Applications for OTD students in the fast-growing field are now being accepted for Summer 2024
By Jeff Frantz
Preparing graduates for many career options in a burgeoning field, Wagner College is now accepting applications for its new Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program. Students with an earned bachelor’s degree can apply for Summer 2024 admission.
“For those passionate about making a tangible difference in the lives of individuals, groups and communities, the new OTD program at Wagner presents an exciting opportunity to embark on a rewarding career in occupational therapy,” said David Pallister, JD, MA, OTR/L, director of Wagner’s Occupational Therapy Program.
“Occupational therapy practitioners call upon their strong foundations in the biological, physical, social and behavioral sciences that support their vast understanding of occupation across the lifespan,” Pallister said, adding that “occupations” are the everyday activities that humans are required or choose to do that make life productive and satisfying. “Occupational therapists make a profound difference in people’s lives by helping them overcome physical, cognitive, developmental, age-related, and mental health challenges through the engagement of meaningful life activities, or ‘occupations.’”
Occupational therapists work in rehabilitation centers, hospitals, schools, skilled nursing facilities, private practice, assisted living facilities, home health, industrial settings and across a variety of emerging and innovative practice areas. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 12% rise in occupational therapy jobs from 2022 through 2032. (For more information, see Wagner’s guide, What is Occupational Therapy?)
“Wagner College has a proud history of preparing nurses and other health-science professionals to serve communities here on Staten Island and across the country,” said Wagner College Provost Tarshia Stanley. “We are launching our occupational therapy program to meet an area of need that health providers are increasingly recognizing and to offer students another option for a fulfilling family and community-sustaining career in the health sciences.”
The College’s new OTD program features both classroom and experiential learning opportunities. In their third and final year of study, all students complete 24 weeks of full-time fieldwork and a 14-week capstone experience. Graduates of the program will be considered entry-level occupational therapists and eligible to sit for the National Board for the Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Certification Exam, which enables graduates to apply for licensure to practice occupational therapy in the state or states of their choice. The College also has plans to develop a six-year bachelor’s to occupational therapy doctorate degree program which should be available to its undergraduate students soon.
For more information, visit https://wagner.edu/occupational-therapy.
