This program is offered by the occupational therapy department. Students and therapists from other disciplines, such as physical therapy, speech and language pathology and nursing may find these courses relevant and are encouraged to apply.
The program is designed for practicing clinicians (e.g., occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, nurses) at a post baccalaureate level that would like to advance their clinical knowledge in pediatric practice.e. The certificate is a series of six 3-credit graduate courses. There is one required course (HP 600 Advanced Practice Pediatric Issues and Trends ) and five courses that are chosen by each student on an individual basis. For those students who may wish to continue on to the Post Professional Masters degree program, it is recommended that HP 670 Grant Writing be taken as one of the elective courses.
Courses that may be applied to the certificate in pediatrics (in addition to the required HP 600 ) include: Pediatric Evaluation (HP 605 ), Treatment and Evaluation of Pediatric Feeding Issues (HP 615 ), Sensory Integration Treatment and Evaluation (HP 625 ); Child Development in an International Setting (HP 630 ); School Based Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapy (HP 635 ); Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Issues and Interventions (HP 645 ); Early Intervention (HP 650 ); Evidence-based Neurodevelopmental Treatment and Evaluation for Children with Central Nervous System Dysfunction (HP 655 ); Autism and Pervasive Developmental Delay: Evaluation and Intervention Strategies (HP 660 ); Seating in Pediatric Practice (HP 665 ); Grant Writing (HP 670 );Adolescent and Early Childhood Issues in Autism (OT 625 ); Assistive Technology (OT 635 ); and, Vision Rehabilitation (OT 645 ).
The program is offered in a flexible format for working professionals, primarily in distance formats with short on campus experiences during some weekend “launch” days. There are also some hands-on clinical courses offered in a three to five-day intensive format. Students can choose the courses that meet their needs both clinically and personally. Classes may also be taken individually for continuing education.
The Pediatric Certificate coursework is transferable in varying degrees to the postprofessional masters and occupational therapy doctoral requirements. Students who have completed the Pediatric Certificate are eligible for the alumni discount for either of these post-professional programs. Students entering the post-professional master’s degree can apply the entire 18 credits of the certificate to the 30 credit post professional master’s degree program. Students entering the occupational therapy doctoral program after completing the pediatric certificate can apply 6 elective credits to the doctoral program, and will be waived from taking OTD 620 Advanced Theory . If a student has applied coursework from the Certificate to the requirements for the Post Professional Masters, they may not apply any of that coursework to the requirements for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate.
Learning Outcomes:
Students in the Post Professional Pediatric Certificate Program will:
- Demonstrate advanced proficiency in the gathering and synthesis of their knowledge base in research and evidence based practice in order to implement best practice in pediatric occupational therapy.
- Exhibit advanced competency in clinical reasoning related to practice, advancing their ability to identify, analyze and apply evaluation and treatment techniques to gain excellence in care for the complex challenges of advanced pediatric practice.
- Display advances in mentoring and leadership skills that empower them to manage staff and to foster advanced clinical practice skills for junior pediatric practicing clinicians.
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