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About the Program
Occupational therapy is a dynamic health care profession that promotes engagement in meaningful daily and routine occupations, those activities that give meaning and purpose to our lives. Occupations commonly addressed through occupational therapy include self-care activities, work or school tasks, driving, leisure, home maintenance and community activities. Occupational therapists work with clients, families, groups and populations to promote health and wellness, prevent illness or injury, develop or restore functional and adaptation skills, facilitate social engagement, and create accessible and supportive environments.
As an occupational therapist, you might find yourself working with a wide variety of individuals such as:
- A homemaker with low vision who needs to safely perform household tasks and meal preparation
- An individual who experienced a stroke and wishes to be able to dress, bathe and feed himself independently once more
- A grandfather who has arthritis and wants to be able to play with and care for his grandchildren
- A young adult with paralysis from a spinal cord injury who needs to be able to travel within the community in order to return to college
- A worker with emotional adjustment issues who wants to develop work skills and effective coping strategies in order to participate more appropriately in work and social interactions
- A student with developmental delay who needs to be able to engage in classroom activities and routines
Occupational therapists work with individuals across the lifespan who are experiencing barriers to their participation in desired life activities. Through the use of rehabilitation/habilitation strategies, task or environmental modification, assistive technology, advocacy, and other strategies, occupational therapists assist the clients and families they work with in a wide variety of medical, educational and community settings.
Career Opportunities
Some of the settings where occupational therapists are employed include hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, community mental health facilities, public school systems, home health agencies, private practice, industry and the community.
The field offers rapid advancement into supervisory and administrative positions for therapists with advanced experience and education. Growing opportunities exist in private practice, consultation, research and higher education.
U.S. News & World Report named occupational therapy #9 on its list of Best Healthcare Jobs 2015 and #13 on its list of Best Jobs overall. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 29% growth in occupational therapy employment opportunities through 2022, a much faster than average growth.
Accreditation
The Occupational Therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). All OT students must complete Level II fieldwork within 24 months after completing academic preparation. Graduates of accredited programs may take the national certification examination for occupational therapists administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT). Graduates who pass this exam are registered occupational therapists. All states, including Georgia, require licensure to practice as an occupational therapist; state licensure typically requires new graduates to successfully pass the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT Certification Examination or attain state licensure. Applicants with a history of an arrest, charge or conviction may be required to request an early determination and character review by NBCOT (www.nbcot.org/early-determination-character-review).
For additional information, contact:
ACOTE
c/o Accreditation Department
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200
Bethesda, MD 20814-3449
Phone number: 301-652-AOTA (2682)
Accreditation e-mail: accred@aota.org
web: www.acoteonline.org
National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT)
12 South Summit Avenue
Suite 100
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150
301-990-7979
Fax: 301-869-8492
Web: www.nbcot.org
Program performance data can be found at secure.nbcot.org/data/schoolstats.aspx
Technical Standards and Disclaimer of Certification and Licensure
The National Board for Certification for Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) will require applicants to answer questions concerning felony history. This information is then available to states for licensure. The Department of Occupational Therapy Program assumes no responsibility for ineligibility to sit for the NBCOT Certification Examination or the denial of licensure in states in which there are such requirements. Applicants with a history of an arrest, charge or conviction may be required to request an early determination and character review by NBCOT (www.nbcot.org/early-determination-character-review). For further information please contact the:
National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy, Inc. 12 South Summit Avenue, Suite 100, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150 Telephone: 301-990-7979 and/or the appropriate state regulatory body. Those planning to work in Georgia may contact the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy 237 Coliseum Drive Macon, Georgia 31217-3858 Telephone: (478) 207-1620
In addition to demonstrating personal characteristics appropriate for a health professions career, students must satisfy general and specific technical standards for this program. All applicants are strongly encouraged to read and attest to the Department of Occupational Therapy’s Technical Standards and the following Disclaimers of Certification and Licensure. All students admitted into the MHSOT program must sign these documents prior to enrollment. Visit www.gru.edu/alliedhealth/ot/standards.php to review these requirements. An integral part of the OT curriculum is successful completion of fieldwork experiences throughout the program. All OT students must consent to a criminal background check in order to have access to fieldwork sites. Prior criminal history may impact the student’s ability to be cleared for client contact, thus jeopardizing successful completion of the program.
Admission Requirements
Please see the Office of Academic Admissions website for specific admissions information:
www.gru.edu/admissions/graduate/master-occupational-therapy.php
Financial Aid
The university participates in all federal student aid programs as well as state and private programs. With the university’s help students can fund their education through grants, scholarships, loans, a service commitment program and/or employment.
Prerequisites for Occupational Therapy
Please see the Office of Academic Admissions website for specific prerequisite information:
http://www.gru.edu/alliedhealth/ot/documents/adminrequir2016.pdf
Estimated Tuition and Fees
For estimated tuition and fees, please see the Financial Information section of this catalog.
