IHP Overview

A graduate school founded by the world renowned Massachusetts General Hospital and located in Boston, MA, MGH Institute of Health Professions offers unparalleled opportunities for faculty and students to learn and work alongside expert practitioners in a variety of hospital, clinical educational and community settings.

Composed of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS), the School of Nursing (SON), and the Center for Interprofessional Studies and Innovation (CIPSI), the MGH Institute is located in the historic Charlestown Navy Yard, overlooking downtown Boston. All of our programs promote interprofessional teamwork and offer personalized attention in a rigorous, collaborative learning environment that is driven by our faculty's professional expertise and scholarly accomplishments. The academic experience is further enriched by the diversity of our students' backgrounds and life experiences.

Learn more about us with this informational video!

OT Program Overview

Do you want to positively impact the lives of individuals affected by illness or injury? Do you want to be on the cutting edge of occupational therapy practice and research? Do you want to learn to think critically about client-centered care at a graduate school focused exclusively on the health professions? Then the 3-year OTD program at Boston's MGH Institute of Health Professions is the place for you!

The Entry-Level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program is the first in New England to educate students at the doctoral level for entry into professional practice. This full-time program allows you to get your Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree in three years. Please request information to learn more, and check out interviews of our students and faculty here!

About the Program

The OTDcurriculum offers a mix of evidence-based academics, including active and experiential learning, clinical research, and integrated fieldwork experiences. Emphasis is placed on professional reasoning, application of research evidence, occupation-based practice, and interprofessional collaboration - critical skills for an occupational therapist in today's complex practice settings.

Features of the program include:

• Active and case-based learning in state-of-the-art classrooms and labs
• Clinical placements at leading health care and educational sites in Boston and beyond
• Onsite clinical centers and interprofessional learning opportunities with students and practitioners across the health professions
• Mentorship from faculty who are scholars and leaders in the field, across a wide range of specialties

Doctoral students learn skills and engage in scholarly experiences beyond entry-level master's programs. These include advanced training in an area of interest, such as practice, research, leadership, or education.

The Doctoral of Occupational Therapy program has been granted candidacy status by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), which i slocated at the Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814. Phone: (301) 652-AOTA.

The application deadline is December 1, 2016 for program starting summer 2017. See the program's application process for prerequisites and other admission requirements.

Fieldwork Placements

Through the Institute's affiliation with Partners HealthCare, students enjoy access to leading practitioners in the Metropolitan Boston area who serve as faculty and mentors.

Full-and part-time fieldwork experiences are integrated at each stage of the curriculum, allowing students to continually connect theory with practice.

Fieldwork is completed in a variety of clinical and practice settings (e.g., acute care, rehab, school-based practice, community). Students are exposed to a variety of clients across the lifespan and to a variety of settings.

Our focus on experiential learning, in addition to our Institute-wide IMPACT (Interprofessional Model for Patient and Client-Centered Teams) curriculum, facilitates critical thinking, communication skills, ethical reasoning, and team-based problem-solving. Participating in these and other learning opportunities extends to students being better prepared for fieldwork training with increased confidence in communicating and delivering care.

Faculty

Faculty members in the Department of Occupational Therapy provide a wealth of experience in teaching, scholarship, practice, and service to the Institute, the program, its students, and the professional community. Our faculty have been recognized at the national and international level, including election to the Roster of Fellows by the American Occupational Therapy Association, and are actively engaged in professional roles within and beyond the field of occupational therapy. Read more about our faculty here.

Functional Living Lab

The Functional Living Lab (FLL) is an active-learning area which includes a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. It allows students in the entry-level OTD program to seamlessly move from the classroom and immediately into practice what they leaving the lab.

"The home-like environment has a cutting edge technology video capture process that enables students to view and review activities that happen in spaces where they are not having direct contact with a client," said department Chair Lisa Tabor Connor, PhD, MSOT. "Each student also has an opportunity to try things out for themselves in the FLL. It's a much better way for students to learn and not worry about making a mistake."

Student Life and Community

Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) is a student organization with a mission to advance occupational therapy through research, education, and participation. SOTA promotes involvement in AOTA and activities that enhance knowledge across disciplines about occupational therapy.

Community Day, held each year in September, offers faculty, staff, and grad students of MGH IHP the opportunity to visit 30+ non-profits and other organizations to perform a variety of community service activities such as providing seniors with health tips, running an adaptive soccer clinic for kids with disabilities, and leading a yoga class for high schoolers.

ADA 25th Anniversary Celebration
Students in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program volunteered at the July 22 event on Boston Common to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act's 1990 signing (below).

Information Session

Keep an eye out on the MGH IHP Events Calendar for the date of our next on-site information session during Fall 2016. It is a great chance to get a program overview, have a Q&A with faculty members and students, and see the beautiful campus in the Charlestown Navy Yard!