Mission & Vision
VISION
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at UTRGV will transform the health and well-being of south Texas and beyond through innovation, professionalism, leadership, and alliance with others.
MISSION
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy program will prepare highly qualified entry-level occupational therapists to support the health and well-being needs of the south Texas region. Through exemplary education in research, service, clinical skills, ethical leadership, and interprofessional engagement, graduates will be grounded in the core values of occupational therapy, evidence-based practice, and active learning. Didactic and experiential learning will create reflective and holistic practitioners who understand the complexity of occupational engagement and systems across various settings, populations, and geography.
PHILOSOPHY
Occupational therapy education is grounded in the belief that humans are complex beings and that, through active engagement with the internal and external environments, individuals evolve, change, and adapt. Four major areas guide the UTRGV Department of Occupational Therapy's philosophy. These are:
- Provision of evidence-based therapy through occupation and translational research
- Continuum of health care across the life span
- Influence of culture on occupation and effective approach to health equity
- Professional reasoning and occupational adaption
- Interprofessional engagement
EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY
The UTRGV Occupational Therapy education is a dynamic process using the art and science of occupational therapy. Students and faculty share responsibility for the learning-based interaction that fosters a commitment to lifelong learning. Manifesting three operational methods within the curriculum
- Learning by doing (modeling, case-based analysis, laboratory experiences, role-playing and simulation, and clinical education through Level 1, 2, Fieldwork and Doctoral capstone experiences,
- Learning by discussion (based upon the work of Fawcett Hill and others (Learning through Discussion 1994; 2000) employing discussion based-upon inquiry, peer to peer interactions, instructor focused Socratic method of Q and A, and open-ended wonderment on the part of students actively engaged in learning,
- Learning by clinical reasoning, feedback, and reflection (based upon the work of Mattingly and Fleming (1994), Schon (1984) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2011), employing directed and focused self-reflection of learning and doing in action within classroom settings, focused self-reflection of learning and doing in actin via online discussion boards, and by focused feedback and direction from instructors at the end of each semester and feedback from clinical instructors during on-site fieldwork experiences,
students will transform to effective communicators and leaders, reflective learners with a learning-based approach, scientific and intellectual inquirers of information related to occupation and health, and seekers of community engagement and experiential learning opportunities. This outcome is facilitated by master clinicians, faculty, and significant contributors to the professional, clinical, and academic communities.
References
- Dewey, J. (2008: 1916). Democracy and Education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. Radford, VA: Wilder Publications
- Hutching, P., Huber, M.A., Ciccone, A. (2011). The scholarship of teaching and learning reconsidered: Institutional integration and impact. Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
- Mattingly, C., Fleming, M.H. (1994). Clinical reasoning: Forms of inquiry in a therapeutic practice. New York: FA Davis.
- Rabow, J., Charness, M.A., Kipperman, J., & Radcliffe-Vasile, S. (1994; 2000) William Fawcett Hill's Learning through discussion. (3rd Ed). Long Grove, ILL: Waveland Press.
- Schon, D. (1984). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books