D'Youville College

D'Youville College (D'Youville) offers a Master of Science (MS) degree in Occupational Therapy (OT). OT is a health and rehabilitation profession that helps people regain and build skills that are important for health, well-being, safety and daily living. The MS in OT is an entry-level degree specifically created for students with a BA or BS in another area of study who meet the admission criteria. The degree program, which can be completed in three years, includes courses in occupational therapy theory and practice, six months of supervised fieldwork and research.

OT students participate in fieldwork practicums. The Department of Occupational Therapy has clinical agreements with over 500 hospital, school systems, rehabilitation centers, mental health clinics, community sites and other facilities across the United States, Canada, and other countries. Local sites are available for many fieldwork experiences. Four levels of fieldwork education are integrated within the occupational therapy curriculum including site visits, Level I fieldwork, Level II fieldwork, and community practice.

Site visits are organized visits to local health care agencies that are part of specific entry-level courses. The purpose of these visits is to orient the student to the variety of services provided by health care agencies in the area, focusing on the context in which occupational therapy services are delivered or could be provided.

Level I fieldwork experiences are provided during the academic phase of the program to provide students with the opportunity to apply classroom learning in the clinical setting. These experiences are associated with specific practice courses, with placement of students in various health care arenas.

Level II fieldwork consists of two full-time 12 to 13 week clinical training experiences. Part-time options are available. Each student will receive experience in treating a wide range of the health spectrum and age groups. Emphasis is placed on the application of academically acquired knowledge by providing in-depth activities, tasks, and responsibility for the delivery of health care services to patients. Clinical experiences may include but not be limited to acute hospital settings, inpatient psychiatric settings, rehabilitation centers, community day treatment centers, nursing homes, school systems, developmental centers and community health initiatives.

Community practice is an advanced placement in a community or education-based setting for the purpose of exploring non-traditional or specialty applications of Occupational Therapy knowledge and skill. Community practice placements occur in the graduate year following fieldwork.