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 considered in light of OT's history and current contexts.

This course will cover human gross anatomy with an emphasis on the structure and physiology of the musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and integumentary systems to provide a foundation for the practice of occupational therapy. Other anatomical systems (nervous system, digestive, urinary) will be covered briefly, especially as they relate to the function of the four emphasized systems. Emphasis is on the structure and functional relationships of human anatomy and application of knowledge to clinical conditions through lecture and small lab group experiences.

This course will promote the development of self-awareness of leadership skills, strengths, and areas of growth, and professional behaviors needed for success in the community and Level I fieldwork experiences. Emphasis will be on personal and professional advocacy. Students explore the PLNU Occupational Therapy program curriculum design and develop a plan for personal success and growth in the program. Students will also reflect on the impact of their faith on their vocational choice of becoming an occupational therapist.

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 participate in a local community health clinic to enhance awareness and appreciation of individual and population socioeconomic, political, personal, and environmental factors, which limit access to traditional healthcare services.

This is the first of five courses utilizing small groups, case-based learning. 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 (4th ed.) will be used as a guide to understand the performance of occupations.

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, and function of the upper and lower extremities, axial skeleton, and the application to engagement in occupations. Methods to assess balance and UE function are included in this course.

This course focuses on the relationship of the human nervous system to performance of occupations. Specific neurological systems covered will include sensory, motor, limbic, cognitive, visual, and vestibular and ventricles that correlate to common conditions seen by occupational therapists. Cases and lab experiences will assist the student in integrating neurologic concepts.

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 occupational therapy practice frameworks. The impact of mental health conditions on occupational performance and participation across the lifespan will be explored. Common practice settings and the impact of reimbursement systems on the provision of services are covered. Students will learn and apply client-centered occupational therapy assessments; design and implement evidenced-based occupation-based interventions.

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. Observations of normal childhood development will occur during the first 8 weeks of the term.

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 and develop age and culturally appropriate interventions for this population, which focus 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 prior research courses to conducting an evidenced-based review of the literature and develop a new clinical program proposal based on community fieldwork partners' needs. 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 and populations in a community clinic. Students will conduct a needs assessment, develop, and implement a group program to address population needs for persons with acute or chronic medical conditions.

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, and provision of occupation-based treatment interventions used in acute, sub-acute, and outpatient rehabilitation settings. Ergonomic principles and interventions to prevent/reduce chronic orthopedic conditions are also included in this course. 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. 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 to function as a supervisor, manager, and/or leader in the occupational therapy profession. Topics include supervision principles of intra and interdisciplinary team members, 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 fifth of five small group, case-based learning seminars, focusing on students' ability to engage in clinical reasoning more independently, to promote integration of concepts learned.

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.

Preparation for Level II Fieldwork experiences and refinement of personal professional development plan are included in this course.

This is the first of two, 12-week, Level II fieldwork courses, focusing on the integration of all coursework, with the goal of developing entry-level competency as an OT by the end of this clinical experience.

This is the second of two-Level II fieldwork courses, which focuses on integration of all didactic coursework to date, with the focus of students demonstrating entry-level competency in this practice setting by the end of this experience.

These third of three professional seminar courses focus on student preparation to transition to the role of an OT. Test taking strategies, completion of a NBCOT review course, and skills needed for employment are included in this online course.