Occupational Therapy Schools in Arizona

Occupational Therapy Schools in Arizona (Entry-Level Programs) –

Arizona is the sixth largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states in the USA. Arizona is a big state with a high quality of educational institute and medical facilities. The Arizona state is providing quality education in the field of rehabilitation through different universities.

Arizona is served by three public universities: The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University. These schools are governed by the Arizona Board of Regents. One of the famous Occupational therapy schools in Arizona is affiliated with Northern Arizona University.

Occupational Therapy in Arizona-

The person or client who needs occupational therapy can directly take OT services without any physician’s prescription in the Arizona state, but for the reimbursement procedure, patients may require submitting a physician’s referral. (*reference- www.ARIZOTA.org)

An occupational therapist can practice freely after getting the license. OT practice in various fields like pediatric, school, mental health, home health in Arizona. No further certification is needed except for the early intervention.

If a therapist is working on an early intervention setup, he/she has to complete a certification process to comply with the Standards of Practice in Early Intervention” through AzEIP (Arizona Early Intervention Program).

The occupational therapy profession in the state of Arizona is regulated by the Arizona Occupational Therapy Association (ARIZOTA) and Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners (ABOTE). They have different roles in the state.

Arizona Occupational Therapy Association-

The mission and purpose of the ARIZOTA are to promote and support excellence and professionalism among occupational therapy practitioners. Plus, the association works with community members, health care providers, educators, legislators, for the betterment of the profession and for the patients.

Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners-

The Board was established by the Arizona Legislature to regulate the OT profession. As such the Board issues and renews licenses for the occupational therapy profession (OT and OTA). By law, the Board requires that each applicant meets minimum standards of education (degree in OT or OTA and NBCOT’s passing certificate).

The Board also receives and investigates complaints, takes appropriate disciplinary action, and responds to inquiries from consumers as to the license status of individual OT or OTA.

Limited license-

Yes! The state of Arizona may provide the limited license to a qualified therapist, who is trained and completed the academic and fieldwork requirements but yet to appear for the NBCOT’s licensure examination. (The rule is also applicable for the foreign-trained therapist)

The holder of a limited license may practice occupational therapy only under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist.

A limited license is valid for 4 months and becomes void if a person fails the examination. The board may reissue a limited license once.

Working In Arizona

To practice occupational therapy in Arizona, licensure is mandatory. For additional information, please contact:

Arizona Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners. www.otboard.az.gov.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Arizona, AZ-

There are total 3 Occupational therapy schools in Arizona which provide entry-level degree (OT) in the state. In which, one OT school provides entry-level master degree program (M.S.OT or MOT) and two OT schools provide the entry-level doctoral program (OTD). All the entry-level programs are ACOTE’s accredited.

The Arizona state also has four Occupational therapy Assistant (OTA) schools.

List of Occupational therapy schools in Arizona-

1. Northern Arizona University
2. Midwestern University
3. A.T. Still University

#1 Northern Arizona University-

According to the global university rankings published by the Times Higher Education in 2016, Northern Arizona University ranked among the top 500 universities in the world.

Northern Arizona University is the first public university in the state to establish the fully-accredited Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program. This intensive, entry-level OTD program features up to six months of fieldwork plus an individualized 16-week residency to prepare for advanced roles in occupational therapy. Upon graduation, a candidate will be prepared to work with clients across all stages of life in a wide range of settings.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program is not available to international graduate students.

Northern Arizona University- Occupational therapy Program
Course Offer –	Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) degree (entry level)
University Campus	Phoenix, AZ
Public or Private-	Public Institute.
Program Head-	Patricia Crist, Chairperson & Professor
Course Duration- OTD	Full-time regular course. Duration-  33 months, including fieldwork education and the required 16-week individualized residency.
Seat capacity	Total 45 seats
OT Admission	Once a year (Fall)
Application Procedure	Applying to the OTD program is a three-step process: Application to the NAU. Apply through OTCAS. A mandatory on-campus interview.
Minimum requirement	Bachelor’s or master’s degree GPA of 3.0 or better. Report from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). A minimum of 80 contact hours with two licensed occupational therapists. 2 letters of recommendation. TOEFL iBT (for non-English-speaking universities) minimum scores – total 80. Proof of competency in Medical Terminology CPR certification. Proof of Immunizations.
Pre-requisite course work	Biology Human anatomy and physiology Statistics Ethics or social justice Abnormal Psychology Human development Sociology.
Address	Occupational Therapy Department #6th floor, Health Sciences Education Building, 435 N 5th Street, Phoenix, Arizona AZ  85004 Phone: 602-827-2450 Fax: 602-827-2425 E-mail- ot.otd@nau.edu
Website	http://nau.edu/CHHS/Occupational-Therapy/

