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School of Health Professions - Student Handbook 2024-2025


Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Post-Professional)

OTDP Program

SHP General Information
Review information that pertains to all students within the School of Health Professions (SHP) that is located at the beginning of the SHP Student Handbook. 
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Policies, Procedures, and Student Responsibilities
Review information that pertains to all students within the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (DRS) that is located in the Rehabilitation Section of the SHP Student Handbook.
This section of the Student Handbook describes academic policies and procedures that are specific to the Post-professional track of the TTUHSC Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program. Student policies that are common to the School of Health Professions are provided at the following website address: 

https://hscweb.ttuhsc.edu/health-professions/current/policies.aspx

Accreditation and Program Overview
Accreditation
The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) does not require accreditation for the Post-professional OTD. Program accreditation occurs in conjunction with the accreditation of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Vision, Mission, and Philosophy of the OTDP Program

OTDP Vision
To earn recognition for elevating the practice of occupational therapy by promoting our distinct value as clinicians and professionals.  
OTDP Mission
To provide students with a strong foundation in professionalism, critical reasoning, and practice skills to become competent occupational therapists who use meaningful occupations to help people improve their health and well-being.
Philosophy Statement
The value of a profession lies within its professional identity and its distinct contribution to society. A deep understanding of the profession’s core subject is critical for the development of a strong professional identity and articulation of the profession’s distinct value. The core subject of the occupational therapy profession is the dynamics of occupation. Dynamics of occupation is a construct that characterizes how occupation—engagement in meaningful, necessary, and familiar activities—affects a person’s health and well-being. Dynamics are forces that influence growth, development, or change within a system or process. The dynamics of occupation can be understood as the forces related to occupational engagement that impact health and well-being.
Occupational therapists believe that being occupied in meaningful, necessary, and familiar activities is a source of health and well-being for human beings. These activities, or occupations, encompass areas that include: self-care, learning, work, play, leisure, social participation, and sleep/rest. Each person has a unique configuration of meaningful occupations that relate to their roles, habits, routines, contexts, and environments. Various life circumstances and health conditions can disrupt a person’s ability to engage in valued occupations.
Occupational therapists use their understanding of the dynamics of occupation to provide occupational therapy interventions that help people do the day-to-day activities that are important and meaningful to them. Occupational therapists work collaboratively with individuals, families, caregivers, and other groups whose life patterns and abilities to engage in valued occupations have been altered for various reasons (e.g., cognitive or developmental problems, injury or illness, social or emotional deficits, aging process). Occupational therapists apply critical reasoning and practice skills as they evaluate, plan, facilitate, and reflect on client care. The distinct value of occupational therapy is to improve health and well-being through facilitating participation and engagement in occupations at home, school, workplace, community, and various other settings.
Occupational therapy education must provide opportunities for students to integrate a wide range of topics learned to the core subject—dynamics of occupation—so that students profoundly understand and clearly articulate the distinct value of occupational therapy. Developing a deep understanding of the dynamics of occupations requires that students:
  • Learn what constitutes an occupation and how to analyze activity demands
  • Learn how to assess a person’s unique occupational profile
  • Learn how to analyze occupational performance
  • Learn how occupations can be disrupted, impoverished, or changed over time
  • Learn how underlying neurological and physiological mechanisms that positively and negatively affect occupational engagement, performance, and participation
  • Learn therapeutic strategies, techniques, and activities to help people engage, perform, and participate in meaningful occupations  
  • Learn methods to evaluate changes in occupational participation, health, and well-being
Curriculum Design and Program Evaluation
The curriculum design for the Post-professional Track of the OTD has four major content areas (i.e., curriculum threads) that are apparent throughout the curriculum. These curriculum threads inform the selection, scope, and sequence of content. The curriculum threads are: the dynamics of occupation, professionalism, critical reasoning, and practice skills.
Dynamics of Occupation
The core subject of the occupational therapy profession is the dynamics of occupation. Dynamics of occupation is a construct that characterizes how occupation—engagement in meaningful, necessary, and familiar activities—affects a person’s health and well-being. Dynamics are forces that influence growth, development, or change within a system or process. The dynamics of occupation can be understood as the forces related to (or facilitating) occupational engagement that impacts health and well-being.
Dynamics of occupation is a curriculum thread that is interwoven throughout each of the other three threads. A description of these threads with an overarching student learning outcome and associated objectives are specified below.
Professionalism
Professionalism is one of the curriculum threads that is integrated throughout the curriculum. Students learn key concepts related to being a professional who is prepared to be a self-directed life-long learner; to uphold ethical standards, values, and attitudes of the profession; to effectively communicate and work interprofessionally with others; and to demonstrate active involvement in professional development, leadership, and advocacy.
Professionalism Student Learning Outcome and Objectives
Students will exemplify the distinct value of occupational therapy through the provision of therapy services, interprofessional collaboration, scholarship, and organizational involvement.
  • Students will possess an in-depth understanding of the distinct value of occupational therapy services.
  • Students will participate in self-identified professional development activities.
Critical Reasoning
Critical reasoning is another curriculum thread that is integrated throughout the curriculum. Students learn key concepts related to being a critical thinker who demonstrates the ability to synthesize information necessary for the development and implementation of theory-driven, evidence-based occupational therapy interventions.
Critical Reasoning Student Learning Outcome and Objectives
Students will systematically analyze, synthesize, and use information to guide occupational therapy practice that enhances the health and well-being of people and communities.
  • Students will systematically analyze and discern information to guide decision-making in practice and scholarship.
  • Students will skillfully utilize different models of practice to guide occupational therapy practice.
Practice Skills
Practice Skills is another curriculum thread that is integrated throughout the curriculum. Students learn key concepts related to being a competent practitioner who can apply evidence-based evaluations and interventions to address physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory aspects of performance in a variety of contexts and environments to support occupational engagement and participation.
Practice Skills Student Learning Outcome and Objectives
Students will demonstrate competency in knowledge and skills required for the practice of occupational therapy.
Students will select and administer a range of assessments to evaluate factors that impact occupational performance and participation.
Students will provide evidence-based interventions that promote health and well-being through engagement in occupation (i.e., meaningful daily activities).
Students will possess advanced skills beyond the generalist level in one of the following areas of concentration: clinical practice skills; research skills; leadership; program and policy development; advocacy; or education.
Technical Standards
The occupational therapy program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) is a rigorous and intense program that places specific professional, intellectual, physical, and social requirements and demands on the students enrolled in the program. The essential functions set forth by the occupational therapy program establish the essential qualities considered necessary for students admitted to this program to achieve the knowledge, skill, and behavioral competencies for practice. These standards are subject to amendment based on changes in health care and the scope of occupational therapy practice.
Ability to meet these essential functions is required for admission to the occupational therapy program and must be maintained throughout the time a student is enrolled in the program. Applicants to (or accepted applicants for) the occupational therapy program will be required to verify that they understand and meet these essential functions, or that they believe that with reasonable accommodations they can meet the essential functions.
In keeping with applicable federal and state law regarding disabilities, we are committed to making reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities to enable them to perform successfully in our program. Any student with a disability who is accepted to the occupational therapy program must contact the 504 coordinator in the TTUHSC Office of Student Services as soon as possible. The coordinator will evaluate the student, confirm that the stated condition qualifies as a disability under applicable laws, and work with the program to determine reasonable accommodations.
The essential functions listed below are necessary functions and skills for the development of the knowledge, skills, and behaviors to provide safe and effective occupational therapy services.
1. Cognition:
a. Applicants and students must be able to skillfully conceptualize, apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information from a broad range of sources. Use of these learning domains must produce effective critical thinking skills to be used during observations of patient behavior, task performance, and the environment. To produce the required didactic and clinical learning, students must have:
  • Sufficient perception and attention (sustained, shifting, and divided) to perform components, such as: discernment and discrimination of relevant information (e.g., attention to safety concerns during laboratory and clinical/fieldwork experiences; sustained attention for actively learning during lecture and taking tests lasting up to 4 hours); accurate perception and interpretation of spatial relationships (e.g., surface anatomy; analysis of movement); and acquisition and use of knowledge within rigorous time constraints (e.g., assignment due dates, semester schedules, allotted treatment time).
