational beings who engage dynamically with both the learning context and the teaching-learning process (AOTA, 2018, para. 2).

While each member of the Keuka College OT faculty has a unique teaching approach, we all value the principles of active and diverse learning, collaboration that builds on past knowledge and experience, professional judgment and self-reflection, and lifelong learning (AOTA, 2018, para. 3). We use elements of Bloom’s taxonomy to guide the progression of coursework as students move through Foundations of Practice phase for the OS and OT program. Years three and four lead to the conferral of a B.S. degree in OS and is referred to as the Clinical Integration phase of the program. The fifth and final year leads to the conferral of an M.S. degree in OT. This is referred to as the Leadership & Scholarship phase of the program.

The OT Program at Keuka College is committed to developing practitioners who provide compassionate, evidence-based, and client-centered services to individuals, groups, communities, and populations. Our students are expected to embrace self-directed learning, to demonstrate active and respectful engagement in the educational process, and to be committed to the process of becoming healthcare professionals. The faculty endorses the following principles that guide our teaching and define our program by:

1. setting high standards for academic performance, clinical competence, and professional behavior. We strive to be both challenging and fair, and to serve as role models to our students for professionalism, compassion, and clinical excellence.
2. providing support that recognizes the diverse learning needs of our students, and we value the relationships we form through small class sizes, consistent and intentional advisement, and individualized instructional approaches. Students enter the Keuka College Occupational Science program as freshmen, therefore faculty are committed to teaching and advising models that foster students’ growth and development as they transition from undergraduate to the professional phase of the OS program and enter the graduate phase of the OT program
3. emphasizing the importance of evidence-based practice, scholarly activity, and critical thinking, since these skills are critical to the development of practitioners, advocates, scholars, and future leaders.
4. integrating experiential learning in many forms across the curriculum, consistent with the vision and mission of Keuka College and The School of Health and Human Services. These experiential activities provide our students with valuable opportunities for professional exploration, skill building, self-reflection, and the development of personal confidence.
5. promoting professional development and the value of lifelong learning throughout all academic and experiential activities

American Occupational Therapy Association (2017). Philosophical base of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(Suppl.2), 7112410045P1.

https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.716S06A

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2018). Philosophy of occupational therapy education. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(Suppl. 2), 7212410070. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.72S201

Academic Curriculum

The occupational therapy program offers a five-year dual degree program that consists of a 4-year bachelor of science in occupational science and 1-year master of science in occupational therapy degrees. The bachelor of science degree does not provide eligibility for certification or licensure in occupational therapy. A master of science degree in occupational therapy is awarded after successful completion of the fifth year. This is a freshman-entry program, but transfer students may be accepted providing that the student has completed the necessary courses and there is space available in the program.

Occupational therapy is a health care discipline that requires a strong academic curriculum to meet the needs of professional accreditation and public accountability. The curriculum focuses on the disciplines of anatomy, neurosciences, psychology, research, and sociology. Keuka College is a liberal arts and sciences college. As such, the OT program requires students to develop a broad foundation during the first two years of study. These first two years are considered the Foundations of Practice phase for our OT program. Years three and four lead to conferral of a B.S. degree in occupational science and are referred to as the Clinical Integration phase of the program. The final year completes the master's entry-level OT curriculum and leads to conferral of an M.S. degree in occupational therapy. This is referred to as the Leadership & Scholarship phase of the program.

Clinical Practice Experience

The students in the occupational therapy program engage in experiential opportunities throughout their five years of education. During the undergraduate phase of their education, students have the opportunity to spend up to 140 hours annually in a variety of healthcare, educational, and community settings. In addition, students complete two, three-month clinical practice experiences (fieldwork level II) during the undergraduate senior year. The fieldwork level II experiences are the culminating learning experiences in becoming an occupational therapist and must be successfully completed in the senior undergraduate sequence.

Accreditation and Registration

The occupational therapy program is accredited through 2025 by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) located at:
 
ACOTE
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 652-6611
www.acote.online.org

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)

Graduates of the master’s degree 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 graduate will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In New York and most other states, a professional license is required for practice and the NBCOT examination serves as the licensing examination in most states. Students are ultimately, however, required to apply separately for licensure and certification upon graduation.  A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. For further information on these limitations, students may contact NBCOT at:

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy 
One Bank Street, Suite 300
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150
(301) 990-7979
www.nbcot.org

Program Standing

To remain in good standing, students must meet both the Program Academic Standards and the Program Professional Behavior Standards of the OT program. Failure to meet these standards will result in probation or dismissal from the OT program.

Academic Probation

Students failing to meet any of the academic standards of the program will be placed on program academic probation. The following process will be used to determine program standing for violations of academic standards.

1. Students will be notified by the Division Chair and/or OT Program Director in writing when placed on program academic probation with specific reference to the violation. The notification will state the conditions/requirements necessary to return to satisfactory academic standing within the OT program.
2. Students placed on program academic probation will be reviewed after the completion of one additional academic semester for status determination.
3. Upon review, if the student meets all the necessary conditions/requirements of program academic probation, the student will return to satisfactory academic standing in the OT program and will be notified in writing by the Division Chair and/or OT Program Director. If all conditions/requirements of program academic probation are not met, the student will be dismissed from the OT program and will receive a written notification from the program chair.
4. If a student in satisfactory standing within the OT program violates any of the program academic standards a second time, the same probationary/status determination process will be followed.
5. If a student in satisfactory standing within the OT program violates any of the program academic standards a third time the student will be dismissed from the OT program as a student may only be placed on program probation twice.
6. Decisions relevant to retention, probation, dismissal, and appeal do not necessarily impact the student’s standing at the college.

Professional Behavior Probation

Professional behavior standards include adherence to the AOTA Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and the Program Professional Standards. Students who do not adhere to the above-stated standards may be placed on program professional behavior probation. The following process will be used.

1. Students will be notified in writing by the Division Chair and/or OT Program Director when placed on program professional behavior probation with specific reference to the violated standard. 
2. If a student demonstrates a second professional behavior violation, they will be notified in writing by the Division Chair and/or OT Program Director with specific reference to the violated standard. 
3. If a student demonstrates a third professional behavior violation, they will be dismissed from the OT program.
4. Students placed on program professional behavior probation will be reviewed one semester after the occurrence for status determination.

Admissions Requirements can be found in the Admissions section of the catalog.