| Occupational Therapy |
This area of the OT LibGuide provides a rationale for the design of the curriculum immediately below. Please note that specific information regarding the coursework for students in each program can be found in this LibGuide in the tabs for the MSOT & OTD Program Specific Information. Lastly, below there are tabs which provide information on the ATSU Core Professional Attributes and the standards from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). For questions regarding the curriculum please contact the Occupational Therapy Department Interim Chair, Dr. Rebecca Wolf.
The curriculum takes students through the continuum of care for individual clients and populations across the lifespan. Coursework explores conceptual models, knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for practice in health care systems, education systems and in the community. Students learn the importance of health promotion, disease prevention, chronic disease management and improving the quality of life for all members of society. Students are also taught the diverse roles for OT in multiple service contexts across the continuum of care. Specialized coursework coupled with experiential learning in the community ensures graduates of the program are competent to function and practice beyond what is required for entry level practice as a generalist.
Curricular threads are introduced in the beginning of the program and are threaded throughout in courses as appropriate. Frequent exposure and application of these threads, as directed by course objectives and learning activities, ensures students are prepared to embody the values and philosophy of the program in their professional work as occupational therapists.
Curricular threads are as follows:
Curriculum Strands
The curriculum is based on the mission and philosophy of the program at the Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) and is in alignment with the mission of the University (ATSU). It incorporates elements of A.T. Still University’s values (Innovation, Whole person healthcare, Scholarship, Leadership in Community Health, & Diversity) and core professional attributes (Critical Thinking, Cultural proficiency, interprofessional collaboration, interpersonal skills, and social responsibility) as curricular strands that weave across the curriculum:
Each of these strands is an integral part of the approach taken in training our students to be future healthcare leaders. Students are taught to approach healthcare based on a holistic, integrated approach that includes the body, mind, and spirit of each patient to provide a more thorough and highly personalized delivery model that promotes wellness and meets the health needs of each patient as a whole person. The social responsibility of every student as a future healthcare provider is emphasized as each student participates in community based observational and experiential activities, which highlight serving the underserved and working with diverse populations throughout the curriculum. Students are taught to develop the ability to recognize the moral responsibility to engage in initiatives and activities that positively impact the health and wellbeing of clients. The importance of treating all clients with respect, courtesy and the same level of treatment is stressed as is the need for evidence based practice. Courses are presented in a manner in which students are taught the ability to find, appraise, and apply evidence consistent with best practice in the healthcare decision making process.
The hallmark of the program curriculum is innovative occupational programming to serve the needs of a diverse society. Students learn how to be innovative in their practice through the use of technology, client centered practice and critical inquiry. The significance of the ability to value and respect differences in clients through developing cultural humility as evidenced by knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that enable effective interactions in all situations is stressed to students. It is the overall purpose of this curriculum to foster these values and professional attributes in our students to develop them into leaders who will become activists and advocate on the behalf of their future clients.
The ATSU Core Professional Attributes are a set of cross-curricular meta-skills inherent to ATSU graduates, which enable them to select, adjust, and apply their discipline specific knowledge and skills to different situations and enhance their competence as healthcare providers. The Core Professional Attributes include:
Critical thinking is defined as the ability to find, appraise, and apply evidence consistent with best practice in the healthcare decision making process.
Cultural Competence is defined as the ability to value and respect differences as evidence by knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that enable effective interactions in all situations.
Interprofessional collaboration is defined as the ability to work effectively with others on an interprofessional team in order to improve health outcomes and deliver the highest quality of care.
Interpersonal skills are defined as the ability to interact successfully with others throughout the healthcare process.
Social responsibility is defined as the ability to recognize the moral responsibility to engage in initiatives and activities that positively impact the health and wellbeing of the individuals, communities, and professions served.
Please find the matrices which outline which Core Professional Attributes are addressed in each course in the OT program below:
The OT professional curriculum is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Accreditation occurs on a regularly scheduled cycle. All basic preparation programs must comply with the Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapist adopted in 2011. The Master’s program is accredited through 2020. The entry-level Doctoral program is accredited through 2025. More information regarding ACOTE can be found in the OT Student Guidebook (found under the tab labeled "Policies & Procedures Information" in this LibGuide).
All courses in the OT professional curriculum list in the course syllabus the student learning objectives and which ACOTE standards are addressed in the course. A full and current list of the ACOTE standards our program is required to meet can be found here: