Occupational Therapy

Website: www.health.utah.edu/occupational-recreational-therapies

520 Wakara Way

Phone: 801-585-0555

Occupational Therapy makes it possible for people to live life to the fullest. Many people face daily challenges - a refugee new to America, an injured worker returning to work, a child with autism at school, a grandfather who has had a hip replaced, a young adult with a traumatic brain injury, a mother with depression. Occupational Therapists help people learn new ways to do things they used to do but, for whatever reason, can no longer do them. Occupational therapy helps people be successful in doing what is important to them.

An occupational therapist should be resourceful, compassionate, a good listener, a creative problem-solver and interested in health, science and the arts. Occupational therapy is a perfect blend of life science (anatomy & physiology) and social science (psychology & sociology). Occupational therapists have knowledge of the person and the environment and how to support the person in what they want and need to do. Occupational therapists make a difference.

The professional program leading to a MOT is rooted in occupation and occupational science. Central to the teaching mission of the Department are strong occupational therapy skills and outcome-based research. The program has numerous innovative teaching components including a Level II fieldwork focus on health settings and community-based settings. We are committed to educating strong clinicians for the unfolding future.

Students are encouraged to visit our website for the most current information.

Students must have a bachelor’s degree completed prior to the start of the Occupational Therapy program in the fall. Students should start the application process early to ensure that the application is marked complete by the application deadline.

A completed application includes the following:

• A minimum of 50 contact hours between at least 2 settings with a minimum of 8 hours in one setting. Hours will need to be entered into OTCAS, so keep a log of the facility name, OT name and contact information, dates, and number of hours. The minimum observation hours must be complete at the time an application is submitted. If a student is taking an Introduction to Occupational Therapy course to meet the hour requirement, the course must be complete or in progress at the time of application submission.

• Complete the prerequisite courses (click on the prerequisite tab).

• TOEFL Test, if English is not an applicant’s first language. The test must be taken early enough so that the Department of Occupational Therapy receives the scores by the application deadline. You can view score requirements at prerequisite courses under required tests.

• Application to OTCAS must be received and marked as complete in OTCAS by the application deadline. Verification is not required by this date. A complete application in OTCAS is submitted application, fees paid and receipt of all university transcripts. Applications not marked as complete by OTCAS by the deadline date will not be considered. Start your application early to ensure all components are received and complete in OTCAS by the deadline. To learn more about the OTCAS application process and to get started, please go to the OTCAS website at portal.otcas.org.

• Official university transcripts submitted to OTCAS showing completed prerequisite coursework and courses in progress. Transcripts may take 3-4 weeks to deliver. Be sure to plan for this when submitting your application.

• Three letters of reference submitted to OTCAS using their electronic forms. At least one (1) reference must be from an occupational therapist with whom observation hours were spent. The other references should come from an individual who knows the applicant professionally (employer, professor, etc.). The reference should not be a relative of the applicant. Arrange for OTCAS to receive all of your references by the application deadline. The OTCAS application may be submitted without receipt of references. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all references have been received by the application deadline.

• Applicants who have prerequisite courses in progress at the time of the application deadline will be required to enter grades fall courses grades into the OTCAS academic update in December/January and to send an official transcripts to OTCAS for grade verification and to list planned prerequisite courses for winter/spring (if any). The academic update opens in mid-December. The academic update must be submitted by January 10.

Please Note: Incomplete or inaccurate files/forms WILL NOT be reviewed.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure receipt of all application materials with OTCAS and University of Utah Admissions.

University of Utah Graduate School Application: Students will be required to submit an application to the University of Utah Graduate School after an admission offer is made. The instructions and deadline for this application will be sent with the admission offer. Please be aware that a copy of official transcripts from EACH college that you have attended, including the University of Utah, needs to be uploaded to the application site. Additionally, the online Graduate Application has several sections. Please fill out the Basic Information Section. However, as a MOT application, you do NOT need to complete the sections on Resume, Statement of Purpose, Writing Sample nor Faculty. You do NOT submit Letters of Recommendation on this application, either. We use the information from OTCAS.

Background Checks: Because of the internship experience that students fulfill as a part of the curriculum, students will be required to have a criminal background check done after admission to the program. In addition, NBCOT, the body that certifies occupational therapists following graduation, queries applicants regarding any felony convictions. Most convictions will not automatically disqualify a candidate but they will review it and make a final determination.

College of Health Commitment to Inclusive Excellence in Admissions: The University of Utah College of Health strives to promote diversity and inclusion among its students, faculty, and staff with the realization that diverse perspectives and life experiences strengthen our academic community in multiple ways. By creating a welcoming and supportive environment that encourages academic excellence and diverse perspectives, we work toward the creation of opportunities for all to learn from one another by sharing our wealth of talents and histories. Each of our departments offer degrees in professions focused on health, wellness, and research. With the increasingly rich complexity of our population, we recognize the need for our graduates to reflect the diversity of our community. Furthermore, we also recognize the strong and positive impact a diverse collective of faculty, staff, students, and alumni can have on issues of health equity and the valuable role our College can play in reducing health disparities for all populations.