Programme Information
Overview
The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy helps prepare individuals for a vital and dynamic health profession that help people develop, restore and maximize their skills needed to lead independent, productive, satisfying and fully participatory lives. Occupational therapists work with people whose physical, psychological or cognitive impairments related to illness, injury, a health or developmental condition limit their participation in everyday activities of daily living such as self-care, work and leisure.
The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) programme at the University of the Southern Caribbean is designed to graduate students who will demonstrate the skills, knowledge and attitudes of competent entry-level occupational therapists as described in the Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists (World Federation of Occupational Therapists [WFOT], 2016). The students, faculty and graduates of this programme will respond to the occupational needs of individuals, groups, communities and local populations of the Caribbean region taking into account their unique contexts while adhering to the highest international standards of the profession.
The students entering the USC MSOT program will have demonstrated an overall readiness to undertake graduate education in the field of occupational therapy that will lead to their success as professional practitioners, scholars and leaders in the profession of occupational therapy.
Graduates of the MSOT programme will be eligible to work in the following traditional and emerging areas:
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Adult and elderly physical and mental rehabilitation settings from hospital to clinics and community settings;
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Pediatric OT in school systems, hospital and community settings;
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Specialist clinics dealing with hand therapy, ergonomics, burns, amputees, return-to-work;
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Environmental and accessibility modifications
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Programme Development as Disability policy and advocacy specialists
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Adult Day Centers, Forensics, Driver Rehabilitation;
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Disaster Management
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Researchers and academics
Campus: Main Campus
Total Programme Credits: 67
Programme Duration: 3 years
Programme Delivery: Face-to-face/Blended
Accreditation
The MSOT at USC was approved by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists on March 7, 2016. WFOT approval is granted for five years and was reviewed in 2021, and subsequently re-approved until 2026. The MSOT was also approved by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT) in December 2015. Our graduates are eligible to apply for registration to practice in Trinidad & Tobago through the Council for Professions Related to Medicine upon completion of their studies.
Courses
The programme is offered full-time with a combination of face-to-face, blended and distance and block teaching and learning methods. It is comprised of eight semesters of full time study including fieldwork placements. Students have a minimum of 29 months and a maximum of 39 months in which to complete the programme. The programme starts in September of each year.
Objectives
Graduates will possess exiting competencies described in detail in the Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists (2016) by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. They will demonstrate the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes in all five of the following areas of professional competence:
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The person-occupation-environment relationship and its relationship to health (Law et al., 1996);
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Therapeutic and professional relationships;
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An occupational therapy process;
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Professional reasoning and behaviour;
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The context of professional practice (WFOT, 2004).
Year One
Semester 1 – 4 taught courses, Service Learning Seminar
Semester 2 – 5 taught courses, Service Learning I, FW IA (1 week, 40 hours)
Semester 3 – 4 taught courses, Service Learning Check in, FW IB (1 week, 40 hours)
Year Two
Semester 4 – 5 taught courses, Service Learning II,
Semester 5 – Fieldwork Level II A (12-15 weeks full-time, 480 hours)
Semester 6 – 3 taught courses, Service Learning Check -in
Year Three
Semester 7 – Fieldwork Level II B (12-15 weeks full-time, 480 hours),
Semester 8 – 3 taught courses, Service Learning III (3 hours per week x 8 weeks)
Entry Requirements
The prospective students’ educational experiences and academic qualification upon entering the program will safeguard their ability to successfully complete the classroom and fieldwork components of the program. The prerequisites are as follows:
Academic Prerequisites
- A minimum of BA or BS in any undergraduate subject matter from an accredited institution;
- Pre-requisite courses with a C+ grade or better:
- Human Anatomy and Physiology with lab
- Abnormal Psychology
- Introduction to Sociology or Anthropology
- Introduction to Statistics
- Human Lifespan Development
- Medical Terminology;
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale;
- TOEFL score for international applicants from non-English speaking countries
