Occupational therapy program accredited

Levi Brandenburg

Contributing Writer

lbrandenburg1@murraystate.edu

After nearly four years of work, the Murray State occupational therapy master’s program has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education.

Following the accreditation, the University is now belongs to the list of accredited programs among 180 others worldwide.

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s definition, the program “helps people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities.”

The program provides a way for people with both physical and mental disabilities to become and stay self-sufficient by teaching them new, useful skills to help them stand out in their careers.

“The accreditation process for the Murray State occupational therapy program began in 2016 when Dr. Robert Davies, Dr. Marcia Hobbs and Dr. Amelia Dodd noted a need for occupational therapy practitioners in the Western Kentucky area,” Sherri Powers, director of the University’s occupational therapy program, said. “An initial application was approved by ACOTE to develop the program and begin accepting the first group of 24 students during the summer of 2018.”

Since then, two groups of 24 students have been through the program with the first group expected to graduate in May 2020. The University has also been working to meet the standards set forth by ACOTE.

“ACOTE is the accrediting agency for occupational therapy educational programs in the US, and they have set quality standards to assure that the educational program is meeting their standards,” Powers said. “Graduating from an accredited occupational therapy program allows you to sit for the occupational therapy national exam and become licensed in occupational therapy.”

ACOTE is very particular about what schools are allowed to teach occupational therapy techniques. Programs must go through a detailed and in-depth process as well as address the 188 ACOTE standards that cover the ways the school is ran.

“ACOTE completed an onsite visit at the Murray State Paducah Regional Campus in November 2019 to follow up on previous reports that we had submitted,” Powers said. “After reviewing all of the documentation regarding the occupational therapy program, ACOTE recommended to the board that the occupational therapy program at Murray State successfully met the quality standards to be awarded accreditation.”

Powers said students showed patience and professionalism throughout the accreditation process.

“Both of the groups [of students] accepted a seat in the program and showed their commitment to the program by accepting even before becoming fully accredited,” Powers said. “This speaks volumes for the high quality students we accept into our program. This program is meeting a huge need for occupational therapy practitioners not only in our region, but nationally as well and I’m thankful to be a part of this amazing opportunity.”

The occupational therapy program will enroll a third group of students during the summer 2020 semester.

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