  • Sufficient memory skills (immediate, short term/working, and long term) to perform components such as the transfer of immediate memories (from sensations) to short term memories, which are then developed into long term memories through various learning strategies. All forms of memory should be accessible/retrievable for use in working memory as evidenced by effective didactic and safe and effective clinical experiences (e.g., assignment completion; examination preparation; occupational therapy evaluation; treatment planning; reassessment; outcomes review).
  • Sufficient higher-level cognitive skills to perform components, such as: concept formation (e.g. development of theoretical concepts in occupational therapy); cognitive flexibility (e.g. understanding of various contexts and patient situations); problem-solving and decision making (e.g., searching and evaluating published literature; selection of appropriate assessments and treatment strategies); and accurate self-assessment of clinical/fieldwork skills, professionalism, and academic performance (e.g. monitor one’s own actions; learn from peer, instructor, client, and environmental feedback).
2. Communication:
a. Applicants and students must be able to effectively communicate with a broad range of individuals, such as: peers, faculty, patients, caregivers, family members, other professionals, supervisors, and payers. Such communication requires that students can effectively engage in receptive and expressive forms of communication (e.g., written, spoken, non-verbal). Students must have:
  • Sufficient proficiency with the English language to perform components, such as: acquisition of information and knowledge through written and spoken language (e.g., classroom instruction, textbooks, journal articles, websites, videos); production of written assignments with accurate spelling, grammar, and writing mechanics (e.g., essays, documentation); completion of examinations that require reading and comprehension; and professional presentation of information (e.g., class presentations; interdisciplinary team discussions; patient status reports).
  • Sufficient proficiency with use of technology to perform components, such as: utilization of computer resources for didactic, laboratory, and clinical/fieldwork courses (e.g., internet, email, electronic health records, and computer software for word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation); accessing content using a variety of electronic media (e.g., videos, pdf, forums, electronic library databases); and utilization of technology resources used for standardized testing (e.g., electronic modalities).
3. Observation
a. Applicants and students must be able to effectively observe behavior, task performance, and the environment. Such observation requires the functional use of their senses. Students must have:
  • Sufficient vision acuity and perception to perform components such as: visual observation of educators and/or peers demonstrating techniques, procedures, and equipment use; seeing and reading text and images( e.g., equipment gauges/dials, medical records); observation of patient behaviors, skills, and impairments; visual inspection of signs of distress, trauma, or impairment; visual monitoring of tools and equipment for safe, effective operation; and identification of environmental barriers and supports.
  • Sufficient auditory function to perform components, such as: hearing patient’s verbalizations and utterances; monitoring of tools and equipment for safe, effective operation; and accurately hearing sounds from the pulmonary, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems.
  • Sufficient tactile sensation to perform components, such as: accurate discernment, palpation, and mobilization of muscles, bones, joints, and other subcutaneous structures; monitoring of temperature or tension through touch; and manipulation of supplies, tools, and equipment.
4. Social Behavioral Skills:
a. Applicants and students must be able to establish and regulate behaviors to meet performance demands of occupational therapy practice. Such social behavioral skills require motivation, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal skills. Students must have:
  • Sufficient motivation to achieve academic or clinical/fieldwork performance expectations that include components, such as: self-direction and autonomy (e.g., utilize organization and time management skills; utilize resources for self-directed learning; access transportation to attend academic courses and clinical/fieldwork placements); compliance with academic and professional standards of conduct (adhere to safety guidelines and procedures; conduct oneself in an ethical and legal manner); and portrayal of honesty, integrity, and professionalism in all circumstances.
