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Occupational Therapy |
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Occupational therapy is
a health care profession that uses purposeful activity as a means of
preventing, reducing or overcoming physical, social and emotional
disabilities. The occupational therapist assists the patient in performing
everyday tasks with a high degree of independence. Occupational therapists
work in a wide variety of settings: general, psychiatric, children's and
orthopedic hospitals, as well as clinics. They may also work in
rehabilitation facilities, schools, geriatric centers, and home care
programs. Occupational therapists may work in communities as consultants
and many are opening private practices. In addition to being clinicians,
occupational therapists may also have careers as administrators,
educators, or researchers. Occupational therapy programs require four
years of college or university study leading to a Bachelor of Science
degree. The first two years include 60-70 semester hours of
preprofessional course work. The student must then be accepted into a
professional program and complete 22-24 months of intensive training.
Master's degree and post-graduate certification programs are available at
Texas Woman's University and University of Texas, San Antonio. TWU also
offers an entry-level Master's degree for students already holding a
baccalaureate degree in another field. Information on the programs in
Texas may be obtained from the following addresses and Dr. M. E. Warren,
Hayes Biology, Room 101: University of Texas - Pan American Occupational Therapy Department 1201 West University Drive Edinburg, TX 78539-2999 Phone: (956) 381-2475
Texas Tech University H.S.C. School of Allied Health Department of Occupational Therapy Room 2 B/C 194 3601-4th Street, STOP 6294 Lubbock, TX 79430 Phone: (806) 743-3220 http://www.ttuhsc.edu/pages/alh
Texas Woman's University Department of Occupational Therapy P.O. Box 425766 Denton, TX 76204-5766 Phone: (940) 898-2803
University of Texas Medical Branch Department of Occupational Therapy School of Allied Heath Sciences 301 University Boulevard Galveston, TX 77555-1028 Phone: (409) 772-3060 University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Department of Occupational Therapy 7703 Floyd Curl Drive San Antonio, TX 78284 Phone: (210) 567-8800 While completing the
prerequisite courses, the student should request applications from the
institutions granting degrees. Deadlines vary with each school, so the
student may submit an application 18 months before the date of anticipated
matriculation, and usually no later than March 1. All scholastic records
must be submitted. Recommendation, evaluation or reference forms are
included in the application packets. These are to be completed by faculty
members, supervisors or employers. Interviews are sometimes conducted by
the professional schools of occupational therapy. Personal qualifications,
motivation, scholarship, ability, and the probability of professional
success are often the criteria used in the selection process. Most
programs require a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0-point scale
with a higher grade point average often required for the science courses.
An applicant is expected to have some knowledge of the profession which
can be gained in a variety of ways, such as volunteer or paid work,
observation in a clinical setting, personal contact with an occupational
therapist, or through reading journal articles and books. After
graduation, students are eligible to take the Certification Examination of
the American Occupational Therapy Certification Board and apply for state
license. For questions regarding careers and curriculum write: American Occupational Therapy Association Division of Education 1383 Piccard Drive, Suite 300 Rockville, MD 20850-0822 For questions regarding
certification write: |
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