Mission, Vision, and Goals

Classroom Activities
Mission

The School of Occupational Therapy provides comprehensive graduate education within a Christian, learning environment to enable students from diverse backgrounds to positively impact the community at large and enhance the human condition through appreciation of diversity, problem-solving, and utility of meaningful and purposeful occupations.

Vision

The School of Occupational Therapy’s vision is to offer a comprehensive education to graduate students in a Christian environment, preparing them to become and continue to be occupational therapy practitioners who are committed to evidence and occupation based practice, life-long learning, service and advocacy.

AOTA Vision Statement

We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, science-driven and evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs.

In achieving its mission, and that of the University, the School of Occupational Therapy provides:

  1. Comprehensive student-centered programs that encompass the scope of practice of occupational therapy, and build upon the students' liberal arts and science foundational knowledge while enhancing the understanding of issues related to globalism and diversity in preparation for life-long learning and practice.
  2. A Christian learning environment that promotes and assists in developing professional behaviors that incorporate the values and attitudes of excellence, caring, honesty, and respect.
  3. Didactic, laboratory, clinical, and service experiences that provide exposure to a broad range of traditional and emerging health and wellness delivery models.
  4. Exposure to professional skills associated with the potential varied roles of an occupational therapist as a direct care provider, consultant, educator, manager, leader, researcher, and advocate for the profession and the consumer.
  5. Opportunities that prepare the student to be a self-directed life-long learner and encourage evidenced-based professional practice, independent inquiry, critical thinking, clinical reasoning, self reflection, and self-assessment.
  6. A foundation for occupational therapy research that empowers the student to be an effective consumer of the latest research and knowledge bases that undergird practice and contribute to the growth and dissemination of research and knowledge. 
  7. An education as a generalist with a broad exposure to the delivery models and systems used in settings where occupational therapy is currently practiced and where it is emerging as a service.
  8. An opportunity to identify and develop an area of advanced practice that is developed and refined in the experiential component or "residency" and the capstone project.

As stipulated by the OTD Doctoral Standards (2006), a graduate from Belmont University's School of Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program, the student will:

  • Have acquired, as a foundation for professional study, a breadth and depth of knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences and an understanding of issues related to diversity.
  • Be educated as a generalist with a broad exposure to the delivery models and systems used in settings where occupational therapy is currently practiced and where it is emerging as a service.
  • Have achieved entry-level competence through a combination of academic and fieldwork education.
  • Be prepared to articulate and apply occupational therapy theory and evidence-based evaluations and interventions to achieve expected outcomes as related to occupation.
  • Be prepared to be a lifelong learner and keep current with evidence-based professional practice.
  • Uphold the ethical standards, values, and attitudes of the occupational therapy profession.
  • Understand the distinct roles and responsibilities of the occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant in the supervisory process.
  • Be prepared to advocate as a professional for the occupational therapy services offered and for the recipients of those services.
  • Be prepared to be an effective consumer of the latest research and knowledge bases that support practice and contribute to the growth and dissemination of research and knowledge.
  • Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of delivery models, policies, and systems related to the area of practice in settings where occupational therapy is currently practiced and where it is emerging as a service.
  • Demonstrate thorough knowledge of evidence-based practice.
  • Demonstrate active involvement in professional development, leadership, and advocacy.
  • Relate theory to practice and demonstrate synthesis of advanced knowledge in a practice area through completion of a culminating project.
  • Develop in-depth experience in one or more of the following areas through completion of a doctoral experiential component: clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, and theory development.

(ACOTE Standards 2006)