Mission

The Army Baylor Doctor of Science in Occupational Therapy Program seeks to train and educated advanced practicing occupational therapists who maximize military readiness, healthy living, and performance optimization through evidenced-based client centered care, teaching and research.

Vision

The Army Baylor Doctor of Science in Occupational Therapy Program is a program that inspires clinician scholars who foster healthcare innovation.

Aims

1. Integrate professional and health literature in clinical practice and education.
2. Demonstrate the ability to operationalize relevant evidence-based care delivery in the assessment and treatment of complex injuries and illnesses associated with combat operations.
3. Develop and evaluate programs in existing and emerging practice settings that promote health and wellness and prevent disability.
4. Demonstrate competency in the critical review, analysis, design, and production of research that establishes occupational therapist as clinician scholars.
5. Educate and mentor pre- and post-professional practitioners in the knowledge, skills, and values of rehabilitation science; contribute to scientific inquiry and advance an evidence-based practice perspective.

Fellows engage in classroom, clinical, and research activities throughout each semester with appropriate progression in all three areas. Fellows assist in the development of their individualized curriculum in collaboration with faculty and mentors. The DscOT program follows the Baylor University Graduate School calendar with block breaks in late Spring, late Summer, and over the winter holiday period.

Fellows engage in simultaneous didactic and clinical work, apart from some one to two-week long rotations for Army short courses in burn rehabilitation, Advanced Upper Extremity Evaluation and Treatment, and Military Combat Stress.

Clinical concentrations and involvement are possible in upper-extremity rehabilitation, human performance optimization, behavioral health, brain injury rehabilitation, and adult teaching and learning. Fellows may also design and develop their own clinical focus to combine the above areas and more, with the approval of the Program Director/Associate Program Director and local clinics.

The DScOT program develops and prepares advanced occupational therapy practitioners for their primary roles in Holistic Health and Fitness Units, leader-clinicians, and as researchers and educators across the military continuum. All course learning objectives and activities center around military cultural, and system impacts on patient and client health and wellbeing.

Semester I

Independent Study I, Clinical Concentration I, Differential Diagnosis in Occupational Therapy, Clinical research in Occupational Therapy, Special Topics Seminar I (Evaluation & Treatment of Upper Extremity Conditions

Semester II

Independent Study II, Clinical Concentration II, Teaching Strategies in Occupational Therapy Education*, Critical Research Appraisal, Special Topics Seminar II: Burn & Trauma Rehabilitation

Semester III

Independent Study III, Clinical Concentration III, Leadership & Current Concepts in Military Occupational Therapy*, Aspects of Pharmacology and Nutrition*, Qualitative Research Methods, Quantitative Research Methods

Semester IV

Independent Study IV, Clinical Concentration IV, Teaching Apprenticeship, Clinical research in Occupational Therapy, Special Topics Seminar III (Enhancing Human Performance, Field Research in Occupational Therapy

Semester V

Independent Study V, Clinical Concentration V, Field Research in Occupational Therapy II, Teaching Apprenticeship II, Advanced Shand Surgery Outcomes for Occupational Therapists, Special topics Seminar IV: Ergonomics

Semester VI

Independent Study VI, Clinical Concentration VI, Advanced Professional Paper Product, Special Topics Seminar V: Professional Presentations and Publications, Research Application.

Fellows participate in a specific Leadership and Current Concepts in Military in Occupational Therapy with the Doctor of Science in Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy fellows. They lead and teach modules in all their DScOT courses and co-lead a one-week onsite clinical laboratory courses in the areas of upper-extremity modalities, human performance optimization, and professionalism in the entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at Baylor University’s Waco campus.

Research learning and activities begin in the first semester and evidenced-based practice and critical research appraisal are inter-woven throughout the curriculum. All fellows are required to develop, carry out, and report on findings of a unique research project, which culminates in a final scholarly manuscript and oral defense presentation. Fellows are required to submit to local and national conferences. It is not uncommon for fellows to present their research three or more times in public forums during their time in the program. Fellows also have opportunities to join in faculty-led ongoing research.

Fellows are required to develop at least one quality/program improvement project in their areas of their clinical concentrations. They develop these in coordination with clinical staff and leadership to promote engagement and to give back to Brooke Army Medical Center clinics that support their learning and growth.

Fellow can design their independent study and clinical concentration courses to align with professional development goals, such as preparing for and taking the Certified Hand Therapist, Certified Brain Injury, or Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Certification examinations.

• Brooke Army Medical Center inpatient, outpatient, and specialty clinics (including surgical, pediatric, behavioral health, burn, and brain injury clinics among others
• Center for The Intrepid
• Audie Murphy Veteran’s Administration Hospital and clinics

Army Applicants

• Watch for Call for Long Term Health Education Training applicants. This comes out on Assignment Interactive Module 2.0.
• Complete entire LTHET application and submit to the Future Readiness Officer, Specialist Corps Branch. This is often the individual who publishes the announcement.
  • In this application process (it will outline all of these steps clearly you will have to reach out to several individuals to express your interest in applying for the DScOT program. Such as the 65A Consultant, and Human Resources Command/Branch manager for guidance on unique needs. These needs include examples like specific waivers needed for things such as time in service, if you have completed Army schooling, if you were promotable during school which AERS could potentially impact, etc.
  • Complete application and specific waivers necessary, if applicable
  • Take Graduate Record Exam and obtain passing score in accordance with HRC policies.
  • After obtaining passing score, speak with HRC about where to send your official score report.
• The board results are typically released sometime in July.

Navy Applicants

• Contact your Duty Under Instruction board for most up-to-date procedures for your application.

Potential applicants should focus on preparation for the Graduate Record Examination and obtaining a total score above 300, particularly if their last formal academic experience was several years ago.

As noted above, fellows are expected to present didactic information in each of their own courses. Further they will co-lead onsite laboratories in the areas of upper extremity modalities, human performance optimization, and professionalism. They will often teach into the Army Baylor Entry-Level Doctor of Science Program and guest lecture in the DscPT/Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy program on stress management techniques.

Our fellows engage in regular scheduled wellness activities coordinated by our program. Additionally, fellows have full access to the Well-Being programs within San Antonio Uniformed Services Education Consortium.