Master’s requirements for future OTs likely
AOTA committee to vote on prospect
In what appears to be a trend in the rehab world, occupational therapists may be seeking post-baccalaureate degrees if a proposal by the Bethesda, MD-based American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) comes to fruition.
AOTA’s representative assembly has adopted a resolution supporting a post-baccalaureate degree in as "the required level of professional entry into the field of occupational therapy," according to information posted on AOTA’s Web site (www.aota.org).
Because the representative assembly does not have the authority to mandate a master’s degree as the entry level of occupational therapists, the resolution recommends that AOTA’s Accredita tion Council for Occupational Therapy Education vote on the proposal, says AOTA education director Rona Zucas. There is no timetable for the vote, although the group’s next regularly scheduled meeting is in August. Zucas did not wish to elaborate on the proposal and declined to comment further.
If the Accreditation Council approves the move to a post-baccalaureate program, a vote by AOTA’s board would not be required, Zucas says. Under the current proposal, according to information posted on the Web site, AOTA would not accredit any new programs at the baccalaureate level. Existing baccalaureate programs would have a defined period of time to make the transition to a master’s program.
The move to a post-baccalaureate entry-level degree has been under discussion since 1958, according to AOTA’s Web site. "Even then, they realized that the baccalaureate degree often put occupational therapists in a subordinate role with respect to other professionals and unfairly penalized them financially," the information states. However, "this certainly does not imply that people educated at the baccalaureate level would not be able to practice," Zucas points out.
The physical therapy profession has undergone a similar transition to master’s-level programs in recent years. Most programs today are master’s-level programs, and many are in the process of changing from bachelor’s to master’s programs.
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