Binghamton University's occupational therapy program has adopted AOTA’s Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education (AOTA, 2007) to develop and organize its curriculum.
Below are three statements from the AOTA's Philosophy of Occupational Therapy Education (AOTA, 2007) in italics, followed by an explanation of how Binghamton's EL-OTD program aligns with that philosophy.
Development of new knowledge
“[T]the education…must consistently reinforce the development of new knowledge
supporting the use of occupation, the application of clinical reasoning based on
evidence, the necessity of lifelong learning, and the improvement of professional
knowledge and skills.”
The sequence of the curriculum courses reflects the belief that occupational therapy education should be grounded in the core principles of occupation, as evident in the AOTA Centennial Vision and the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF-4) and the selection of the didactic courses at the beginning of the OTD entry-level program.
The foundational concepts and knowledge integrate the ICF components of Environment, Participation, Activities, and OTPF-4: Occupational Therapy Formulation, Occupations Across the Lifespan, Learning and Behavioral Change. We also focus on developing toolkit to inform methods for adapting strategies, introducing assistive devices and promoting safe engagement in activities of daily living. This requires an appreciation of ICF Body Functions and Structures. Additionally, our courses focus on neuroscience of behavior, kinesiology, functional anatomy and pathophysiology. These courses facilitate the achievement of psychomotor skill development in functional movement analysis and assessment.
In the beginning stages of the EL-OTD curriculum, the focus is on building foundational knowledge to address the needs of increasingly complex and diverse populations and contexts. As the curriculum progresses, it aims to tackle client needs across the lifespan and along the medical functional/dysfunctional continuum in various social, cultural, institutional and physical contexts. The practical application of foundational knowledge skills relies on developing clinical reasoning skills to problem-solve and create innovative, reasoned solutions that promote engagement and participation in daily life tasks.
The curriculum focuses on developing skills for lifelong learning, teamwork, leadership and professional identity. It also highlights the importance of cultural humility and understanding global diversity. These skills are integrated with analytical and scientific reasoning, clinical skills and psychomotor skills to prepare students to contribute to interdisciplinary healthcare teams and address global healthcare challenges.
The EL-OTD curriculum is values-centered, with a strong ethical and philosophical foundation that is progressively integrated throughout the curriculum. Ethics and philosophy will be introduced in the first year of Professional Reasoning 1: Critical Inquiry and Decision-Making and will be explicitly learned and progressively integrated into all other courses to promote integrity and ethical conduct.
The curriculum emphasizes quality of life, health promotion and disease prevention in the five clinical courses and reasoning seminars. These courses aim to address the needs of individuals, groups and populations with temporary and permanent impairments, as well as the complex issues of justice, health disparities and health equities. Graduate students will develop the necessary resources to promote health and wellness, make contributions to society as innovators and learn about entrepreneurship as part of the clinically based courses and two occupational therapy formulations courses. Additionally, they will address health policy and advocacy as OTD graduate students.
Active learning
“Occupational therapy educators use active learning that engages the learner in a collaborative process that builds on prior knowledge and experiences and integrates professional academic knowledge, experiential learning, clinical reasoning and self-reflection.”
The inclusion of Fieldwork I experiences into the clinical content courses give students the chance to apply the knowledge and skills they learn in class. It also helps them develop critical thinking and self-reflection during small group seminars. Emphasizing self-reflection at the intersection of traditional coursework and hands-on learning in clinical assignments enhances the ability to produce critical-thinking professionals and establish a groundwork for lifelong learning.
Fieldwork consists of Level I and Level II experiences. Each fieldwork is designed to integrate the knowledge acquired through academic courses with practical experience at sites. These clinical experiences are supervised and are an essential part of the educational process as they allow students to apply the skills learned throughout their coursework. This includes evaluating patients, creating treatment plans, communication, observation and documentation skills. Level I and Level II fieldwork will not only help students develop foundational skills such as time management, but will also enhance their professional, clinical and interprofessional skills, which are key components for a successful entry into the workforce.
Level I and Level II fieldwork placements enable students to apply occupational therapy skills in various contexts to develop their professional identity as practitioners, managers and contributors.
Academic study and hands-on experience
“Occupational therapy education promotes the integration of philosophical and theoretical knowledge, values, beliefs, ethics and technical skills for broad application to practice in order to improve human participation and quality of life for those individuals with and without impairments and limitations.”
After completing theoretical and practical training, students in the EL-OTD program enhance their philosophical, theoretical and technical skills by combining academic study with hands-on experience. The OTD capstone experience and project help students further develop their understanding of occupation.
The EL-OTD program aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of clinical practice skills, evidence-based decision-making, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education and theory development. This helps EL-OTD students become innovators in health and well-being through occupation, taking on roles as practitioners, managers and contributors.
To graduate, each EL-OTD student must participate in a mentored capstone experience and complete a final doctoral project. The capstone project is an individualized effort that involves creating a polished version of the student's capstone proposal that is suitable for professional sharing and focuses on the results of the student's scholarly work. The project should also show the integration of theory and practice, as well as the synthesis of advanced knowledge, skills and a global view of occupation. The main goal of the capstone is to emphasize the value of occupational therapy for individuals, communities and society as a whole. Students are expected to produce a capstone project that combines scholarly work with practice, and evaluates or defines professional practice, service delivery and/or professional issues.
