Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Welcome to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program. Become a part of our
community and experience learning in an interprofessional environment. Your educational
experience will be strengthened through hands-on learning, immersive community experiences,
and relationship building. If you desire a challenge, positively impacting community,
and being part of an interprofessional team, this is the educational adventure you
have been seeking.
The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program has applied for accreditation and has been granted Preaccreditation Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. The program must complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates 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). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all 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.
Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as an individual 14-week capstone experience within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework and Level II fieldwork as well as completion of preparatory activities defined in 2018 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3.
With just over 120 Academic Health Sciences Centers (AHSC) in the United States, the
OTD program at ETSU is proud to be part of this unique educational experience. Students
in the OTD program will acquire practice-ready skills addressing the importance of
interprofessional practice through engagement with students from the other academic health sciences programs.
- Entry-level doctoral program preparing students as generalists allowing greater employment opportunities for graduates
Provide students with community practical and applied learning opportunities.- Interprofessional education with PT, SLP, Nutrition, and O&P.
- Formal IPE curriculum through the Academic Health Science Center providing relevant practice skill opportunities.
- Regional and national clinical experiences provide travel and personal growth opportunities.
- Contributes to regional stewardship and wise use of human and financial resources by providing students with an opportunity to obtain a degree at a lower cost than those offered at surrounding private institutions.
- approved to admit a total of 30 students each year.
Summer 2025 application will open in Summer 2024 - See Admissions tab (on left) for more details
Mission Statement
The Mission of The Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program is to prepare practitioner-scholars who empower and improve the lives of clients, communities, and populations through inclusive interprofessional education demonstrating occupation and evidenced-based practice.
Values
- Engagement in meaningful activities is a human right.
- Diversity increases value, perspective, and understanding.
- Interprofessional education opportunities foster inclusivity, personal and professional growth.
- Support and encourage personal and professional development of our students, clients, colleagues, and community.
Philosophy of the Program
The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program is based on the impact of meaningful occupational engagement on well-being, health, and quality of life. Occupational therapy focuses on engagement in meaningful occupations that support being an active participant in life (AOTA, 2017).
The ETSU Doctor of Occupational Therapy program will prepare practitioner-scholars to “be prepared to effectively communicate and work interprofessionally with all who provide services and programs for persons, groups, and populations” (ACOTE, 2018, pp. 2-3).
The ETSU Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program will focus on the needs of the client (persons, groups, and populations) by identifying barriers to occupational engagement, improving client-centered care, and collaborating with clients, groups, professionals, and populations to determine goals for resuming and/or improving participation in meaningful occupational engagement (AOTA, 2020).
We Believe In
- Occupations being fundamental to wellness and health promotion for all beings.
Each individual is a complex being and should be viewed through a holistic lens
Modeling clinical excellence and engaging students in service and scholarly inquiry in order to develop well prepared entry-level practitioner-scholars.
Instilling students with the skills to become self-reflective life-long learners who are driven to become expert practitioner-scholars and leaders in the field of occupational therapy.- Engaging students in interprofessional education, immersive community learning opportunities, and the pursuit of knowledge through scholarly inquiry.
- Demonstrating respect for other professions, a servant’s heart for underserved populations, and an intrinsic desire to propel the profession forward.
- A community of justice, equality, and respect for all beings.
Philosophy of Learning
Occupational therapy education promotes the integration of research, service, professionalism, ethics, theory, and evidence-based practice. Students and educators are occupational beings engaged in a diverse and dynamic learning environment in which learning is the primary occupation to knowledge acquisition and development of professional distinctiveness.
An interactive method to pedagogy delivery is applied in a learner-centered approach in the overall OTD education. Acknowledging the uniqueness of each student and viewing students as active learners instead of passive recipients of information guides the educational approach of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy at East Tennessee State University. Significant learning is achieved when a change in the learner occurs. This transformation is accomplished through sound foundational knowledge, application, integration, and metacognition (Fink, 2013).
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OTD third cohort
Welcome to ETSU, the OTD third cohort
Program Outcomes
| Year | Students Entering | Students Graduating | Graduation Rate | |
| 2022 (first cohort) | 19 | |||
| 2023 | 27 | |||
| 2024 | 24 | |||
| Total | 70 |
Program performance data on the NBCOT certification examination is available for public viewing by state and program level by clicking on this link: https://www.nbcot.org/Educators-Folder/SchoolPerformance. The ESTU OTD program will not graduate its first class until May 2025.
The OTD Program is proud to be a participant of the INSPIRE Grant which allows two
occupational therapy students per year for five years to receive training and tuition
relief while learning how to serve those with major needs.