Occupational therapy appeals to people who enjoy thinking creatively and flexibly to solve problems, and who seek to help people across the lifespan participate in activities that are important in their daily lives. These life activities (occupations) span the areas of self-care, sleep, work, education, play, leisure, and social participation. Occupational therapists provide services to people, organizations, and populations with the goal of promoting health, well-being, and full participation in society. Occupational therapists use a holistic perspective to provide interventions that consider the fit between people, the environments around them, and tasks or occupations that people need and want to do. They work in partnership with clients to adapt activities and environments, select and use therapeutic activities that are meaningful to clients, and provide client, family, caregiver and community education. For example, an occupational therapist may teach adaptive dressing techniques to a client who has lost use of a hand following a stroke, develop strategies for a child with autism interact with peers, or modify a computer for a young adult with a spinal cord injury returning to work. Occupational therapists may also work with community organizations to promote health in areas such as fall prevention and to develop services and environments that can improve accessibility for people with disabilities. Today’s occupational therapists work in diverse practice settings within health care, education, behavioral health, and community-based systems of care. Common work settings include rehabilitation centers, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, schools, early intervention programs, hospitals, mental health facilities, private practice, skilled nursing facilities, home healthcare, and community health programs. The current and future job outlook for occupational therapists is excellent. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which can be contacted at ACOTE c/o Accreditation Department AOTA, 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, phone (301) 652-2682, www.acoteonline.org. Standards comply with the U.S. Department of Education criteria for recognition of accrediting agencies. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination (NBCOT). All states require state licensure in order to practice.

The MPO program is a full-time, 7 quarters long, on-campus program that prepares students for entry into the profession of prosthetics and orthotics. We are one of 13 accredited prosthetics and orthotics programs in the U.S.