Entry-level OTD Program

Curriculum

The program is completed in three and one-half calendar years and includes didactic coursework and clinical education.

First Professional Year
First Semester (Fall) Hrs   Second Semester (Spring) Hrs
OTD 303 Introduction to Occupational Therapy 2   OTD 301 Foundations of Occupation 2
OTD 305 Communication and Instructional Methods 3   OTD 304 Occupational Patterns in Culture 2
OTD 306 Clinical Conditions 2   OTD 311 Psychosocial OT Theory & Practice 2
OTD 308 Introduction to Inquiry 3   OTD 339 Clinical Anatomy 3
OTD 341 Neuroanatomy 3   OTD 340 Clinical Anatomy Laboratory 1.5
      OTD 352 Introduction to Health Care Ethics 2
      OTD 370 Fieldwork Level IA 1
Total 13   Total 13.5
Second Professional Year
Third Semester (Fall) Hrs   Fourth Semester (Spring) Hrs
OTD 408 Research Process I: Literature Review 2   OTD 407 Occupational Therapy Practice with Children & Youth I 3
OTD 411 Occupational Therapy Practice in Mental Health 3   OTD 409 Research Process II: Proposal 2
OTD 413 Physical Rehabilitation in Occupational Therapy I 3   OTD 414 Physical Rehabilitation in Occupational Therapy II 3
OTD 423 Occupational Therapy with Elders 3   OTD 417 Health Care Policy 3
OTD 431 Occupation, Adaptation & Technology 3   OTD 432 Occupational Therapy Practice with Upper Extremity Conditions 3
OTD 441 Musculoskeletal Dimensions of Occupation 3   OTD 471 Fieldwork Level IC 1
OTD 470 Fieldwork Level IB 1   OTD 480 Fieldwork Level II Seminar II .5
OTD 479 Fieldwork Level II Seminar I .5      
Total 18.5   Total 13.5
Fifth Semester (Summer) Hrs      
OTD 481 Fieldwork Level IIA 12      
Total 12      
Third Professional Year
Sixth Semester (Fall) Hrs   Seventh Semester (Spring) Hrs
OTD 507 Occupational Therapy Practice with Children & Youth II 3   OTD 502 Physical Agent Modalities 3
OTD 508 Research Implementation I 1.5   OTD 509 Research Implementation II 1.5
OTD 511 Neuro-Occupation I 3   OTD 506 Occupational Therapy Management 3
OTD 513 Occupation and Health: Population Perspectives 3   OTD 519 Neurorehabilitation 3
OTD 561 Fieldwork Level ID 1   OTD 518 Leadership 2
OTD 562 Ethical Reasoning in OT Practice 2.5   OTD 541 Critical Analysis of Occupational Therapy Practice 3
OTD 572 Professional Trajectory I 1   OTD 573 Professional Trajectory II 1
Total 17.5   Total 16.5
Eight Semester (Summer) Hrs      
OTD 571 Fieldwork Level IIB 12      
OTD 574 Professional Competency 1      
Total 13      
Fourth Professional Year
Ninth Semester (Fall) Hrs      
OTD 599 Directed Independent Study 1-4      
OTD 600 Entry Level Professional Rotation 12-16      
OTD 601 Capstone 1      
Total 17      

Total Program Hours = 134

Level I Fieldwork

Students in the entry-level program enroll in four Level I Fieldwork experiences during their first seven semesters. Level I Fieldwork is provided in a variety of settings covering the life span, including hospitals, clinics, school systems, and community centers and consists of both didactic and experiential learning opportunities.

Level II Fieldwork

Two of the nine professional semesters are three-month clinical Level II Fieldwork placements at supervised, approved facilities. Eligibility for Level II Fieldwork experiences is determined by the student's mastery of the professional curriculum. A QPA of 2.0 or higher is required for Level II Fieldwork placement.

Entry-level Professional Rotation

Following the successful completion of the second Level II Fieldwork experience, students take part in an entry-level Professional Rotation comprised of 16 semester hours. Professional rotations offer students the opportunity to extend and refine knowledge acquired in the curriculum and utilize it meaningfully as a means to critically analyze occupational therapy practice. Using the OTD curriculum design framework, students articulate a rationale for professional rotation site choice(s) that considers: (a) their own occupational interests and needs; (b) the opportunities, limitations, requirements and needs of particular practice environments; and (c) the potential contribution a professional prepared with an OTD degree can make to such environments. Emphasis is placed on understanding the personal, communal and institutional/societal dimensions of professional development and on the appreciation of the critical balance between these three dimensions.

After the professional rotation is completed, students must complete the requirements for and participate in an on-campus capstone event for one credit hour.

Placement

All Level I and II Fieldwork and Professional Rotation assignments are made by the Occupational Therapy Academic Fieldwork Coordinator(s). Clinical education is available in a variety of practice settings and geographic locations. Some travel may be necessary outside of Omaha, and the student will be required to obtain lodging and assume financial responsibility for living expenses during this period of time.

Entry Level OT Program Post Professional Distance Program

At the Creighton University Medical Center 2006 Commencement, Fr. John P. Schlegel, S.J., Creighton University President stated, "Your professors have challenged you to be leaders in your professions. As a student, you were expected to go beyond the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary. Your patients will expect no less of you. Do not disappoint them. Ethics, service, and excellence: These three words have been consistent across the 127 years of Creighton's existence; they serve as the foundation for what we do today. You will carry these with you; they are marks of a Creighton health care professional."

Heather Goertz, OTD, assistant professor, collaborated with the Omaha Street School (OSS) and received a $1,000 grant from the Omaha Community Foundation's Youth in Philanthropy award to implement a program - Tea for Teens: Women in Leadership - to develop leadership skills in young women attending the OSS.