Mission
Program Description
Program Objectives
Accreditation

Greetings from the Program Director
Thank you for your interest in our Program!

The Midwestern University Occupational Therapy Program is a dynamic, graduate program designed to prepare occupational therapy practitioners and leaders to work in diverse and progressive settings. Our Program has had a strong focus on preparing confident and competent occupational therapists who assume the many dimensions of occupational therapy practice. Midwestern University graduates have easily attained employment in a wide variety of clinical and leadership positions throughout the United States.

Our Program offers a balanced combination of foundational, clinical, and research coursework designed to foster therapists who are self-directed, thoughtful, and caring professionals. The bulk of our curriculum consists of clinical courses which are unique in that each major content area is constructed with both an introductory course, in which essential theoretical perspectives and strategies for evaluation and intervention are presented, and then a sophisticated critical analysis course or advanced seminar, in which the application of content is emphasized. In addition to such preclinical learning opportunities, our fieldwork program is extensive and rich in the types of experiences offered to our students. Such a strong curricular framework succeeds in preparing graduates who are ready – and able – to enter the profession of occupational therapy and to make a difference in the world.

The Occupational Therapy Program also provides students with a unique opportunity to learn and collaborate with students enrolled in other health-related professional programs (e.g., physical therapy, biomedical science, behavioral medicine). We believe that the combination of collaborative learning, extraordinary educational curriculum, and meaningful fieldwork experiences provide an excellent foundation on which to build a career in occupational therapy. Please call for additional information on our Program and visit our beautiful campus located west of Chicago.

Kimberly Bryze, Ph.D., OTR/L
Director, Occupational Therapy Program

Mission
The mission of the Occupational Therapy Program is to educate and graduate highly competent and dedicated occupational therapists who possess the skills and expertise to embrace the occupational needs of individuals and communities. The program develops self-directed, responsive occupational therapists who are eager to advocate for their clients and the profession as a whole. To this end, the Occupational Therapy Program will:

• Support the university through teaching, scholarship and service
• Serve others through academic, scholarly, and experiential opportunities
• Foster innovative and empathic practitioners devoted to holistic and ethical practice

Program Description
The Occupational Therapy Program offers a curriculum leading to the Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) degree for qualified students. The full-time, continuous, 27-month, entry-level, master’s curriculum is designed to deliver the academic and clinical education required to prepare students for their professional role as key members of the health care team, and as integral practitioners in the health care delivery system. The general education, professional training, experience, and personal character development of occupational therapists uniquely prepare them to respond to the needs of individuals who face challenges participating in their daily lives.

The Master of Occupational Therapy Program offers a balanced combination of foundational, clinical, and research coursework designed to foster therapists who are self-directed, thoughtful, and caring professionals. The Program provides students with a balanced complement of coursework. Approximately half of the course credits are obtained from foundational courses in the sciences, occupational theory, and research. The remaining credits focus on courses related to evaluation and interventions appropriate for various client populations (e.g., children, the elderly, etc.), specialized coursework in upper extremity intervention, and many opportunities for experiential (hands-on) learning. Our critical analysis and seminar courses facilitate students' application of content related to client evaluation and treatment using community-based and case-based learning opportunities. In addition to such preclinical learning opportunities, our fieldwork program is extensive and rich in the types of experiences offered to our students. Such a strong curricular framework succeeds in preparing graduates who are ready – and able – to enter the profession of occupational therapy and to make a difference in the world.

The Occupational Therapy Program is open on a competitive admission basis to applicants who have received a bachelor’s degree in any field but who have not completed an accredited occupational therapy program. The curriculum is designed to prepare entry-level practitioners to provide occupational therapy services in the home, community, and clinical practice settings that require independent judgment, leadership, and self-directed practice. The educational experience provides the foundation for graduates to identify and contribute to effecting solutions to the major emergent health issues of our society and contributes to the academic and clinical education of future practitioners. It also is designed to prepare graduates for leadership and management roles in the profession. The graduate will be prepared to make meaningful, ongoing contributions to society, health care, and the profession through leadership activities and collaborative efforts with others in occupational therapy and interdisciplinary education, practice, and research.

Program Objectives
The Occupational Therapy Program is guided by the following educational objectives:

• To integrate liberal arts and science foundations and professional course work to prepare graduates to provide and manage a wide range of professional occupational therapy services in a competent, responsive, and caring manner for patients from diverse backgrounds in a wide range of health care settings;
• To instill an appropriate professional sensibility and response to the impact of altered health on patients and their significant others;
• To cultivate the fundamental ethical and moral attitudes, principles, and behaviors that are essential to acquiring and sustaining the confidence of patients and their significant others, colleagues, and other health care personnel in the professional or practice setting, and the support of the community at large;
• To learn and apply clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills consistently to the occupational therapy process (receiving appropriate patient referrals, performing appropriate patient evaluations, establishing goals and patient outcomes, developing treatment plans, providing appropriate treatments based on these plans and outcomes, re-evaluating the patient and course of therapy, and patient discharge planning);
• To provide theoretical, analytical, and experiential foundations that prepare students to perform tasks, functions, and duties commensurate with the dynamic nature of occupational therapy and the changing role and responsibilities of the occupational therapist in a wide range of autonomous and nonautonomous professional settings that depend on a strong clinical knowledge base but do not necessarily involve direct patient care;
• To educate practitioners who will assume leadership roles in the development and/or implementation of new and innovative approaches intended to minimize the severity and impact of physical and psychosocial conditions;
• To develop clinical reasoning and critical thinking skills that will prepare students to design and complete outcomes' assessments to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of these and other clinical practice modalities;
• To prepare practitioners who will engage in systematic and comprehensive planning of patient care services leading to more cost-effective care and more efficient utilization of health care resources;
• To provide theoretical and experiential constructs for expanded professional contributions, including enhanced management skills and leadership roles in occupational therapy and interdisciplinary education, practice, and research;
• To integrate and coordinate occupational therapy skills with those of other health care service providers to meet the needs of patients within an increasingly more complex and diverse health care delivery system;
• To instill the desire for continued personal and professional growth through the development of and active participation in continuing educational experiences; and
• To cultivate the fundamental ethical and moral attitudes and behaviors so that graduates are knowledgeable and adhere to the occupational therapy professional code of ethics and the profession's rules and regulations and scope of practice.

Accreditation
Midwestern University's Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 4720 Montgomery Lane, P.O. Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220; Phone: 301/652-AOTA. Graduates of the program will be able to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).

Midwestern University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission/A Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA), 30 North LaSalle St., Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602.