About Us
WMU Program History
WMU's program in occupational therapy was established in 1922, with an enrollment of two students. The program required three months of coursework and was located at the Kalamazoo State Hospital. By 1936, the program had increased to 27 months, with a requirement of 32 hours of college credit before admission.
In 1939, the program received full accreditation from the Council on Medical Education of the American Medical Association in collaboration with the American Occupational Therapy Association. It was one of the first five programs to gain such recognition.
The program moved to the campus of Western Michigan College in 1944, and students earned a bachelor of science degree in occupational therapy. Thirty students were enrolled at that time, but by 1949 the enrollment had increased to 150 full-time students. It was the first nonteaching program established at WMU and paved the way for the establishment of many other nonteaching programs.
In 1953, the department developed one of the first graduate programs in occupational therapy. Today, the department enrolls approximately 64 students each year.
Today
The Occupational Therapy Department continues to offer admission to undergraduate and graduate students at the Kalamazoo campus. The department began offering the professional masters program at Westerns’ Downtown Grand Rapids site in Fall 2009. The Grand Rapids program is an equivalent program to the Kalamazoo campus and is located in the state of the art facilities centered in the downtown historic Cherry Street district of Grand Rapids. All of the same training and professionalism that students have come to value from our Kalamazoo based program will be available in Grand Rapids. http://gr.wmich.edu/programs/OccupationalTherapy
The Profession and Opportunities
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy (O.T.) is a health and rehabilitation profession that helps people regain, develop, and build skills that are important for independent functioning, health, well-being, and security. Occupational therapy practitioners work with people of all ages who, because of illness, injury, or developmental or psychological impairment, need specialized assistance in learning skills to enable them to lead independent, productive, and satisfying lives.
Occupational therapy is designed to help people reclaim the important aspects of living that they want and need to attain occupational performance. A focus on promoting productive living and prevention of further complications from disability helps to keep healthcare costs down and maximizes the quality of life for the individual, his or her family, and other caregivers.
What do occupational therapists do?
In addition to dealing with an individual's physical well-being, occupational therapy practitioners address psychological, social, and environmental factors that may impede independent functioning in all aspects of life. This unique perspective makes occupational therapy a critically important part of a healthcare program.
Occupational therapy services significantly improve rehabilitation for people of all ages with impairments due to:
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arthritis, cancer, or other debilitating illnesses
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head or spinal cord injuries
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orthopedic, work, or sports-related injuries
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amputation
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burns
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head trauma
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stroke and other neurological conditions
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mental illness
Services typically include:
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customized treatment programs aimed at improving abilities to carry out the activities of daily living
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comprehensive evaluation of home and job environment and recommendations on necessary adaptation
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assessments and treatment for performance skills
- recommendations and training in the use of adaptive equipment to replace lost function
- guidance to family members and attendants
Where do occupational therapists work?
Occupational therapists serve a wide population in a variety of settings, such as hospitals and clinics, rehabilitation facilities, skill nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, sheltered workshops, schools and camps, private homes, mental health agencies, housing projects, correctional institutions, industrial plants, and community agencies and centers.
Why WMU?
Men and women find satisfying and challenging opportunities for professional growth and advancement in their occupational therapy careers. Historically, the demand for their services has outstripped available personnel throughout the country and beyond. With an aging population, opportunities for practitioners who can work with the older adult will be especially valued. Western Michigan University's department has been a leader for more than 75 years in the educational arena, and its graduates' acquired knowledge and skills have made significant contributions to the well-being of people everywhere over that long period of time. Why don't you consider becoming a part of this elite group of service providers?
The WMU Occupational Therapy Department provides students with several advantages over other programs. Western is a best buy in Michigan for tuition costs. The occupational therapy program provides students with Level I and Level II clinical education experiences. In the Level I experiences, you will assess and treat clients under the supervision of an occupational therapy faculty member in the first Level I experience and a local occupational therapist in the second Level I experience. In Level II clinical experiences, you will complete two 3 month full-time clinical experiences. The WMU Occupational Therapy Department has contracts with 600 treatment sites. These treatment sites cover Michigan and the U.S. from coast to coast.
The Occupational Therapy department provides a strong, integrated, curriculum which will provide you with the skills and competencies needed to enter the profession. We have developed a variety of learning activities for each of our courses that will guide your learning and development into an occupational therapy professional. These learning activities will be presented through a variety of instructional formats. These formats will provide opportunities for the faculty to bring in materials and presentations from national and regional experts and provide flexibility in learning environments for students. The learning formats will include traditional face-to-face classroom learning with faculty and other students, WEB-enhanced learning (such as WebCt), face-to-face interaction via audio and video technologies (distance education technology), and combinations of these formats. WMU OT department faculty has extensive experience with the “blended learning” format, with these efforts supported by the WMU Academic Technology and Instructional Services (ATIS) department. Each semester of the program will include a combination of these learning formats in the Kalamazoo undergraduate and graduate programs and in the Grand Rapids graduate program.