The Division of Occupational Therapy was established in 2019 within the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at Binghamton University's Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Our Vision
The vision of the Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University is to educate and mentor doctorally prepared practitioners who will be collaborative, innovative, and have the skills and knowledge to meet the health, well-being and occupational participation needs of a diverse global society through occupational engagement.
Our Mission
The Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University is designed to prepare reflective, motivated and disciplined occupational therapists for clinical scholarship mastery in the roles of practitioner, manager and contributor who are prepared for society’s ever-changing needs. The occupational therapy program will graduate practitioners who are innovative leaders in the field, clinically informed, grounded in the perspective of occupation, and demonstrate the ability to translate and apply research into clinical practice.
The Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University will create a learning community of scholars, researchers, educators and students with a wide range of professional and personal experience committed to meeting the diverse needs of a global society.
Our Philosophy
The philosophy of the Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University is to provide high-impact educational experiences grounded in our belief that occupation is a health determinant and participating in occupations is a fundamental human right.
We believe that learning is an occupation, and we provide students with opportunities to engage in dynamic learning experiences in an environment that fosters and advances diversity, equity and inclusion. We will promote and facilitate the professional development of occupational therapy students by fostering a culture of learning that emphasizes clinical reasoning, cultural humility and integration of the values and ethics of occupational therapy.
We are committed to the development of occupational therapy practitioners who are prepared for evidence-based practice as practitioners, managers and contributors to promote individual, community and population health as the core of occupational therapy practice.
Accreditation and Licensure
Binghamton University's Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Entry-Level Professional program has applied for accreditation and been granted Candidacy Status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD, 20852-4929; telephone 301-652-AOTA.
The program must have a pre-accreditation review, complete an on-site evaluation and be granted Accreditation Status before its graduates will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR).
In addition, all states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
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