  • Sufficient interpersonal skills to perform components, such as: respect for individual, social and cultural diversity; building and maintaining healthy relationships with a broad range of individuals (e.g., peers, faculty, patients, caregivers, family members, other professionals, and supervisors); facilitation of therapeutic interaction (e.g., attending, clarifying, coaching, facilitating, and touching as part of therapeutic process); professional interactions (e.g., provide constructive feedback; timely and appropriate response to feedback);
  • Sufficient awareness of emotional and behavioral states to perform components, such as: self-reflection, self-appraisal, and adjustment of actions when necessary (e.g., align behaviors to meet performance expectations; self-identify areas for improvement); and regulation of emotional and behavioral responses (e.g., manage uncertainty in academic and clinical/fieldwork situations; adapt thinking and behavior to changing situations).
5. Participation:
a. Applicants and students must be able to participate in various experiential learning opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors for occupational therapy practice. Such experiential learning occurs in the classroom, laboratories, and clinical/fieldwork experiences. Students must be able to:
  • Complete the interprofessional core curriculum that involves completion of online modules as well as face-to-face interactions that involve teaching, learning, and collaborating with students from various professions.
  • Participate in small group activities and projects that require students to coordinate schedules and work collaboratively to meet assignment expectations and deadlines.
Professional Expectations and Opportunities
Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics
Preamble
The 2015 Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics (Code) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is designed to reflect the dynamic nature of the profession, the evolving health care environment, and emerging technologies that can present potential ethical concerns in research, education, and practice. AOTA members are committed to promoting inclusion, participation, safety, and well­being for all recipients in various stages of life, health, and illness and to empowering all beneficiaries of service to meet their occupational needs. Recipients of services may be individuals, groups, families, organizations, communities, or populations.
The Code is an AOTA Official Document and a public statement tailored to address the most prevalent ethical concerns of the occupational therapy profession. It outlines Standards of Conduct the public can expect from those in the profession. It should be applied to all areas of occupational therapy and shared with relevant stakeholders to promote ethical conduct.
The Code serves two purposes:
  • It provides aspirational Core Values that guide members toward ethical courses of action in professional and volunteer roles, and
  • It delineates enforceable Principles and Standards of Conduct that apply to AOTA members.
The entire AOTA Code of Ethics may be found on the AOTA website: https://www.aota.org/Practice/Ethics/code-of-ethics.aspx 
Transfer Credit
The Post-professional OTD will accept up to two post-profession courses (six credit hours) from other colleges or universities that are comparable in course content and academic level. Acceptance of transfer credits will be at the discretion of the TTUHSC Registrar and with concurrence of the Post-professional program director.
Academic Progress Requirements
The Post-professional OTD curriculum consists of a set of required courses and a variety of elective courses. Each student will work with the program director to establish a degree plan upon admission to the program that is flexible and designed to best meet the student's professional interests and goals. All curricular degree requirements must be completed in no more than five years. Any changes in the degree plan require a request in writing from the student to the program director, and approval of the program director.
Students are required to successfully complete at least six semester credit hours (two courses) within each academic year (defined as consecutive Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). A student who fails to meet this academic progress requirement is subject to dismissal (refer to "Dismissal from the Post-professional OTD Program" section below). An approved Leave of Absence exempts the student from this academic progress requirement during the interval of the absence.
Professional Development /Academic Advising
Professional development, including academic advising, is an important part of each student's experience throughout the TTUHSC OTD Program, beginning at orientation. Students may meet with his or her faculty advisor and complete the "Generic Abilities Advising" form, a standardized advising tool used to encourage self­ assessment for the student. This tool creates a framework for students and advisors to discuss the student's progression through the OTD program as well to foster development of professional behaviors. Students are encouraged to communicate openly with their faculty advisor whenever the need arises.
A student will receive a Mid­Term Academic Warning Letter or an Academic Probation Letter when academic progress falls below academic guidelines/expectations (see Academic Probation section below).  
A student who receives a Mid­Term Academic Warning Letter or an Academic Probation Letter is encouraged to meet with his or her faculty advisor. Additional meetings occur during other times of the year at the initiation of the student, faculty advisor, or program director.
