Graduate Study at USI >> Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions
The USI Occupational Therapy program is transitioning to the doctoral level. New admissions to the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program are no longer being accepted.
812-492-7817
75 Credit hours
The occupational therapist is the professional-level practitioner who provides services that include evaluating, developing, improving, sustaining, or restoring skills in ADL, IADL, work, school, play, leisure, education, sleep, and social participation as well as lifestyle redesign.
The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program is an entry-level professional program designed for students who have earned a baccalaureate degree. The MSOT program does not have a preference as to the major for the applicant’s bachelor’s degree as long as the nine required prerequisites courses or their equivalent are completed (CRITICAL: contact the OT program for equivalency information). The best undergraduate major is one in an area in which the student would enjoy working after obtaining the undergraduate degree and should be selected based on the student’s interests. The MSOT program consists of six semesters, including summers. The structure of the program is designed such that the academic and fieldwork components of the curriculum are full-time educational experiences.
At the University of Southern Indiana, the occupational therapy program promotes academic and professional excellence by preparing students, distinguished for their high level of professionalism and strong clinical skills, to become credentialed occupational therapy practitioners at the entry level.
The occupational therapy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, North Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s phone number is 301-652-6611 ext 2042 and its web address is www.acoteonline.org.
Graduates of the 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). NBCOT’s phone number is 301-990-7979 and the web address is www.nbcot.org. After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico require licensure in order to practice. License agencies require verification of the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction and/or ethical violations may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure. NBCOT provides early determination review upon request (www.nbcot.org/Student/Services#EarlyDetermination).
In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
MSOT Program Goals and Outcomes
USI’s MSOT program will prepare students to:
- Goal One: Students will demonstrate entry-level occupational therapy practice skills across service delivery systems. Outcome: Students will demonstrate the entry-level proficiencies of an occupational therapist, with an ability to practice in dynamic services delivery systems addressing the needs of individuals, populations, and other entities.
- Goal Two: Students will apply occupation-based principles to support health and wellness. Outcome: Students will recognize and value the role played by occupation and related concepts in influencing an individual’s health and wellness.
- Goal Three: Students will appropriately apply occupational therapy theories and practice models in practice. Outcome: Students will know, value, and capably apply elements of theoretical approaches, frameworks, and practice models during evaluations, interventions, and when establishing and evaluating outcomes.
- Goal Four: Students will integrate person, occupation, and context to support occupational performance with diverse populations. Outcome: Students will recognize, understand, and utilize the synergy of person, occupations, and contexts in facilitating occupational performance with Individuals of diverse lifespans, cultures, ethnicities, and/or other diversities.
- Goal Five: Students will use effective learning strategies and professional reasoning to support practice. Outcome: Students will engage in active learning—understanding, valuing, and utilizing appropriate ways of knowing and reasoning.
- Goal Six: Students will analyze how pathology affects occupational performance. Outcome: Students will recognize the impact of pathology on an individual’s structure and/or function and recognize how related impairment might contribute to activity limitations and/or participation restrictions
- Goal Seven: Students will demonstrate ethical behavior and professional responsibility in practice. Outcome: Students will know, value, and practice behaviors of professional integrity encompassing the ethical standards and practice standards of the profession.
- Goal Eight: Students will collaborate effectively with interprofessional team members. Outcome: Students will understand and value the roles and contribution of the various professionals and other individuals with whom an OT may collaborate in varying setting.
- Goal Nine: Students will integrate personal, professional, and contextual factors to support effective occupational therapy practice. Outcome: Students will embrace the dynamics of person, occupations, and contexts interactions as applied to an individual developing the personal and professional aptitudes of an occupational therapy practitioner—understanding, developing, and utilizing the needed skills, potential occupations, and contextual elements influencing effective, ethical practice.
