Lori McAleer has been with the University of Cincinnati since 2018, serving as an adjunct professor for two years before moving into the Pre-Occupational Therapy Director role in November 2019. Lori has been an occupational therapist since 2001 and has worked in virtually every setting an OT can work in, including home health, acute care, skilled nursing, acute rehab, outpatient pediatrics, schools, and an international hospital. Lori is currently acting as an assessor in the TRANSPORT II research study, a study that primarily looks at upper extremity function recovery for patients affected by stroke.
Lori has a Master’s Degree in Health Administration and has worked in healthcare quality improvement, education, and project and grant management roles for several years. She also did consulting work where she helped determine the medical necessity of requested durable medical equipment.
No – the program is designed for currently licensed OTAs who are looking to obtain their bachelor’s degree, either for career advancement or in anticipation of applying to grad school to become occupational therapists or schooling in another discipline. The Pre-Occupational Therapy program is a stepping stone to grad school. You would be eligible to take the national certification exam after completing a master’s or doctorate-level occupational therapy program.
The majority apply to OT grad school to obtain their master’s or doctorate in OT. However, some go on to get a Master’s in Education, Public Health, or School Psychology. Possibilities are endless and up to the individual. Some students simply want to obtain a bachelor’s degree for career advancement.
No, the BS in Health Sciences – Pre-Occupational Therapy program is not a bridge program. Acceptance into the Pre-Occupational Therapy program does not guarantee admission into the UC Doctoral OT program. However, the UC OTD program does reserve 20% of its cohort spots for OTAs. In the past, these spots have been filled by graduates of the UC online Pre-Occupational Therapy program.
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