College of Allied Health Professions
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University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Mission & Goals

UNMC Mission

We are Nebraska Medicine and UNMC.
Our mission is to lead the world in transforming lives to create a healthy future for all individuals and communities through premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care.

Occupational Therapy Program Mission

The mission of the Occupational Therapy Program is to advance health through meaningful participation in everyday living for all people and communities.

The program has three themes: occupation for health, personal and professional development, and translational science.

  • Occupation for health focuses on the application of occupation-based and evidence-based intervention for current practice, leadership, education, and scholarship.
  • Personal and professional development supports the maturity of lifelong learners who demonstrate a commitment to professional standards and responsibilities.
  • Translational science is the study of and process for sharing knowledge from practice for practice to increase quality and effectiveness of services to improve health.

Goals

Upon completion of the entry-level OTD program, graduates will:

  • be prepared for entry-level employment as certified occupational therapists.
  • be prepared to apply occupation-based and evidence-based intervention for current practice, leadership, education, and scholarship.
  • demonstrate lifelong learning as a commitment to professional standards and responsibilities.
  • share knowledge from practice for practice to increase quality and effectiveness of services to improve health.

Objectives

A graduate from the UNMC OTD Program will:

1. Occupational therapy practice.
Create and implement evidence-informed, theory-driven, and occupation-based assessment and intervention plans for individuals, groups, and populations across the continuum of care with clients of all ages.
2. Occupation for health.
Use occupation as the basis of the occupational therapy process to promote health and well-being for clients experiencing occupational deprivation, alienation, or marginalization.
3. Client-centeredness.
Value the client’s role as a member of the therapeutic collaboration and view the client in a holistic manner, considering all factors that contribute to occupational performance in context.
4. Advocacy.
Advocate for the distinct value of occupation, occupational therapy, and occupational justice by supporting policies and actions that allow individuals, groups, and populations to engage in occupations and access occupational therapy services.
5. Occupational therapist as educator.
Create and deliver educational materials relevant to the setting and client.
6. Knowledge translation.
Translate and implement evolving, relevant scholarship across practice, research, education, and policy. Design for dissemination, sustainability, and contribution to a body of knowledge.
7. Professional decision-making.
Apply sound clinical reasoning and judgment, referencing tools such as the code of ethics, professional standards, institutional policy, and government requirements for guidance.
8. Collaboration.
Communicate clearly and effectively in a variety of formats with clients, care providers, communities, team members, and other stakeholders. Contribute and articulate occupational therapy’s distinct perspective to interprofessional teams for the benefit of the client.
9. Cultural humility.
Provide culturally humble and equitable care to all clients; consider diverse perspectives and promote inclusion in all areas of practice.
10. Lifelong learning.
Create an ongoing professional development plan that reflects goals for the benefit of self and others.
11. Contemporary technology.
Integrate contemporary technology into service delivery (including but not limited to electronic health information systems, rehabilitative technologies, assistive devices, mainstream technology, and service delivery models).
12. Leadership and management.
Engage in leadership experiences and apply knowledge gained from an in-depth study in an area of focus to advance practice, scholarship, education, or policy; be prepared to oversee occupational therapy operations.