Consensual Relationships
Consensual relationships between a student and supervisor, patient or other persons at clinical experience sites constitute (1) conflicts of interest; (2) unprofessional conduct; (3) breach of trust; (4) appearances of impropriety; and (5) questions the validity of consent, any of which impairs the integrity of academic and clinical decisions. Such relationships also have the potential for (1) undermining the atmosphere of trust and objectivity essential to the educational process and clinical experience; (2) exploiting subordinate faculty, staff, employees, or students and the possible professional or academic disadvantage of third parties; and (3) subjecting both TTUHSC, the clinical sites and the individuals to the risk of liability.
Therefore, the OTD program strictly prohibits any type of such relationship as described above, whether consensual or not. Violation of this prohibition may result in dismissal from the program. Should such relationship develop, faculty, staff, and OTD students who become aware of the relationship have the obligation to disclose the existence of the relationship to the program director.
Adapted from TTUHSC OP 70.55 Consensual Relationships ­ Faculty, Staff, and Residents.
Doctoral Capstone
An integral part of the Post-professional OTD program curriculum, the Doctoral Capstone (DC) provides in-depth exposure to one or more of the following areas:
  • administration and leadership
  • program development
  • education
  • clinical practice skills
  • research skills
  • advocacy
  • and theory development
It consists of three parts: (1) Capstone Pre-proposal, (2) Capstone 1 – Project Proposal, and (3) Capstone 2 –  Implementation.
The DC develops occupational therapists’ capacities to engage in scholarly activities. The student completes an individual culminating product to demonstrate synthesis and application of knowledge gained in one or more of the DC areas. The DC is a highly student-driven process; however, the student works in collaboration with a faculty capstone mentor to achieve advanced learning objectives and produce evidence of scholarship.
During the Capstone Pre-proposal course, students will develop a capstone topic and be matched with a faculty mentor, and begin preparatory work on that topic. During Capstone 1 students complete a literature review, needs assessment, goals/objectives, and an evaluation plan. The student must have an approved DC proposal prior to beginning their Capstone 2. Capstone 2 will result in a final product that documents this scholarship and may include a written manuscript, presentation, case report, treatment manual, curriculum, grant proposal, quality improvement project report, program proposal, policy/procedure manual, video, series of marketing or educational materials, or portfolio/photolog/scrapbook. Capstones requiring IRB processes will only be granted on joint projects with academic/professional research teams.
Academic and Conduct Policies
Academic Standards
Each student of the Post-professional OTD (OTDP) program must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher at the end of each term. Additionally, each student must receive a grade of “C” or better in all courses taken. When GPA becomes an issue, it is imperative to strive for an "A" to mathematically surpass a 2.7 cumulative grade point average.
Students with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or below must have Program Director permission to enroll in the Capstone Course-HPOT 7290 or HPOT 7391.
Academic Probation
A student will be placed on Academic Probation for any of the following reasons:
  • A student will be placed on academic probation due to a cumulative GPA below 2.7 and will remain on academic probation until they return to good academic standing. Student must raise their GPA to 2.7 or higher in order to be removed from academic probation. The student may remain on academic probation for reasons of low cumulative GPA for no longer than two semesters. 
Failure by the student to meet the prior requirements for removal from academic probation typically results in a recommendation by the Program Director for dismissal due to academic deficiency. Refer to "Dismissal from Program" section for additional information.
Dismissal from the Program for Academic Reasons 
Students in the OTDP program will be subject to dismissal for any of the following reasons:
  1. Poor academic performance:
a. Failure to be released from academic probation within the time frame specified.
b. Earning two Ds, two Fs, or a D and an F while in the OTDP program.
2. Misconduct:
a. Violation of the TTUHSC Code of Professional Conduct.
Dismissal procedures will comply with the dismissal policy established by the School of Health Professions (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; Schools; School of Health Professions; Current Students; SHP Student Policies; Academic Dismissal).
Dismissal from the Program for Misconduct
A student enrolled in the OTDP program may be dismissed for violation of academic and/or non-academic misconduct policies of the School of Health Professions.