This course examines the historical development of occupational therapy, including philosophical, social, political, economic, and medical influences on clinical practice. Current practice settings, the role of the occupational therapist, professional standards, OT process, OT theories, and OT models of practice are included in this course.

This course will promote the development of self-awareness of personal strengths, areas of growth, and behaviors needed to become an effective clinician. Emphasis will be on personal and professional development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and ethical practice. Students will explore the PLNU Occupational Therapy program curriculum design and develop a plan for personal success and growth in the program.

This course will enable students to practice the judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients and clients. Students will learn to integrate the best external evidence with their clinical expertise and patient concerns to ask a focused question to satisfy the health needs of a specific patient; find the best evidence by searching the literature; critically appraise the literature; apply the results in clinical practice; and evaluate the outcomes in patients. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to engage with other healthcare disciplines through guided discussions.

This course examines the theoretical frameworks explaining health disparities across various populations, with a focus on social determinants of health. Students will explore a diverse set of policies and practices that promote health equity, including those that address privilege and power, encourage capacity building, and facilitate community engagement. Bridging macro and micro approaches to health, this course aims to cultivate health professionals who practice empathy.

This course will build upon the health equity course by allowing students to engage with other healthcare providers and clients in local community settings. The focus of this course is to enhance student awareness and appreciation of individual, group, and population socioeconomic, political, personal, and environmental factors, which limit access to traditional healthcare services.

This is the first of five small group courses which utilizes a case-based learning model to promote integration of course knowledge. The course design promotes the development of independent critical reasoning through faculty-led case discussions.

The development of human occupations across the lifespan, their meaning and roles, and the conditions that create barriers to engagement in meaningful occupations are included in this course. The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework will serve as a guide to analyzing contexts, performance patterns, performance skills, occupations, and their impact on client's ability to achieve health and well-being.

This course provides knowledge and understanding of basic concepts of kinesiology, including normal human movement across the lifespan. Emphasis will be on analyzing movement patterns, balance, upper and lower extremity motor function, and the axial skeleton. Didactic and experiential learning will facilitate student understanding of normal movement patterns used during performance of occupations.

This course introduces analyzing data and designing research experiments in occupational therapy. Topics include selected techniques and designs used in research, with special emphasis given to planning, conducting, and reporting of research, and applied statistical analysis and interpretation of data from the field of occupational therapy.

In this course, students explore common mental health conditions following the DSM-V and applicable occupational therapy practice frameworks. Emphasis is on the impact of mental health conditions on occupational performance and participation across the lifespan. The role of OT in mental health in traditional and role emerging settings and the impact of reimbursement systems on the provision of services are additional topics covered. Students will learn and apply client-centered occupational therapy assessments, design and implement evidenced-based occupation-based interventions, demonstrate documentation which meets reimbursement requirements, and engage in experiential labs to promote integration of course content.

This is the second of five case-based learning seminars designed to promote clinical reasoning and integration of material learned to date by using case studies within a group setting.

This is the first of three Level I Fieldwork experiences focusing on the role of OT for persons and populations with mental health conditions in underserved community settings. Students will develop therapeutic use of self, communication abilities, observational skills, and awareness of how contextual factors influence the provision of healthcare services.

The focus of this course is on the understanding and application of group process and dynamics to the development of occupation-based groups for clients across the lifespan. Emphasis is on the development of group leadership skills and application of knowledge gained through laboratory and community experiences.

This small group, case-based learning course is the second of four synthesis courses. Content will focus on promoting greater ability to engage in critical reasoning, and link between client, environmental, and social factors, which influence occupational engagement and performance.

This course will explore reimbursement systems, including local, state, and federal governmental agencies and private insurers' influence on payment and access to OT services. Students will gain familiarity with electronic medical record systems and develop skills to document effectively to ensure reimbursement and prevent the needs for engaging in the appeal process.

Students will engage in a collaborative learning experience with other disciplines through case-based learning. Emphasis will be on understanding the roles and responsibilities of team members and analyzing cases using a holistic framework.

Low- and high-tech adaptations for persons, tasks, environments, and/or contexts to promote optimal health and occupational performance are the focus of this course. Students will also learn and apply physical agent modalities, orthotic interventions, and 3-D printing to promote health and wellness. Small group case study presentations of person/environmental modifications will be the final project for this course.

This lecture and lab course will prepare students to gain patient care skills needed to provide safe and effective treatment across the lifespan. Students will demonstrate competency in the assessment of vital signs, functional mobility, management of acute care equipment, adherence to HIPAA and infection control standards, and the ability to explain the role of occupational therapy to others.

