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Mission & Philosophy

Mission Statement & Program Goals

SUNY Downstate’s Occupational Therapy Program is committed to providing outstanding and transformative occupational therapy education to our students through a process of socialization.  Throughout the curriculum we provide learning opportunities for our students that encourage collaboration with peers, faculty, clinicians, and the community.  Emphasis is placed on incorporating self-reflection, the use of evidence-based practice and engagement in local communities to develop each student’s identity as an occupational therapist.  In line with the missions of our school and of our university, we believe that by fostering an environment that embraces and facilitates diversity, equity, and inclusion, our graduates will be prepared to work with all populations and within all communities

Program goals are to:

  • Provide students with the knowledge, theories, and skills required for competent, evidence-based practice;
  • Provide students with a challenging, yet supportive, environment for learning;
  • Provide opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty, peers, and clinicians, and professionals in related disciplines;
  • Provide opportunities to understand multiple perspectives about occupational therapy services, including insights from clients and families;
  • Provide extensive clinical and community experiences, well integrated with the academic coursework, which prepare students to practice in urban communities with diverse populations;
  • Foster a sense of responsibility, professionalism and commitment to life-long learning.

Statement of Philosophy

Our philosophy is that OT education is a socialization process. This process distinguishes our professional curriculum from traditional academic degree programs. Throughout the program, students are challenged to develop specific skills, values, and attitudes as an Occupational Therapist. The ultimate goal is through an active, enculturation process, the students develop strong identities as occupational therapists, with a commitment to ethical, evidence-based practice that best serves the needs of their clients while reflecting core principles of the AOTA's OT Practice Framework.

This curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for students to collaborate with one another and the various faculty and clinical role models to enhance their professional development., as well as to participate in clinical experiences in the community designed to enhance their understanding of clients' perspectives. We believe that our students' future effectiveness as OT's is dependent upon providing a balance between explicit instruction, exemplary role models, opportunities for implicit learning, and experiences that help students develop reflective reasoning skills.