Five Things You Might’ve Missed About Chatham’s OT Program

Did you know that April marks National Occupational Therapy Month? Chatham’s School of Health Sciences is home to multiple Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) programs that help OT students to develop their professional leadership, intervention approaches, and clinical advocacy. But that’s just scratching the surface! In honor of all that OT makes possible, we’re highlighting five things you might’ve missed among the undeniable advantages of earning your OTD at Chatham—

Choose from Multiple Tracks that Meet Your Needs

Our Entry-Level (ELOTD) track is available to students who hold a bachelor’s degree. This OTD track can be completed in as little as 32 months, which is only two terms beyond a standard Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program. Our Post-Professional (PPOTD) track—which can be completed in just 16 months—is a fully online degree track designed for OT professionals that are seeking leadership roles in academia, healthcare, and advocacy as well as those looking to transition to teaching.

Build Your OT Skills Internationally

Chatham is located in Pittsburgh, PA, a major healthcare epicenter in the United States where you’ll have plenty of opportunities to gain real-world OT experience. But you also have the chance to build your skills internationally. Students can apply for participation in the annual service-learning field experience at the CRECER Center in Ibarra, Ecuador. At the CRECER Center, students are able to provide services to individuals and groups in pediatric and adult outpatient, long-term skilled care and community-based adult day care.

Our OT programs offer a variety of other opportunities to commune with occupational therapists from around the world, including partnerships via The Chatham Zuyd Virtual Student Exchange where Chatham students virtually meet with German OT students that are attending the Zuyd Hogeschule to share cultural similarities and differences. Students and alumni have also traveled to Germany and Ireland to network with healthcare professionals and gain international perspectives.

Practice Mindfulness in Your Very Own Sensory Garden

In 2019, the ChathamU occupational therapy department received an internal grant to develop a therapeutic sensory garden at our Eden Hall Campus. The space is designed to provide opportunities to stimulate all of the senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and movement. It serves as a space that promotes mindfulness and “occupational balance,” a term used to describe a state of being in which a person’s life activities and demands are in equilibrium. The garden is just one of many ways that health and sustainability go hand-in-hand throughout our academic programs.

Gain Real-World OT Experience

As part of your OT curriculum, you’ll find yourself immersed in a variety of real-world OT experiential learning opportunities. Students are able to volunteer for community programs like Safety for Seniors of Wesley Family Services, in which students visit seniors in their homes to complete safety evaluations and provide resources to help support their safety.

OT students have also worked on a variety of environmental intervention projects via our Environmental Interventions course, including providing ergonomic tips and adaptations that can be used for children with special needs in our children’s education programs at Eden Hall Campus. In 2020, students collaborated with the Board of Freeport Community Park to develop ideas for an inclusive playground and to increase accessibility to structures already present.

Another opportunity for experiential learning is the Simulation, Teaching, and Academic Research (STAR) Center of West Penn Allegheny Health System in which students participate in two simulation experiences requiring demonstration of client assessment and intervention skills in acute care hospital simulated environments.

Live in a Multigenerational Community at Vincentian Schenley Gardens

Students in our OT program and across the School of Health Sciences can apply to live in a unique intergenerational housing environment at Vincentian Schenley Gardens. In exchange for low monthly rent, Chatham students spend at least four hours per week with residents, doing everything from educational classes, social outings, parties, tech help, and more. Take a more in-depth look at this opportunity on Pulse@ChathamU.

Happy Occupational Therapy Month to our OT alumni, current and prospective students, and faculty! Ready to explore OT at Chatham? Visit our website to learn more about both our Entry-Level (ELOTD) track and Post-Professional (PPOTD) track.