THE ENTRY-LEVEL OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CLINICAL DOCTORATE (OTD): THE NEXT PARADIGM SHIFT IN HEALTH PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION?

Background: Internationally, the education of allied health professionals has gone through several paradigm shifts during the last few decades, moving from certificate to diploma to bachelors to masters and now in some... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Internationally, the education of allied health professionals has gone through several paradigm shifts during the last few decades, moving from certificate to diploma to bachelors to masters and now in some instances to the clinical doctorate as the entry-level credential to practice. In the United States and Canada, all allied health students enrol in a graduate-entry masters or clinical doctorate, including students enrolling in occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, social work, pharmacy, optometry, and audiology. Many European countries continue to offer entry-level education for the allied health professions primarily at the baccalaureate level. Is the next step in the education evolution of occupational therapy the entry-level clinical doctorate (OTD)?

Aim: to present an overview of the types of clinical doctorates, the positive and negative features of clinical doctorates, and potential steps forwards to handle the clinical doctorate issue.

Application to Education & Implications: If the occupational therapy profession moves towards the OTD being one of the entry-level points for the field, then it needs to be for the right reasons and not due to perceived competition, prestige, advancement, or pressure. This presentation will provide an overview of the types of doctorates available, reviews the pros and cons of moving to an entry-level clinical doctorate, and presents some potential questions that need to be discussed in an European context before such a move is considered. Key points will be illustrated for audience participants using Power Point slides.