Course content includes typical and atypical physical, cognitive, and social development conditions seen in infants and young children. Developmental theories and early-intervention models of service, occupational therapy process and treatment settings for children and families, form the foundation of this course. Assessments and treatment interventions will focus on providing culturally sensitive and family focused care for children with disabilities. Students are provided with the opportunity to observe normal childhood development and to practice documentation which meets reimbursement guidelines.

This course focuses on conditions affecting adolescents, common treatment settings, and the occupational therapy process for assessment and intervention for adolescents and families. Students will learn common assessments, demonstrate documentation which meets reimbursement requirements, and develop age and culturally appropriate interventions for this population, focusing on assisting adolescents in transitioning to adulthood.

This small group, case-based course, is the fourth of five synthesis courses. Students will apply knowledge of the clinical reasoning process to course content taught to date. The overarching focus is to develop clinical reasoning skills, which include an understanding of the links between occupational performance, disease/disability, health/wellness, and the systems in which individuals' function.

This is the second of three Level I Fieldwork experiences focusing on client interactions to develop observational and clinical reasoning skills, therapeutic use of self, communication abilities and understanding of the OT process for children and /or adolescents. Students will analyze the effects of developmental dysfunction on the lives of children or adolescents, perform developmental screenings, and develop and implement group interventions.

In small groups, students will apply knowledge gained from two prior research courses to conduct an evidenced-based review of the literature, apply knowledge of how to conduct a needs analysis during a concurrent Community Practice Seminar-2 course, learn about grant funding, and develop a proposal for OT services which focus on health and wellness for underserved populations. Students will engage with community partners throughout the term and present their findings to the community site at the end of the term.

This course is the second of two experiences with underserved clients, patients, groups, and populations in the community clinic. Students will conduct a needs assessment, develop, and implement a clinical program to promote health and wellness with individual clients, groups, and/or populations for persons with acute or chronic medical conditions, to enhance engagement in occupations.

This course focuses on common upper and lower extremity orthopedic conditions, which affect adults and older adults. Systems and processes for adults and older adults, which facilitate and limit occupational therapy services, will be considered. Lab experiences include administration of standardized assessments, use of adaptive equipment, practice in writing documentation which meets reimbursement requirements, treatment planning, and provision of occupation-based treatment interventions used in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient rehabilitation settings. Students will demonstrate competency through interactions with simulated clients and/or interactions with adults/older adults in the community.

The focus of this course is on common central nervous system (CNS) conditions influencing adults and older adults, degenerative and acquired CNS disorders. Course content includes an analysis and assessment of how motoric, cognitive and perceptual dysfunction impact occupational engagement. In the lab, students will administer cognitive/motoric and/or occupation-based standardized assessments, design and implement occupation-based interventions based on neuroplasticity and cognitive/perceptual models of practice, and document assessment outcomes and interventions which meet reimbursement requirements. Students will demonstrate competency through interactions with simulated clients.

This course introduces the skills and knowledge needed to provide ethical and legal client care and skills needed to become a supervisor, manager, and/or leader in the occupational therapy profession. Topics include principles of intra and interdisciplinary collaboration, ethics, utilization of fiscal resources, compliance, human resources, marketing, continuous quality improvement, consultative and private practice. Students will build upon program development concepts gained in the community practice course for application of course content.

This is the final of five small group, case-based learning seminars, focusing on students' ability to independently engage in clinical reasoning, and promote integration of concepts learned to prepare students for success in Level II Fieldwork.

This course is the third of three Level I fieldwork settings to promote clinical reasoning, professional behaviors and application of knowledge of adult and/or older adult conditions to the assessment and treatment of adults and/or older adults.

This course prepares students for Level II Fieldwork experiences through case-based scenarios involving potential ethical and professional issues. Students will engage in reflective activities to identify areas of personal growth needed prior to the start of their first Level II Fieldwork experience.

This is the first of two, 12-week, Level II fieldwork courses, focusing on the integration of all coursework. The goal of this experience is for students to demonstrate entry-level competency to practice in this type of clinical setting by the end of this experience.

This is the second of two-Level II fieldwork courses. The emphasis of this course is on the integration of all didactic and clinical coursework to date. By the end of this second Level II Fieldwork, students will demonstrate entry-level competency to practice as an OT in any clinical setting. Students must complete this second, Level II Fieldwork experience within 18 months of finishing their didactic coursework.

This is the third of three professional seminar courses. The focus of this course is to prepare students for success in passing the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination. Students will also learn strategies to obtain desired employment as an occupational therapist after passing the NBCOT exam.