Program Spotlight: Occupational Therapy, College of Nursing and Health Professions

Occupational Therapy (OT) students on Drexel University’s Elkins Park Campus are integrated into a community of professional graduate students who seek to become caring and competent health professionals.

This philosophy creates an environment that promotes a holistic approach to the care of the total person and encourages the sharing of information and the teamwork approach found in today’s health and rehabilitation professionals.

The Drexel approach to occupational therapy education is to provide a distinctive and innovative program for the academic and clinical preparation of master’s, advanced specialty certificate, and doctoral students.

"Our students come in, they learn the basic sciences and theories needed to practice as an OT, they quickly move into pediatric practice, then adult practice, then into geriatrics and community and mental health,”’ said Lauren Sponseller, PhD ‘18, MSOTR/L, MEd, chair of the OT department in the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) at Drexel. “They are then out the door on full-time fieldwork rotations which are well-rounded experiences.”

The OT Department offers both professional and post-professional programs. The professional program is a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy (MSOT), which emphasizes interdisciplinary perspectives, critical reasoning, the value of occupation, and professional development. The OT Department also offers two post-professional programs for registered occupational therapists. The first is a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree. This program, which is primarily online, is designed to help licensed OTs progress in their profession by becoming advanced content experts, future leaders, or assume teaching roles in higher education. The second is an Advanced Specialty Certificate, which provides advanced content and clinical expertise in selected specialty areas through a 12-credit specialty track course sequence.

“I came out of the OT program very well-rounded. We received education on all aspects, including pediatrics, adults, geriatrics, and then the clinical placements helped me secure my first job,” said Sara Ostrowski, MSOT ‘20. “The program has really good clinical sites and is well-established with placements.”

Occupational Therapy is based on the principle that people can improve their health and well-being by engaging in occupation, the dynamic process to support an individual’s continuous adaptation.

Occupation is self-directed, personally initiated, goal-directed, and organized. To this extent, it is used as the central construct underlying the OT curriculum. Students work in synergy with faculty, mentors, peers, and consumers to reaffirm the occupational nature of humans and the principles of utilizing occupation as therapy.

To learn more about the OT programs at Drexel’s Elkins Park Campus, contact the Office of Admissions at 800.824.6262.