The University of Findlay

Mission Statement

The University of Findlay's mission statement is: to equip students for meaningful lives and productive careers.

The mission of the Occupational Therapy Programs is to prepare occupational therapists who understand and value a community-focused and occupation-based approach to practice, are leaders in a variety of professional roles, and participate in ongoing professional development in preparation for service in diverse communities.

 

 

Philosophy St​atement

The occupational therapy curriculum is organized around the concepts of humans as occupational beings, the daily performance of occupations, and an understanding of the contextual complexities that are necessary for meaningful occupational performance.  Meyer (1922) suggests that the essence of human functioning includes being active and that active engagement serves to ground humans in reality.  Kielhofner (1995) has defined human occupation as "doing culturally meaningful work, play or daily living tasks in the stream of time and in the contexts of one’s physical and social world" (p.3).  These occupations are the foundation for productive living.  Dunn, Brown, and McGuigan (1994) extend this concept by suggesting that occupational performance may be understood by examining the phenomenology of the interactions between the person, the task, and the environmental experiences of the individual who is engaged in occupations.  The use of occupation as a therapeutic tool is grounded in the historical and theoretical foundations of the profession.

 

An individual may combine occupations in a variety of ways to support and satisfy the occupational demands of his/her unique life roles and activities of daily living that may include:  self-care, work and productive activities, education, play, leisure, rest, and relaxation.  Occupational therapists are concerned with the ability of individuals of all ages to perform occupations that allow them to live satisfying and productive lives.  In addition, occupational therapists ensure client-centered practice by involving individuals in the process of determining which performance areas receive attention in the therapeutic process.  Occupational therapists believe that occupational performance is enhanced through a holistic approach that includes attending to and respecting the physical, mental, social, cultural, and spiritual dimensions of the individual.  The occupational therapy process also includes cooperation and collaboration among clients, caregivers, family members, and other professionals.  The practice of occupational therapy requires a continually developing base of clinical reasoning and technical competencies for effective interaction, evaluation, and implementation of intervention strategies.

 

There are many diverse direct and indirect service delivery contexts in which occupational therapists practice.  These settings and areas of practice may include:  school systems, long-term care facilities, acute care settings, physical rehabilitation settings, mental health programs, home care opportunities, early intervention programs, industrial rehabilitation programs, case management, community-based programs, consultation, education, research, disease prevention and health promotion.  Occupational therapists must understand that society and health care are dynamic institutions impacted by individual, local, national, and global growth and change.  The practice of occupational therapy also includes innovative, creative thinking necessary for the advancement of the individual and the profession to meet the ever-changing demands of occupational therapy, health care, and society.

 

It is essential that occupational therapists understand, internalize, and live the ethical principles and values of the profession.

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Curriculum ​Design

The curriculum design for the Occupational Therapy Programs at the University of Findlay is based upon concepts of the Model of Human Occupation (Kielhofner & Burke, 1980), the Ecology of Human Performance framework (Dunn & McGuigan, 1994), and the application of Schön’s (1983) Reflection-in-Action theory as described in Clinical Reasoning by Mattingly and Fleming (1994).  In addition, the curriculum is designed to comply with the Standards for an Accredited Educational Program for the Occupational Therapist (Standards) adopted in 2008 by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (AOTA).

 

Conceptual Foundations for Curriculum Design

The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) outlines three major subsystems that attempt to explain and account for all human behavior.  At the most basic level, the mind-brain-body performance level, new skills and the rules for using these skills are developed.  At the next level, the habituation level, skills are practiced until they become internalized as components of various life roles and habits.  At the highest level, the volitional level, a person makes decisions to act based on values, motivations, and beliefs in order to engage in occupations in an effective and satisfying manner.  The model of human occupation also suggests that learning may occur interactively, at multiple subsystem levels, and relies on feedback from the environment to modify human behavior.

The Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) framework extends the emphasis of the significance of the environmental context within which human beings perform daily occupations.  Human occupational performance can be best understood with knowledge of the unique contextual complexities that each individual includes in the performance of daily occupations.  By emphasizing the importance of environmental factors, an occupational therapist demonstrates an awareness that extends beyond a holistic and technical evaluation of an individual’s occupational performance.  The contextual complexities that are a part of daily living, serve to organize volitional, habituation, and performance level functioning into a unique and meaningful occupational profile.  By understanding an individual’s occupational performance within the context of unique life circumstances, an occupational therapist is able to offer appropriate and meaningful interventions.

