Occupational Therapy, DSc.O.T.
Doctor of Science in Occupational Therapy
Program Director: Brian T. Gregg, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
Deputy Program Director: Elaina J. DaLomba, Ph.D., OTR/L, MSW
In the Fall of 2009, Baylor University, in affiliation with the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence (MEDCoE) established the Doctor of Science in Occupational Therapy degree (DSc.O.T.). This degree is an advanced-practice post-professional clinical doctorate designed to meet Army occupational therapists’ professional development and specialty needs. The program focuses on four pillars of foundational content: Behavioral Health, Upper Extremity Rehabilitation, Advanced Occupational Therapy Practice, and Research. Graduates of this program will be able to advance the practice of occupational therapy and expand the scope of care provided to warriors and military healthcare beneficiaries through the application of evidence-based practice and research.
Admission
Candidates for admission must hold a master’s degree or entry-level doctoral degree in occupational therapy from a program accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Occupational Therapy Education. Applicants must present a grade point average and scores on the GRE General Exam that are predictive of success in this program. Candidates must also meet the entrance requirements of the Graduate School of Baylor University. Fully qualified candidates are competitively board-selected for a limited number of program spots.
Curriculum
The 18-month curriculum totals 62 semester-credit hours of didactic study and clinical rotations. The program is offered at Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Texas. The 18-month curriculum begins in January, with graduation in June of the following year. The DScOT program requires the completion of an evidence-based research project. During the final portion of the course of study, each resident will defend their research study and submit the results in a written manuscript. The results of the project will be presented at an appropriate national conference and the manuscript will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
The curriculum is structured as follows:
Semester I | Hours | |
---|---|---|
January-June | ||
MOT 6311 | Evaluation and Intervention: Behavioral Health | 3 |
MOT 6212 | Behavioral Health Residency | 2 |
MOT 6322 | Differential Diagnosis in Occupational Therapy | 3 |
MOT 6327 | Quantitative Methods | 3 |
MOT 6325 | Evaluation and Intervention: Ergonomics | 3 |
MOT 6319 | Essentials of Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Research | 3 |
Hours | 17 | |
Semester II | ||
June-October | ||
MOT 6116 | Management of Combat and Operational Stress Control Residency | 1 |
MOT 6223 | Critical Research Appraisal | 2 |
MOT 6315 | Management of Combat and Operational Stress Control | 3 |
MOT 6328 | Quantitative Methods II | 3 |
MOT 6341 | Evaluation and Treatment of Upper-Extremity Conditions | 3 |
MOT 6242 | Upper Extremity Conditions Residency | 2 |
Hours | 14 | |
Semester III | ||
October-February | ||
MOT 6331 | Evaluation and Intervention: Burn and Trauma Rehabilitation | 3 |
MOT 6132 | Burn and Trauma Rehabilitation Residency | 1 |
MOT 6228 | UE Occupation Centered Intervention & Cultural Awareness | 2 |
MOT 6221 | UE Occupation Centered Intervention & Cultural Awareness Residency | 2 |
MOT 6337 | Field Research for Occupational Therapy | 3 |
MOT 6317 | Qualitative Methods | 3 |
MOT 6213 | Evaluation and Intervention: Post-Traumatic Stress & Polytrauma | 2 |
MOT 6214 | Post-Traumatic Stress & Polytrauma Residency | 2 |
Hours | 18 | |
Semester IV | ||
February-June | ||
MOT 6336 | Aspects of Pharmacology, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, & Nutrition in Occupational Therapy | 3 |
MOT 6243 | Advanced Hand Surgery Outcomes for Occupational Therapists | 2 |
MOT 6344 | Advanced Professional Paper Product | 3 |
MOT 6128 | Clinical Management in Army Occupational Therapy | 1 |
MOT 6441 | Upper Extremity & Behavioral Health Conditions Residency | 4 |
Hours | 13 | |
Total Hours | 62 |
Military Occupational Therapy (MOT)
Provides application and integration of knowledge and skills attained in the in-depth study of combat operational stress control and the role of the occupational therapist; experienced through forty-eight hours of assessment and intervention in the soldier's work environment.
The Clinical Management in Army Occupational Therapy course exposes the student to the supervisory and leadership responsibilities and demands faced by clinical managers in military occupational therapy clinics. The student examines and analyzes evidence-based solutions for routine and complex managerial problems and demands in order to develop a clinical management plan.
Applies the didactic learning from the evaluation and intervention course to the clinic setting with emphasis on assessment and intervention to minimizing devastating and lifelong disability and maximizing patient functional outcome.
Focuses on the application of evidence-based concepts and skills for selection of occupational therapy behavioral health assessment and intervention in the clinical and operational setting and promotes the role of the occupational therapist as a member of the behavioral health team.
Emphasizes the evaluation and intervention of individuals experiencing polytrauma including post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and amputation. Focuses on evaluating the occupational function, cognitive and social performance, behavioral health, amputee rehabilitation, post-surgical limb care, prosthetic selection, assistive technology associated with prosthetics, prosthetic fitting, training, and management including interventions for ADL and IADL, cognitive retraining, communication and interpersonal skills, and community reintegration. Students explore the current literature to evaluate and apply current evidence-based assessment tools and intervention methods that support occupational performance, role competence, and adaptation, quality of life, and client satisfaction outcomes incorporating to utilize for patients experiencing polytrauma. Students learn to integrate evidence-based knowledge to strengthen and/or modify occupational therapy assessment and intervention. Focuses on the special rehabilitation needs of patients with polytrauma in all settings, who enter both the military and civilian health care environments. Methods of instruction include lecture, discussion, readings, and case study analysis.
