Occupational Therapy Program Policies

Grading

The cumulative grade point average (GPA) for both good academic standing and degree conferral is a 3.0. A student admitted as a Special Matriculant is required to achieve a 3.0 average or better after completing a certain number of credits as stipulated in their acceptance letter. Grades are subject to review by the Associate Program Director at the end of each term.

If a student receives a grade of “C” in any course, the course must be repeated before permission to continue the curriculum sequence is granted. A student can only repeat a course in which they have received a grade of “C” one time. If a student receives a grade of “B-” in any course, the student may be required to repeat the course before permission to continue the curriculum sequence is granted. The need to repeat if a course grade is a B- will be based on other factors such as student GPA, attendance, and professional behaviors.

If a student receives a grade of “F” in any course the student may be subject to dismissal from the University and the Program. Any future registrations must be reviewed and approved by the OT Program Director as well as the School Dean. If a student fails any Clinical Education course, a decision to allow the course to be repeated will be determined by a Program Faculty Review Committee.

If a student is dismissed from the program, they may not reapply to the Occupational Therapy Program at Mercy University.

Incomplete grades will be granted only under extenuating circumstances and for no more than 25 percent of a trimester’s course assignments or examinations (combination of all courses). Students will contract, in writing, with the course instructor regarding the completion of coursework within a time specified by the faculty and approved by the Program Director. Requests for an incomplete grade in the course must be discussed with the faculty on or before the day of the Final exam. If you fail to submit the request by the deadline, you will receive the grade that you have earned for the entire course, including work completed and penalties for work not completed. No retroactive “Incomplete” grades are permitted. You will be required to complete the missing course work and submit it to the instructor by the designated date. If the work described by the Instructor is not completed by the designated date, the “Incomplete” will automatically be converted to a grade of F. The instructor CANNOT allow more than 1 year after the end of the term in which the Incomplete is assigned. Adequate time is required for the Instructor to grade the assignment(s) and submit a change of grade for the course to the Registrar.

Students may not register for any further occupational therapy courses without permission from the program director. Failure to complete the work in accord with the contract-specified time may result in failure for the course.

Clinical Education Grades

If a student fails any clinical education course, the decision to allow the course to be repeated will be determined by a Faculty Review Committee. If the student is allowed to repeat the clinical experience and fails again, he/she will be dismissed from the program. If the student is not allowed to repeat the clinical experience, matriculated status will be withdrawn and the student will be dismissed from the program. A student may only voluntarily withdraw from a clinical education experience for extenuating circumstances after approval by a Faculty Review Committee.

Students who are not meeting required standards or competencies of a Level II clinical education experience may be required to suspend work towards the completion of their master’s capstone project to enable them to focus their efforts on successful completion of the clinical experience. This will require the student to register for OCTR 890 - Capstone Continuation and possibly delay their graduation date.

Core Course Competencies

The Occupational Therapy Program is responsible for ensuring that all students are competent and safe to enter the clinical education portion of the Program. To do so, students must demonstrate competencies by passing designated lab practical, written assignments and examinations. Students must receive a grade of 70 or above on all specified competency assignments. The designated competencies will be indicated on the course syllabus.

If a student does not achieve a grade of 70 or higher on a designated course competency, the student will be required to demonstrate competency by taking another exam or writing another paper. The competency format may change from the original. Re-taken exams and re-written papers will not change the grade of the original– they are for competency purposes only.

If the competency retake/rewrite is not passed a second retake will be required. There is no course grade reduction for failure of the first competency. The second competency will be scheduled and format will be determined by the course instructor. Should the student not pass the second competency retake, the student will receive an F in the course and will not be allowed to progress in the program and may be dismissed from the Program. Students dismissed from the Program may not reapply to the OT Program at Mercy University.

If a student requires a competency exam for a final exam or final paper, the student will receive an incomplete until the competency process (retakes/rewrites) is completed.

Students who demonstrate a pattern of needing to repeat competencies in several courses may be required to register for a 1 credit independent study course and pass a competency exam prior to placement in a Level II fieldwork setting.

