Growing education requirements in medical fields have pushed UW-Madison to form a new master's degree program in occupational therapy.
After two years of planning and the development of a new curriculum and course sequence, the university will enroll a maximum of 25 students into the program which begins next summer.
Dr. Mary Schneider, UW-Madison professor in occupational therapy and the program coordinator, said the program replaces the occupational therapy bachelor's degree program, which has been a competitive force at the university since 1943, but does not comply with graduate requisites in the field.
\The whole field of occupational therapy has moved to the master's level,"" Schneider said. ""Soon there will be no more bachelor's degrees in occupational therapy available anywhere in the country. The health care field is so complicated, most medical professionals have moved to the master's level.""
Based in the Department of Kinesiology in the School of Education, the program consists of three tracks that emphasize professional skills, clinical and group research and development throughout the human life span. Schneider said she thought the diversity of the new program is one of its strengths.
""The second track [of the program] is basically researching disabilities across the life span and how occupational therapists evaluate and treat people with challenges, disabilities and general things like aging,"" Schneider said. ""It's a great field for somebody who likes diversity. We cover development issues from neonatal to old age.""
Dr. Julia Wilbarger, UW-Madison assistant professor in the occupational therapy program, said the focus on research is an important aspect of the new program.
""The added-in research strand of the program is particularly exciting,"" Wilbarger said. ""I think occupational therapists as a profession need to focus on research of the practice and be better informed about the field. Half of what I do in life is research.""
Dr. Sue Rosa, admissions coordinator of the program, said the new program will also concentrate on leadership.
""There's going to be a greater focus on developing leadership skills,"" Rosa said. ""There will be higher expectations of students because they're graduate students; also higher expectations in taking responsibility for their own learning.""
Wilbarger said the program, intended for non-majors in occupational therapy, will be an asset to the existing graduate programs available for majors in occupational therapy.
""I think this is a great opportunity for Wisconsin to have a new, fresh program that's really innovative and excellent,"" Wilbarger said.
Interested students can visit the program's Web site at www.soemadison.wisc.edu/kinesiology/ot.index.htm or contact Dr. Sue Rosa at 262-0093. Applications will be accepted from November 2004 until February 2005.
