AIC to Offer Post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) will launch a new online post-professional occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program. The online program, approved by the New England Assoc. of Schools and Colleges, will begin this fall. It is designed to create faculty and educator leaders for the future who incorporate their occupational-therapy knowledge with experience from clinical practice, research, education, and advocacy while integrating the core philosophy of the profession.

The program focuses on four curriculum threads that align with key areas in the occupational-therapy profession: clinical practice, research, education, and advocacy, including coursework in the scholarship of teaching and learning and occupational-therapy leadership. These courses form the foundation for the curriculum threads and include active learning, a cohort model, critical reflection, and assignments that can apply to students’ own areas of occupational-therapy workplace practice.

According to Cesarina Thompson, dean of the School of Health Sciences, “employment for occupational therapists is projected to grow by 29{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} through 2022, a much faster growth than the average for all other occupations. With the growing demand for rehabilitation and disabilities services, there is a need to prepare more occupational therapists who will be equipped to practice in an evolving and complex healthcare system and advocate for the profession. As 2017 marks the 100th year of the existence of occupational therapy, this program helps fulfill the centennial vision for the practice.”

More information is available online at www.aic.edu or by calling Thompson at (413) 205-3056.