Department of Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy at Creighton

Creighton University offers four pathways to obtain your Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree in our Alaska Hybrid Pathway, Omaha Pathway, Phoenix Hybrid Pathway and Regis Hybrid Pathway.

Please click on the box below for more information specific to that pathway.

Apply to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program

Apply to the Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy program

Explore Your Options

Occupational Therapy student in rehabilitation center

Doctor of Occupational Therapy

The nation’s first entry-level OTD program and the first innovative hybrid pathways program. Our interprofessional approach focuses on patient care, values-centered teaching and community service.

Occupational Therapy student at a laptop in classroom

Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy

This program prepares current occupational therapists to advance their practice and gain the knowledge, skills and experience you need to deliver high quality, cost-effective interventions.

Mission, Vision & Philosophy

Vision

Within the Jesuit tradition, we envision the Department of Occupational Therapy to be nationally recognized for scholarship, research, teaching and learning, and the quality and professional excellence of its graduates and faculty as ethical leaders providing occupation and evidence-based care and service for individuals and the global society.

Mission

The mission of the Creighton University Department of Occupational Therapy is to educate reflective practitioners, engage in scholarship dedicated to the pursuit of truth, serve the profession and offer occupational therapy expertise to local and global communities. The Creighton University occupational therapy graduate will be creative, ethical, holistic, strategic, and committed to lifelong learning. Therefore, the department will value and honor diversity, model and foster leadership and facilitate spiritual, personal and professional growth.

Department of Occupational Therapy Philosophy

The philosophical base of the Department of Occupational Therapy is consistent with the Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2006).

Humans are self-directed, adaptive, occupational beings. As such, their development (emotional, spiritual, social, cognitive and biological) occurs in the context of occupation. Learning comes about through immersed exploration of diverse practice environments, collaboration, service, reflection and creative thinking. In the view of the Department, teaching is enabling, knowledge is understanding and learning is the active construction of subject matter.

We believe learning is contextual in three ways:

New knowledge is acquired by extending and revising prior knowledge
New ideas acquire meaning when they are presented in a coherent relationship to one another
Knowledge becomes usable when it is acquired in situations that entail applications to concrete problem-solving

Our faculty desires to actively engage learners, draw upon their power as emerging professionals and integrate occupational therapy knowledge through discussion, reflection, evaluation and self-directed learning.

Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Creighton University Department of Occupational Therapy, an innovative leader in the profession and first in the nation in the occupational therapy entry-level doctorate. Our students are supported by a robust faculty of experts from a variety of practice areas and settings.

The core faculty includes 30 who hold doctoral degrees: 8 PhDs, 2 EdDs, and 20 OTDs, of which, 5 are Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Together, we look forward to helping all of our students make a difference in meeting the needs of persons experiencing disablement, advancing the profession of occupational therapy and developing the skills and experience you need to drive the future of our field and carry on our ideals of service in the Jesuit tradition.

I encourage you to learn more about our vision, mission, curriculum, faculty and students. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance to you.

Keli Mu, PhD, OTR/L
Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy

Policies & Procedures

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) educational standard, A.2.6, states that, “The program must document policies and procedures to ensure that the program director and faculty are aware of and abide by the current code of ethics of the profession of occupational therapy.” In accordance with this standard, this policy governs only those instances where allegations of violations of the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics are brought forth.

Policy

The faculty within the Department of Occupational Therapy is committed to maintaining the educational programs and professional behaviors that meet or exceed accreditation standards. Each year, faculty members in the Occupational Therapy Department are asked to review the Code of Ethics and sign a statement explicating that they are aware of and will abide by the Code. The Occupational Therapy Program is committed to helping individuals correct any behavior that may be in contradiction to the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. Faculty members or other stakeholders are encouraged to voice and discuss concerns they have about a violation of the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics. In cases where a formal complaint is deemed necessary, established procedures will be followed.

How to File an Ethics Complaint

For Further Information About the Code of Ethics, Please Contact:

Keli Mu, PhD, OTR/L
Professor and Chair of Department of Occupational Therapy
Email: kelimu@creighton.edu
Phone: 402.280.5938
Fax: 402.280.5692

State Licensure Requirements

The programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy within the Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions meet the appropriate and relevant degree requirements for licensure for all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.