DPT and MOT programs spotlighted by national online community
Two programs in the Waldron College of Health and Human Services (WCHHS) have earned recognition by HealthGrad.com as top programs.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program was named as one of two Best Value DPT programs in Virginia. The Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program was named by the online healthcare education resource as one of 11 Best Entry-level OT Masters Programs in the South for 2019.
HealthGrad.com is an online social community that surveys the world of healthcare and related career opportunities in the United States.
The programs are cornerstones of a healthcare education portfolio that Radford University will dramatically expand with the completion of the merger in July 2019 with Jefferson College of Health Sciences into an entity to be known as Radford University Carilion.
RUC will be driven by what’s next. RUC graduates will meet healthcare workforce needs across the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond. Located in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, in the city’s Innovation Corridor and a part of the Carilion Medical Center campus, RUC will provide a rigorous real-world learning experience to nearly 1,200 students who are pursing undergraduate and graduate degrees in the health sciences. As a part of Radford University and in partnership with Carilion Clinic, RUC’s faculty of practicing clinicians will teach students to care for patients, conduct research, and explore how to manage organizations in a clinical setting on the campus of Carilion Medical Center.
“Value is a key criteria for students and their families as they select a program now,” said WCHHS Dean Kenneth Cox, Au.D. “Recognition by an organization like HealthGrad.com speaks volumes about how our students can get the best education possible for professions in high demand.”
The MOT program, led by Interim Chair Sarah Smidl, Ph.D., and located in Waldron Hall, was singled out for its five-year 100% exam pass rate on the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) from 2013-2018. Occupational therapy is a science-driven, evidence-based profession that enables people of all ages to live life fully by helping promote health and recovery from illness, injury or disability. After passage of the NBCOT test, graduates are licensed to practice in hospitals, day care facilities, nursing homes, schools, community centers and workplaces, private practice or a client's home.
The DPT program, led by Chair Brent Harper, D.P.T., D.Sc., and located in the Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital, was lauded for three key points:
- The program’s 100% employment rate among graduates;
- The breadth of research opportunities available through the program’s facilities – Applied Cardiopulmonary Laboratory, the Motion Analysis Laboratory, and the Motor Control and Neuromuscular Performance Laboratory and
- The depth of faculty involvement in interdisciplinary research.
Full accreditation by the disciplines’ respective key governing bodies led to both program’s inclusion among the select programs featured. The DPT program was recently reaccredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) for 10 years and the MOT program was fully reaccredited for a 10-year term by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).