#2 Midwestern University-

Midwestern University- College of Health Sciences
Course Offer –	Master of Occupational Therapy (entry level)
University Campus	Glendale, AZ campus
Public or Private-	Private, Non-profit Institute.
Program Head-	Patricia Crist, Chairperson & Professor
Course Duration- M.O.T	Full-time regular course. Duration-  27 months, including fieldwork.
OT Admission	Once a year (Fall)
Application Procedure	Applying to the OTD program is a two-step process: Apply through OTCAS. An on-campus interview.
Minimum requirement	Baccalaureate degree. GPA of 2.75 or better. 2 letters of recommendation. First aid course CPR certification. Passage of the Midwestern University criminal background check.
Pre-requisite course work	Human anatomy and physiology Statistics Abnormal Psychology Human development Other Social and Behavioral Science.
Address	Occupational Therapy Program 19555 North 59th Avenue Glendale, AZ 85308-6814 (888) 247-9277 Email- admissaz@midwestern.edu
Website	www.midwestern.edu/occupational therapy

#3 Arizona School of Health Sciences, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences-

The Arizona school of health sciences offers two entry-level programs for occupational therapy. These are the Master of Occupational Therapy (MSOT) and Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD). OTD program is under the final process of ACOTE accreditation but can take admission in the school.

This OT school also offers Post-professional courses for the occupational therapist. This post-professional course is not for entry-level students. This program is an online program for already practicing and licensed therapist who wants to do further studies in occupational therapy.

The online post-professional courses offered by the Arizona school of health sciences are-

• Post Professional M.S./AMOT
• Post Professional OTD

Arizona School of Health Sciences, A.T. Still University of Health Sciences
Course Offer –	Master of Occupational Therapy (Entry level) Occupational Therapy Doctoral (OTD) degree (entry level – Candidacy Status)
University Campus	Messa, Arizona campus
Public or Private-	Private, Non-profit Institute.
Program Head-	Rachel Diamant, Ph.D., OTR/L, Program Director
Course Duration- MSOT OTD	MSOT– Full-time regular course. Duration-  28 months. OTD– Full-time regular residential program. Duration- 36 months.
OT Admission	Once a year (Fall)
Application Procedure	Candidate must have to submit a separate application for each course if applying for both courses (MSOT and OTD) Apply through OTCAS.
Minimum requirement	Baccalaureate degree GPA of 2.75 or better (for MSOT) GPA of 3.0 or above (for OTD) A minimum of 20 contact hours (MSOT) and 30 contact hours (OTD) with one licensed occupational therapist. 3 letters of reference. TOEFL iBT for English proficiency Proof of competency in Medical Terminology CPR certification. Criminal background check
Pre-requisite course work	Biology Human anatomy and physiology Statistics Ethics or social justice Abnormal Psychology Human development Sociology.
Address	Occupational Therapy Department 5850 E. Still Circle Mesa, AZ 85206-3618 E-mail- admissions@atsu.edu
Website	https://www.atsu.edu/occupational-therapy-degree

Occupational therapy Job Opportunities in Arizona-

Arizona offers numerous job opportunities for occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and OT aides. As per the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, there were 1,350 employed (as of May 2015)occupational therapists in Arizona. Also, there is an expectation of a great rise in job opportunities for occupational therapists between 2012 to 2022.

Occupational therapy salary in Arizona-

As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average yearly salary of occupational therapist was $81,000 and the average hourly income of occupational therapist was $39.27 in May 2015.

As per indeed.com, The average Occupational Therapist salary in Arizona is approximately $81,974 per year, which is 7% above the national average.