Attendance

Attendance and punctuality in all classes and clinical education experiences is required, unless the student is excused for extenuating and extraordinary life circumstances (documentation will be required). Missing one weekend day per trimester is equivalent to missing three to four classes in a traditional program and may jeopardize a student’s standing in the program. Course instructors or clinical instructors must be notified in advance regarding absences. Failure to do this will result in a review of the situation by the faculty and program director. Possible results may include a written warning, additional assignments and/or lower grades on missed assignments. Absence or repeated patterns of tardiness from courses may result in reduced final grades for a course, a non-passing grade for a course, delayed graduation, and/or dismissal from the program regardless of the circumstances. If a student misses a test or exam without previous approval of the instructor, the situation will be reviewed by the faculty and may result in a grade of F for that test or exam. Supplemental Policies may be found in the OT Program Student Handbook.

Fieldwork Level I Attendance Policy

Absences of more than one fieldwork day (even if rescheduled) are considered excessive and may result in a non-passing grade for the fieldwork course. Students are expected to attend fieldwork for the entire scheduled day unless they are ill or have an extenuating circumstance. Students who are ill should use their judgment when deciding if they should attend fieldwork. Students are required to complete a total of at least four days of fieldwork each fall and spring term. Students must meet the minimum required hours to successfully complete each Fieldwork Level I experience.

NOTE: Hours vary from setting to setting. A typical day is 6-8 hours, however in some instances the fieldwork educator may work a ten hour day.

Student Classification

A student will be classified as a matriculant in the professional program upon full-time enrollment at Mercy University and admission to the program by the Admissions Committee of the program. Students must maintain an overall 3.0 or better in the program.

Program Accreditation

The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), ACOTE’s contact information is: ACOTE, c/o Accreditation Department, American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), is 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s phone number is (301) 652-6611. ACOTE’s website is www.acoteonline.org and e-mail is accred@aota.org. Graduates of the Occupational Therapy Program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination of the occupational therapist administered by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (O.T.R.). In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.

Advising

Upon acceptance into the program, an assigned faculty member will advise the student in the Master of Science Degree Program in Occupational Therapy. The program director or associate director is available to meet with students to counsel them on their standing in the program, the requirements necessary for the completion of the program, and to develop long-term plans of study and future professional directions.

Course Load

The Master of Science Degree Program in Occupational Therapy is a full-time weekend program that takes 7 trimesters to complete. The student is required to take nine–eleven credits per trimester. Course work may be completed in five trimesters. During the final two trimesters while completing the Level II fieldwork experiences, the student registers for 4.5 – 5 credits and is considered a part-time student. The required 24 weeks of fieldwork must be completed within 24 months following the completion of the didactic component of the program unless the program Faculty Review Committee grants an extension for extenuating circumstances.

Maintenance of Matriculation

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all courses applicable to the degree is required for both good academic standing and degree conferral. A student admitted as a Special Matriculant is required to achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 after completion of six credits. Please note, certain graduate programs may have more stringent program policies. Please check the specific program regulations. Grades are subject to review by the faculty advisor and program director at the end of each term. If the academic average falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation.

Capstone Advisement

Occupational therapy students register for the Advanced Topics course series that leads to the completion of the capstone requirement. This course series ends in summer of the second year. After this semester is over, a Capstone Continuation fee (equal to the cost of one graduate credit) will be charged for each additional term required to complete the project. Students can only register for Capstone Continuation for two terms.

A student’s degree will not be released until all Maintenance of Matriculation and Capstone Continuation registration and fees are recorded appropriately on a student’s record.

Maintenance of Good Academic Standing/Academic Probation

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all courses applicable to the degree is required for both good academic standing and degree conferral. A student admitted as a Special Matriculant is required to achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to enter the graduate program. Please note, certain graduate programs may have more stringent program policies. Please check the specific program regulations. Grades are subject to review by the faculty advisor and program director at the end of each term. If the academic term or cumulative average falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation.

