Occupational therapy is a health and rehabilitation profession. Occupational therapists provide services to individuals of all ages who have physical, developmental, emotional, and/or social deficits. Occupational therapists practice in public and private schools, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, hand therapy clinics, home health agencies, and in private practice.
USAHS offers an alternative path to the MOT degree through the Flex MOT program. This program combines online education and weekend labs on campus in an entry-level program designed for the student who is unable to attend classes on campus during the week per the residential schedule.
The Flex model represents an expansion of the campus-based MOT program currently in place at USAHS. The campus-based and flex paths share a common mission and curriculum while the delivery format, length of program, and number of credits per term differs. The Flex program prerequisites, admission requirements, academic calendar, and policies are the same as the campus-based program.
Mission Statement
The mission of the University’s Flex MOT program is to graduate a diverse population of practitioners who have the skills necessary to analyze human occupation and to implement science-driven and evidence-based interventions that promote quality of life for the clients who they serve. The graduates will contribute to their profession and to a global society through their competence, ethical standards, and professionalism.
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Flex MOT program, graduates will demonstrate the ability to
- exhibit the skills of a professional occupational therapist through a commitment to lifelong learning,
- advocate for the profession of occupational therapy while collaborating with other members of a healthcare team,
- practice clinical reasoning skills based on foundational knowledge and professional skills in order to provide optimal interventions for client problems in varied settings,
- ensure optimal and culturally competent verbal and written communication of occupational therapy services,
- implement principles of ethical and professional behavior in the delivery of occupational therapy services,
- use effective leadership skills to advance the role of occupational therapy, and
- evaluate evidence-based information by accessing resources and interpreting information for competent interventions.
Program Prerequisites
See Admissions, Records, and Registration for prerequisites and application information.
Delivery of Coursework
The Flex MOT program is 93 credits and offered over 9 trimesters. More than 50% of the coursework is delivered online to the student. The online courses consist of web-based text with extensive graphics, videos, and audio clips. There are opportunities provided for faculty-to-student and student-to-student synchronous and asynchronous interactive collaboration. Assessment of online learning outcomes includes a wide variety of evaluation tools depending on the course outcomes, such as (1) regular quizzes completed online, (2) graded bulletin board assignments, (3) case reports, (4) group projects, (5) research papers, and (6) article critiques.
In courses with a lab component, students come together for up to 16 hours of laboratory classes per selected weekends during a 15-week trimester. The lab sessions provide an avenue for teaching activities not well suited for online delivery, such as the hands-on learning that is vital to occupational therapy education, as well as oral presentations, lab practical testing, and socialization activities. Additionally, students may have to make arrangements for online exams at other times, which may include non-lab weekends. Currently, these lab activities are located on the St. Augustine, Florida; Austin, Texas; Miami, Florida; and San Marcos, California, campuses.
Students in the Flex program complete two full-time fieldwork experiences that are 12 weeks each in length in the second half of the program. Generally, this portion of the curriculum is completed with full-time attendance by the Flex MOT student, although alternate arrangements can be made when this is not possible.
There are two cohort groups of students admitted per year, which varies per campus with a maximum range of 15 to 25 students per group depending on campus and a minimum of 8 students. If the number of Flex cohort students drops below eight, the University reserves the right to delay the start of the cohort group by one trimester to combine with the following group.
Note: Flex MOT students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 24 months following completion of all prior didactic portions of the program.
For further information about accreditation contact Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, phone 301-652-AOTA, www.acoteonline.org.
Standard Occupational Classification codes for which program is intended to prepare graduates: Occupational Therapist (29-1122); Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (25-1071)
California OT Licensure
As of the date of publication of the catalog/handbook, in order to be eligible for professional licensure as an Occupational Therapist in California, Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) or Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program graduates must hold a degree from an accredited Occupational Therapy program. MOT/OTD graduates that are applying for licensure in the state of California are required to submit the CA application for OT licensure, application fee, Proof of Passing Exam from the NBCOT and submit an official transcript showing MOT or OTD degree to the California Board of Occupational Therapy.
Washington State Residents
Occupational Therapy program students should check with the Washington Department of Health, Health Profession Quality Assurance Division, to determine if their program will prepare them for licensure in Washington State.
