Occupational Therapy

                         Graduate Faculty 2007-2008
Chair: W. C. Mann. Associate Chair and Director of Advanced Graduate Program: C. A. Velozo. Director of Entry-Level Graduate Program: J. J. Foss. Director of Distance Learning Graduate Program: E. Pugh. Professors: W. C. Mann; C. A. Velozo. Associate Professors: L. Richards; O. Shechtman. Research Assistant Professors: R. Bendixen, D. McCarthy. Assistant Professors: S. Classen, S. Hubbard.

The Department of Occupational Therapy offers graduate programs in occupational therapy leading to the Master of Health Science (M.H.S.) degree (on-campus nonthesis and thesis options and distance learning nonthesis option) and the entry-level Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) degree. Complete descriptions of the requirements for these degrees are provided in the General Information section of this catalog.

Master of Health Science: This program is designed for students who have earned an undergraduate degree in Occupational therapy. The thesis option requires four semesters of course work and a formal research thesis, while the nonthesis option requires three semesters of course work and a research project. The program emphasizes research and advanced theories related to occupational therapy practice. Preparation for teaching, administrative, and other occupational therapy roles is supplemented through elective courses. A coherent series of elective courses related to occupational therapy must be approved by the supervisory committee chairperson before the second semester of work.

In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School, admission requires the candidate to have completed a curriculum in occupational therapy accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association or by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists.

The distance learning degree option for the Master of Health Science is specifically intended to meet the needs of the working professional. The nonthesis program is designed to improve the knowledge and skills of working occupational therapists for practice in a complex and challenging health care system. It provides preparation for new practice areas, leadership roles, and independent practice and is delivered through the Internet. In addition to the departmental requirements listed above, applicants to the distance learning program must have basic personal computer competency and access to a computer that meets minimal configuration requirements.

This program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association. The address for ACOTE is 4720 Montgomery Lane, Box 31220, Bethesda, MD, 20814-1220. The phone number is (301) 652-2632. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the national certification exam administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). The website address of NBCOT is www.nbcot.org.

Additional information about the Master of Health Science is available at http:// ww.hp.ufl.edu  or http://gradschool.ufl.edu or by telephone at (352)273-6817. For distance learning, see http://otdlm.phhp.ufl.edu/ or call toll free (866)878-3297.

Master of Occupational Therapy: This entry-level degree program is designed for students who do not have an undergraduate degree in occupational therapy. The program provides students with a holistic perspective, including an understanding of the philosophical and theoretical bases for practice in the current health care environment. The M.O.T. program provides a strong background in theory, assessment, and therapeutic interventions. Before their professional preparation, students receive a liberal education in their pre-professional baccalaureate studies, including several courses specifically focused for students planning to enter the M.O.T. program. Students may enroll in courses in the Bachelor of Health Science degree program at the bachelor’s level, or they may complete these courses on a postbaccalaureate level before starting the M.O.T. program. Students are only admitted into the program in summer term and graduate at the end of the fall term after 1.33 years of full-time study (5 semesters) and 58 credits.

Admission requirements include completion of an undergraduate degree and the prerequisite course work. Three letters of reference and a letter of application are required by the Department. Additional information is available at http://www.phhp.ufl.edu/ot/ and http://gradschool.ufl.edu or by telephone (352)273-6817.

