2017 Fact Book

57 provide services to enhance and restore function and life satisfaction to people whose daily life performance has been interrupted or jeopardized by disease, injury, disability, life stress, or other factors. The 29-month Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) Program is among the nation’s most clinically intensive M.O.T. programs, with an integrated first-year curriculum, four clinical rotations in year two, and six months of required clinical internships. The entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program (O.T.D.) is offered in a hybrid format from NSU’s Tampa Campus and is completed in three and a half years. The postprofessional programs in occupational therapy began in 1995 and offer two doctoral courses of study. The Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Dr.O.T.) Program prepares occupational therapy practitioners to become leaders in health policy and program development, while the Ph.D. program has more of a research focus. The Doctor of Philosophy in Occupational Therapy (Ph.D.) Program strives to develop scholarly practitioners who will serve as leaders in advancing the knowledge base of their discipline through research. Practitioners with earned postprofessional clinical doctoral degrees can also enter the Ph.D. program through a bridge program that allows for transfer of up to 12 credits. The Dr.O.T. and the Ph.D. are offered through distance- learning formats. The entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) Program at the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus is a full-time, on-campus program that takes three years to complete. The entry-level D.P.T. program in Tampa is a hybrid program combining online and face-to-face instruction and takes four years to complete. The entry- level D.P.T. programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone: (703) 706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org ; website: capteonline.org . The Transition Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (T-D.P.T.) is a postgraduate program designed for working physical therapists who want to advance their clinical knowledge and skills to that of the Doctor of Physical Therapy. This program is a hybrid program combining online courses with an on-campus component two days per semester for each core course taken. The program is designed for practicing physical therapists who entered the profession through entry- level bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Therapy (Ph.D.) program is designed for physical therapists whose professional interests include the aspiration to be an educator, a commitment to research, or the acquisition of leadership skills so as to serve as consultants in the health care arena. The Ph.D. program requires 60 semester hours beyond the master’s degree or the entry- level doctoral degree. Doctoral courses are conducted in a distance, hybrid format with minimal time on campus. The Physician Assistant Programs, located on the Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus and on NSU’s campuses in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, and Orlando, Florida, are accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). The programs award a Master of Medical Science (M.M.S.) in Physician Assistant degree. Physician assistants (PAs) are health care professionals who practice medicine with physician supervision. PAs take medical histories, perform physical examinations, order and interpret laboratory tests, diagnose and treat illnesses, suture wounds, and assist in surgery. They can also write prescriptions in every state. The primary care-oriented program combines 15 months of didactic studies with one year of comprehensive clinical training. After completion of clinical training, graduates must take the Physician Assistant National Certification Examination for licensure. The Respiratory Therapy Program is located at the Palm Beach Campus. The entry-level, or first-professional, program is a full-time, on-campus, 24-month program. It offers a state-of-the-art facility with more than 1,200 clinical hours and a wide variety of clinic rotations available. The program is accredited by the Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (COARC). The completion program, opened in 2012, is designed for the practicing registered respiratory therapist. The program is fully online, part time, and can be completed in 24 months.