The Reflection-in-Action theory developed by Schön, serves to complement the tenets of MOHO and EHP. Schön emphasizes the process of critical thinking, or reflection, in the everyday life of the professional.  Critical thinking allows a competently trained professional to recognize phenomena sets, such as symptoms associated with a particular disease, for which an understanding has been gained primarily through hands-on experiences.  The process of critical thinking goes beyond an accumulation of professional skills and knowledge, and requires individual practitioners to respond critically to uncertainty, instability, uniqueness, and values conflicts.  In daily practice, a professional makes innumerable qualitative judgments for which he/she rarely states the rules or procedure​s; the professional simply "knows" what to do through experience based on prior learning.  Even when the professional consciously uses research-based theories and techniques, he/she is dependent on implicit recognitions, judgments, and skillful performances that require critical thinking.  Critical thinking, or clinical reasoning as identified by Mattingly and Fleming (1994), recognizes and values the individual strengths, judgment, and levels of competence of the occupational therapy practitioner. 

Mattingly and Fleming (1994) have identified four levels of clinical reasoning that each occupational therapist is likely to progress through as he/she gains experience through clinical practice.  As the occupational therapist gains knowledge through experience, he/she is able to look beyond the technical aspects of a client’s occupational performance needs and develop an understanding of the context surrounding a client’s unique life situation.  This contextual understanding allows the occupational therapist to develop more effective interventions that address a client’s occupational performance needs in a meaningful, individualized manner.

The oil derrick has been chosen as a graphic representation of the UF Occupational Therapy Program curriculum design.  All of the concepts of the guiding theories discussed here can be seen reflected in the various parts of the derrick.  Refer to the curriculum graphic model on the page preceding this section.  The curriculum design is essentially a plan for selecting and sequencing the program content.  This curriculum design reflects the program’s philosophy regarding occupational therapy as a profession and the ACOTE Standards of a professional education for an occupational therapist.  In addition, this curriculum design describes a process and does not intend to limit the scope of theories and models of occupational therapy practice addressed and included in the program.

The sequence of courses in the curriculum reflects the philosophical base of the curriculum design that includes MOHO and EHP.  In many ways, MOHO is a developmental model that describes how individuals acquire skills, develop them in their daily roles and habits, and subsequently make choices necessary to function on a daily basis.  EHP places additional emphasis on the recognition and understanding of the contextual aspects of each individual’s life, and suggests that the occupational therapist include these important considerations when developing a plan to enhance occupational performance.  The ability to recognize the contextual implications and understand an individual’s occupational performance needs is the essence of clinical reasoning for occupational therapists.

The courses in this curriculum serve to build the knowledge and skills of a student in a developmental manner as he/she progresses through the program.  As the level of the professional courses increases, there is an assumption that these higher-level courses are based upon the courses previously offered in the prerequisite and professional coursework.  As the student moves from the academic setting to the clinical setting during fieldwork, skills and techniques become more familiar and integrated as the student continues to develop toward the future role as an occupational therapist.  As the student nears the completion of the fieldwork, he or she obtains entry-level competence and functions at a level that incorporates motivation and an understanding of the role of the occupational therapist.

This development parallels the subsystems outlined by the model of human occupation and emphasizes the importance of contextual learning experiences outlined by the ecology of human performance framework.  The entire sequence of a student’s pre-professional and professional education is based on learning the skills, roles, motivations, and values of the profession through a carefully considered curriculum outline.  In addition, students learn to use clinical reasoning to guide their professional decisions and practice occupational therapy using occupation-based methods.  Students are encouraged to be self-directed, life-long learners; agents for change; and leaders in the profession and the community in a manner consistent with the mission of the Occupational Therapy Program, The University of Findlay, and The American Occupational Therapy Association.
 

Professional Curriculum - Curricular Themes

The professional program sequence is organized to integrate information from the pre-professional coursework and build upon this knowledge in a manner that is consistent with basic tenets of the curriculum design.  The courses progress logically, reflecting MOHO while considering the importance of occupational contexts as outlined by the EHP framework described earlier in this document.

The following curricular themes reflect the faculty perspective on what students need to value for practice and are reflected across all courses in the professional curriculum:

 

Occupation Based

Culturally Responsive

Effective practitioners recognize that occupations are culturally imbedded, and reflect an individual’s cultural roles, beliefs, values, and traditions.  An appreciation of diverse cultural perspectives is essential for effective occupational therapy practice.

Client–Centered and Evidenced Based

Best practice is based on critical reasoning, the evidence and focused on the individual client’s needs and goals.  For occupational therapy to survive in the rapidly changing health care system of today, the occupational therapist must practice being client centered and provide intervention based on the evidence coupled with sound clinical reasoning every day.
 

Aware of Community and Socio-Political Contexts of Occupation

All persons and their occupations are shaped by the opportunities afforded or denied them in socio-political contexts.  Occupational therapists look for opportunities to expand practice to community-based settings in which they can facilitate social justice to increase occupational choice and promote community integration for all individuals.