OTH 5002: Foundations of Occupational Therapy(3) Foundations, development, and professional ethics, values and responsibilities of profession.
OTH 5113C: Practicum in Applied Therapeutic Activities (1) Occupational therapy activity programs in community projects.
OTH 5115C: Therapeutic Skills II: Areas of Occupation (3) Prereq: OT graduate student. Pre-activity and activity techniques for participation in human occupation.
OTH 5324: Psychosocial Intervention (4) Prereq: OT graduate student. Historical and current models for application of occupational therapy to psychosocial problems.
OTH 5435: Therapeutic Skills I(2) Prereq: Basic skills in assessment and intervention with biomechanical factors. Intended for OT graduate students. Addresses the evaluation and treatment of biomechanical factors in Occupational Therapy.
OTH 5726C: Service Delivery and OT Management(2) Prereq: OT graduate status. Basic principles of management and systems in providing occupational therapy to individuals and organizations.
OTH 5770C: Critique of Occupational Therapy Research (3) Prereq: OT graduate student. Principles and skills necessary for critical review of the occupational therapy literature.
OTH 5812: Practicum I (2) Prereq: OT graduate student. Initial practicum site experience to aid socialization process into roles and styles of occupational therapists.
OTH 5816: Practicum II (3) Prereq: OT graduate student. Second of series designed to acquaint future professionals with practice skills such as documentation and activity analysis.
OTH 5848: Internship I (6) Initial full-time experience under direct supervision of licensed occupational therapist. S/U.
OTH 5849: Internship II (6) Second full-time experience under direct supervision of licensed occupational therapist. S/U.
OTH 6008: Neuroscience of Human Occupation(6) Theoretical explanations of occupation in human functioning. Contemporary concepts of brain function that support occupation with emphasis on sensory, motor, and cognitive processes.
OTH 6106: Assistive Technology and Occupational Performance(6) Technology and strategies to support health and performance of daily occupations and to foster independent living and risk/injury reduction. Lifestyle and health consulting.
OTH 6275: Wellness and Disease Prevention of Chronic Conditions: Application in Occupational Therapy (3) Vascular, nerve, and orthopedic disorders, tumors and trauma physiology and pathophysiology, and occupational therapy prevention and intervention.
OTH 6424: Application of Motor Learning and Motor Control in Occupational Therapy (3) Review of neuroanatomy and musculoskeletal fundamentals of motor control. Discussion of acquisition and teaching of motor tasks to patient populations who suffer from motor control problems.
OTH 6425L: Relation of Body Image and Perceptual Dysfunction to Occupation (2-3; max: 3) Prereq: registered occupational therapist or consent of instructor.
OTH 6539: Occupational Therapy Theory (3) Preparation for entry-level position through introduction of basic principles of management and systems.
OTH 6635: Principles of Occupational Therapy Screening and Evaluation I (3) Introduction to principles of tests and measurement and outcomes-based assessment relevant to infants, children, and adolescents.
OTH 6636: Principles of Occupational Therapy Screening and Evaluation II(4) Prereq: OTH 6635. Builds on OTH 6635. Application of screening and evaluation principles to evaluation process and learning to administer tools to adult population.
OTH 6641: Occupational Therapy Interventions I(4) Occupational therapy theory and treatment as it relates to infants, children, adolescents, and their families.
OTH 6642: Occupational Therapy Interventions II(6) Prereq: OTH 6641. Basic interventions for adults through elders using ICIDH systems as framework. Planning and applied treatment approaches including acquisition, restorative, and compensatory strategies.
OTH 6707: OT Manager(6) Leadership development, developing independent practice for consultation, client and professional advocacy, case management, and business entrepreneurship.
OTH 6708: Issues in Occupational Therapy Practice I(2) Current health care issues.
OTH 6709: Issues in Occupational Therapy Practice II (2) Forum for debating viewpoints regarding current practice issues relevant to occupational therapy.
OTH 6720: Trends and Issues in Health Care(6) Managed health care, public policy, and intervention within social and behavioral contexts. Effects on occupational therapy service delivery.
OTH 6750: Single System Design (2) Prereq: OTH 4935/5702/5770C. Single system design and its application to occupational therapy programmatic research.
OTH 6760C: Protocol for Occupational Therapy (3) Prereq: graduate-level statistics course. Individual instruction in protocol design for research projects; procedures for submitting research to appropriate human participation review bodies. S/U.
OTH 6763: Evidence Based Practice(6) Concepts and strategies for assessment of practice outcomes and program evaluation.
OTH 6765: Seminar in Occupational Therapy Theory(4) Review of work of major occupational therapists. Theoretical perspectives include occupation-based theories and theories of Reilly, Fidler, Mosely, Llorens, Ayres, Kielhofner, and Allen.
OTH 6771: Applied Research I(2) Introduction to qualitative research methods.
OTH 6772: Applied Research II(2) Prereq: OTH 6771. Continuation of OTH 6771. Experience with integral components of research, data collection, and research writing.
OTH 6780: Applied Research in Occupational Therapy (3) Prereq: OTH 6771. Continuation of OTH 6771 with emphasis on completion of a research project and its oral and written dissemination. S/U.
OTH 6861: Specialty Internship (2-9; max: 9) Prereq or coreq: OTH 6780. Field experience in clinical, community, educational, and administrative settings approved by the department. S/U.
OTH 6905: Individual Work (1-10; max: 10) Project related to teaching, research, administration, or clinical practice.
OTH 6907: Professional Development Project(6) Concepts and strategies for assessment of practice outcomes and program evaluation. Independent design, implementation, and reporting of an independent project.
OTH 6933: Special Topics in Occupational Therapy (2-9; max: 9) Selected topics in theory and research in occupational therapy.
OTH 6971: Research for Master's Thesis (1-6) S/U.