Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy

Chair: John R. Patro Jr., OTD, OTR/L 

Mission Statement of the Occupational Therapy Program
The Occupational Therapy Program seeks to develop occupational therapists as transformational leaders, scholars, and advocates, through innovative teaching, immersive experiential learning and dynamic interprofessional community partnerships prepared to meet the needs of diverse people, populations, and communities.

Philosophy of the Occupational Therapy Program
Occupations, as defined by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) (2017), are “activities that bring meaning to the daily lives of individuals, families, communities, and populations and enable them to participate in society.” Human beings have the innate need and right to engage in occupations across the lifespan.  Development, health, and well-being are directly influenced by the ability to participate in meaningful occupations.  Therefore, the OTD Program at Monmouth University places occupation at the heart of the curriculum design.

The OTD Program at Monmouth University focuses on five core values, with occupation nestled at the heart. These values include: scholarship and service, interprofessional practice and wellness, communication and dissemination of knowledge, leadership and advocacy, and creativity and innovation. As a graduate program, the curriculum is designed for the adult learner, viewed through the lens of andragogy with an emphasis on self-directed learning. Students in the program are viewed as occupational beings who are participating in transformative learning in a dynamic transaction within the learning context and the teaching-learning process. The OTD program at Monmouth believes that learning is a transformative process. Therefore, the program is designed to provoke critical reflection and discourse to invoke change (Mezirow, 2000). The OTD program at Monmouth will transform learners into entry-level clinicians who have mastered the aptitude for using occupations in client-centered treatment to foster health and well-being.

Curricular Themes
The curriculum design of the OTD program at Monmouth University places occupation at the core of the curriculum, as it is the heart of the profession of occupational therapy. This coincides with the philosophical base of occupational therapy (AOTA, 2017). The curriculum is designed with five main themes that are woven throughout the delivery of the program. These themes are covered in various courses throughout the program and are essential to developing well-rounded entry-level occupational therapists who are prepared to meet the demands of an evolving practice environment. These themes are:

  1. Scholarship and Service
  2. Interprofessional Practice and Wellness
  3. Communication and Dissemination of Knowledge
  4. Leadership and Advocacy
  5. Creativity and Innovation

References
American Occupational Therapy Association. [AOTA] (2017). Philosophical base of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(Suppl. 2), 7112410045.

Mezirow, J. (2000). Learning to think like an adult: Core concepts of transformation theory. In J. Mezirow, et. al. (Hg.) Learning as transformation. Critical perspectives on a theory in progress (pp. 3-33).  Jossey-Bass.

Accreditation
For details regarding program accreditation please click the following link