Welcome to Dominican University New York (DUNY)!
For 40 years, as the first weekend OT program in the region and likely the nation, DUNY OT has paved a distinctive path into the field of occupational therapy for those who need to continue working while also caring for families and others. As of the summer of 2023, we added to our distinctiveness by providing a new one-weekday-per-week format to meet the needs of a particular community of learners for whom the weekend format is inaccessible. The OT program remains committed to the mission of the institution and OT profession through a focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Access, and Belonging (DEIJAB), which it promoted long before DEIJAB became the clarion call in the USA. Additionally, the diversity of our students is greater than the national average of entry-level occupational therapist programs. The diversity and life experiences of our students help create a rich and unique learning environment. Our students are highly motivated, self-directed, and dedicated to advancing their education while remaining committed to their families, communities, future clients, and each other.
Do not be fooled into thinking that the nontraditional schedules of the DUNY OT program make it any easier than a traditional weekday format. The rigor and outcome expectations are not reduced in any way. The schedule is designed to permit the student to engage in other life priorities while attaining a graduate degree to enter the profession of occupational therapy which is not easy. The limited in-person time requires students to be excellent managers of time and multiple priorities. These formats develop and prepare our students for the professional healthcare working environment which requires flexibility and fast adaptation. We also develop and prepare graduates to work with all types of people as coworkers, interprofessional colleagues, clients, families, and care partners, just to name a few.
Our students and highly clinically experienced faculty achieve amazing things every year, including being accepted to present research projects at the national and state levels. Many of these projects, as well as the individual work of faculty, are accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. Faculty have also recently been published, February 2024, in collaboration with some of the faculty of DUNY’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program in a new textbook, Interprofessional Perspectives for Community Practice Promoting Health, Well-Being, and Quality of Life, published by Routledge.
The ultimate goal of the Dominican University OT program is to prepare students to become engaged, competent, compassionate, ethically-minded, and evidence-informed entry-level occupational therapists and leaders working to promote positive and sustainable change in the world through occupational justice. The culmination of the academic and clinical preparation qualifies the graduate to demonstrate their readiness to enter the field by taking and passing the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination to earn the credential of Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR). Passing the exam additionally qualifies the graduate to apply for and receive a license to practice occupational therapy in their state of choice. I am proud to state that 97% of the graduates who took the exam in 2023 passed it within one year of completing their training. This was higher than the national average of only 94% for all graduates of Masters OT programs! Congratulations and welcome to our newest colleagues!
Do you have a passion to make a life-changing positive impact on the lives of people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds? Do you need to continue your other life responsibilities while achieving your dream? If so, then the DUNY OT program is the right place for you.
I look forward to meeting you and ultimately acknowledging you as a colleague!