Mission & Vision

Mission
The mission of the LR OT program is to develop effective, empathetic, and impactful occupational therapists who contribute to the well-being and occupational engagement of individuals and communities. 

VIsion
The Vision of the Lenoir-Rhyne University School of Occupational Therapy is to develop the occupational therapy practitioners of tomorrow who exude steadfast loyalty to the value of human occupation in providing client-centered, occupation-centered, professionally engaged and evidenced-based care to all populations. 
The Lenoir-Rhyne OT program philosophy emphasizes the right of all individuals to participate meaningfully in life situations and occupations. It adopts a holistic and interdisciplinary approach, recognizing the interplay between the individual, their environment, and their occupations. The program aims to enhance the quality of life and participation in meaningful activities for all individuals served.  

Our program begins with foundational, active, inquiry-guided learning, and continues to provide increasingly more complex experiential learning experiences that allow you to investigate your world, adapt to continual change, and serve individuals, communities and society with caring and ethical practices.

Student learning outcomes for LR’s OT program are linked to four curriculum threads to prepare students who are 1) Client-centered, 2) Occupation-based,3) Professionally-engaged, and 4) Evidence-based. These curriculum threads are integrated throughout the two years of study. The learning outcomes complement the program goals and program evaluation strategies to keep our program relevant and consistent with the OT profession and society. The program provides you with opportunities and challenges that focus on occupation as the fundamental value central to the development of your professional identity and practice.

Reflective of the curriculum threads, student learning outcomes include:

Client-Centered:

  • Provision of culturally competent and sensitive care for all clients.
  • Respond to client by prioritizing their needs.
  • Center choice of occupation on client’s stated needs honoring their values. 
  • Utilize clinical observation with client history and occupational profile and contextual factors to clinically reason best practice for client.
  • Observe, recognize, and understand non-verbal behavior to establish rapport with clients.
  • Communicate evaluation and treatment information effectively to client, while adhering to principles of confidentiality.
  • Exhibit the ability and commitment to work in demanding settings while meeting the needs of people from diverse cultures, age groups, and socioeconomic levels without bias.  

Occupation-Centered:
Maintain occupation as the core so students can learn and experience the distinct value of OT.

  • Make occupation the center connected to topics to demonstrate the importance of occupation and its contribution to the health of individuals, communities, and populations. 
  • Articulate how occupation as a mechanism influences health and wellness. 
  • Hone abilities around occupation using integrative learning to be successful while delivering care in complex service delivery settings with multifaceted needs of clients and caregivers.

Professional-Engaged:
Espouse and maintain the high ethical and moral standards adopted by the profession of occupation therapy.

  • Advocate for the value and efficacy of occupation and occupational therapy services for clients, caregivers, agencies, other professionals, funders, policy makers and all constituents.
  • Use their understanding of how settings or contexts change occupational roles, goals, and supervisory responsibilities.
  • Respond to situations as they engage in “doing” occupations in the service of “being” in this constantly changing world. 
  • Recognize and apply pertinent legal and ethical standards 

Evidence-Based:

  • Conduct effective inquiries into existing literature to find evidence.
  • Analyze and apply theory and evidence to current domains and emerging areas of practice for informing decision regarding evaluation treatment and discharge.
  • Remain curious and investigate their world and knowledge of the dynamics of occupation, health, and wellness.
  • Use evidence and clinical reasoning, remembering to ask why instead of mimicking observed treatments by others.
  • Be able to apply theoretical knowledge and current research evidence to specific client populations and diagnoses and justify the rationale for therapeutic interventions. 
  • Transition from being a recipient of knowledge to being an active co-creator who evaluates knowledge.