Any student who has a term or cumulative GPA of below 3.0 (without rounding) will be placed on academic probation. While on academic probation, the student is required to achieve a term GPA of 3.0 or higher in the next term of enrollment and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher by the second term after probation. If the student is not able to achieve a cumulative program GPA of 3.0 within two terms, the student will be dismissed from the program. If a student receives less than a 2.8 during any term, a faculty review will determine whether the student will be allowed to progress in the program and may be dismissed. Students on academic probation will not be allowed to progress to Level II fieldwork. Students may be required to retake course(s) to bring their GPA to 3.0 in order to progress in the Program as well as register and complete a Level II fieldwork.

In all subsequent terms in which the student is on probation the student is required to achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher in each term. If the 3.0 or higher is not achieved the student will be dismissed. Requesting an extra assignment to augment grades is not permitted any under circumstance. Resubmission of assignments to improve grades is also not permitted.

If a student receives a grade of “C” in any course, the course must be repeated before permission to continue the curriculum sequence is granted. A student can only repeat a course in which they have received a grade of “C” one time. If a student receives a grade of “B-” in any course, the student may be required to repeat the course before permission to continue the curriculum sequence is granted. The need to repeat if a course grade is a B- will be based on other factors such as student GPA, attendance, and professional behaviors.

If a student receives a grade of “F” in any course the student may be subject to dismissal from the University and the Program. Any future registrations must be reviewed and approved by the OT Program Director as well as the School Dean. If a student fails any Clinical Education course, a decision to allow the course to be repeated will be determined by a Program Faculty Review Committee.

If the scores from any category of the Professional Development Form (PDF) fall in the “Unsatisfactory” category, or the student’s total score is a 27/30 or below, the student must meet with his or her advisor to discuss their plan for improvement. This plan will be reviewed by the program director and will be placed in the student’s file in the Occupational Therapy Program office. Additional details on the Professional Development Form and process are located in the Program Student Manual.

If the program notes a pattern of inappropriate or unprofessional behavior, these behaviors will be brought to the student’s attention through professional development feedback forms, faculty memos, advising notes, or fieldwork evaluations. The student will develop a professional plan to demonstrate improved professional behaviors. This plan may include recommendations such as self-reflective journaling, professional counseling, etc. If the student fails to develop the required plan, follow through with the recommendations, or remediate the problematic behaviors, the student will be reviewed by occupational therapy faculty. The student may be prohibited from participating in future fieldwork experiences until he/she demonstrates consistent appropriate professional behaviors. Students whose behaviors are potentially disruptive to therapeutic client relationships, or are potentially disruptive to the operation of the clinical facility may be dismissed from the Occupational Therapy Graduate Program.

Program Dismissal Review

In cases in which a student has been dismissed from the Occupational Therapy Program, the student may request a dismissal review when he/she believes that extenuating circumstances affected his/her academic performance in the program. The student must follow the SHNS Program Dismissal Review Policy detailed at the beginning of the School and Health and Natural Sciences section.

Degree Requirements

Each candidate for a degree or certificate must have completed all coursework and program requirements. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all courses applicable to the degree is required for both good academic standing and degree conferral. The words “With Distinction” will appear on the diploma and transcript of any student who completes their degree with a GPA of at least 3.75. Once the degree is conferred, the academic record is finalized and cannot be changed.

Technical Standards

The program has a Technical Standard Form that outlines the necessary behavioral/communicative, psychomotor, cognitive and self-care skills deemed essential for completion of the program and performance as a competent occupational therapist. This form is signed by the student stating they are or are not capable of performing the skills and abilities that are listed.

Complaints That Fall Outside the Realm of Due Process

The Occupational Therapy Program is committed to meeting its mission as it relates to serving our students, potential students, staff, faculty, adjunct faculty, clinical faculty and the public consumer of occupational therapy. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that exceptional complaints for which there is no established University, School or program policy or procedure are considered and resolved in a timely, fair, consistent and equitable manner.

Procedure: Complaint to the Program: Complaints should be addressed to the Program Director through the online form located here.
If the program director is the subject of the complaint, the complaint should be addressed to the Dean, School of Health and Natural Science.

Professional Licensure

If you are interested in obtaining professional licensure, please check with the appropriate licensing body in the state where you intend to practice. For additional information and detailed requirements, please refer to the specific program of interest on the “School Resources” section of the Mercy Unviersity NC-Sara webpage.

Occupational Therapy, M.S.

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