The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Polytrauma Residency focuses on the evaluation and intervention of individuals experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and polytrauma, including TBI and amputation. This course integrates behavioral science knowledge as it relates to occupational therapy and occupational performance in the clinical setting, assessment and intervention including cognitive (i.e., executive functioning), ADL & IADL performance, and social/behavioral performance, and is monitored by a DScOT faculty. Students analyze evidenced-based assessments and intervention methods for their ability to address patient needs and guarantee positive outcomes in the polytrauma patient’s occupational performance, role competence, adaptation, quality of life, and/or client satisfaction in the clinical, community, and work settings. The course allows for the clinical application of knowledge gained in the behavioral health and post-traumatic stress, the TBI, and the amputee course that focuses on the evaluation and intervention of polytrauma clients. This residency includes 80 hours of clinical assessment and intervention in a clinical environment. Areas of patient assessment and intervention include cognitive (i.e., executive functioning), ADL & IADL performance, and social/behavioral performance. The student learns to integrate evidence-based knowledge to strengthen and/or modify occupational therapy assessments and interventions of the Soldier, retiree, and family member diagnosed with a Traumatic Brain Injury.
Prerquisite(s): Successful completion of DScOT second semester courses. This course applies the concepts learned from the UE Occupation Centered & Cultural Awareness Intervention course to UE beneficiaries. The application of these concepts allows the student to explore, apply, and integrate the dimensions of occupation, occupation centered practice, critical reasoning, and culture during clinical intervention.
This course introduces the student to critical appraisal of all forms of research in rehabilitation. The purpose of this course is to further develop the student’s competence in carrying out and evaluating research. The student develops the skills necessary to find, critically evaluate, and synthesize the available research in order to answer individual research questions and/or create a line of research questions.
Focuses on the ability to explore, apply, and integrate the dimensions of occupation, occupation-centered practice, client-centered practice, reflection, critical reasoning, and culture and their application in the areas of assessment, intervention, and outcome measurement in occupational therapy services for upper extremity beneficiaries.
This is a four-month residency emphasizing the clinical evaluation and treatment of the upper-extremity injured or diseased patient presenting to occupational therapy, under the mentorship of an orthopedic surgeon.
This overview of the hand surgeon's model of evaluation and treatment of musculoskeletal disease and trauma and review of outcomes in advanced surgical techniques requires the development and application of a post-operative occupational therapy protocol for treatment of a specialized case.
Emphasizes the advanced evaluation and treatment of behavioral health conditions, introducing the student to the behavioral health knowledge base and evidence-based practice to integrate critical reasoning and evidence-based practice into occupational therapy behavioral health treatment settings.
An in-depth study of combat operational stress control and the role of the occupational therapist, experienced through forty-nine hours of didactics and four days of field training in a simulated combat environment. Includes a four-day field training exercise and a twenty-one-hour project and practicum.
Examines qualitative research methods used to enhance evidence-based research for occupational therapists through the analysis of published healthcare research and the employment of qualitative research methodology. Student will also select an appropriate qualitative research method to collect and analyze data associated with his or her research project.
Includes the integration of best evidence and best practice concepts as well as advanced concepts, techniques, and technologies used for the scientific inquiry of applied clinical research. Emphasis is placed on refining research designs for individual projects and preparing a research protocol for approval by the Institutional Review Board.
Poses discussion of the medical history and occupational therapy examination findings of somatic and visceral disorders with reference to their influence on occupational therapy upper extremity musculoskeletal diagnosis, evaluation, and intervention.
Includes the development of advanced clinical skills in evaluating environments, tools, and equipment for ergonomic intervention. Presents the study of work and ergonomic principles to enhance occupational performance. Includes health promotion and wellness, environmental health engineering, and health risk management.
Includes in-depth discussion and analysis of the research process including measurement theory, experimental design, hypothesis construction and testing, critical evaluation of research, rating scales, sampling, indices of validity and reliability, statistical analysis, and the appropriate use and interpretation of statistical tests.
Specific goals during this course include the completion of a literature review and the beginning of pilot testing and data collection. Also included is material in statistics, which develops the student's use of advanced statistical analysis techniques, including the use of SPSS.
Focuses on the evaluation and intervention involved in burn and trauma rehabilitation as it relates to occupational therapy practice. Special emphasis is placed upon assessment and intervention to minimize devastating and lifelong disability and maximize patient functional outcomes both in the clinic and operational environment.
Focuses on the role and relationship of nutrition, pharmacology, and complementary/alternative medicine in the treatment of specific populations by occupational therapists where emphasis is placed on medical indications and potential effects of drugs and alternative/complementary medicine as well as nutrition on occupational therapy interventions.
Builds upon the student's familiarity with the occupational therapy knowledge base, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, and critical/clinical reasoning and includes the development of a clinical research question, completion of a comprehensive literature review/systematic review, and writing a research protocol that includes informed consent documents.
Emphasizes the evaluation, diagnosing, and treatment of the upper-extremity injuries or diseases of patients presented to occupational therapy. Provides fifty-six hours of didactics including all diagnoses related to upper-extremity trauma and disease. Includes pathophysiology of wounds, arthritides, radiology, laboratory tests, and pharmacology.
Focuses on the completion of the manuscript from the clinical research project with the goal of publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presentation to the occupational therapy community.
A four-month course emphasizing the clinical evaluation and treatment of the Upper Extremity injured or diseased patient presenting to occupational therapy with comorbid Behavioral Health symptoms of kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, and post-traumatic stress from injury. 160 hours of clinical assessment and intervention including all diagnoses related to BH & UE.