St. Scholastica occupational therapy program earns reaccreditation

The College’s entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program has received reaccreditation status from the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). During an on-site evaluation in October 2021, evaluators found no areas of non-compliance and granted the program a ten-year accreditation period, the longest accreditation currently attainable.

“To achieve a ten-year review cycle speaks to the program demonstrating exceptional quality in educating future occupational therapists,” said Dr. Kelly Erickson, director and chair of the occupational therapy program. “It is really the gold standard of what we would hope to achieve in the accreditation process.”

The process began in 2019 and included strategic planning, self-study, a two and a half day on-site evaluation and post-evaluation report. It also required collaboration and commitment among department faculty and staff, and the dean of the school of health sciences. Erickson described accreditation as a critical component of the graduate program’s success.

“It allowed us to take a deep analysis of our operations from faculty and support staff to admissions to record keeping to curriculum and fieldwork,” she said. “It was also enlightening to gather evidence to support how the standards are being met and, in turn, identify the program’s strengths and weaknesses.”

The program’s next on-site evaluation will be scheduled within the academic year 2031-2032.

Students in St. Scholastica’s occupational therapy program treat patients in the on-campus maurices Community Clinic, dedicated to interdisciplinary and experiential learning. The program is 79 total credits and can be completed in 2.5 years. To learn more, visit our Occupational Therapy program page.

Accreditation

The entry-level occupational therapy master’s degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.