Phoenix OT Pathway
Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program in Phoenix
The Phoenix pathway builds on Creighton’s long history of excellence in OTD education. Students in the Phoenix program are uniquely part of Creighton’s new interprofessional campus of health sciences students across multiple professions.
The hybrid pathway includes on-campus components and online courses in a learning environment focused on innovation, collaborative care and addressing the health needs in the Southwest.
Learn on Creighton’s Newest Campus
In this program, lectures are held online, while students complete experiential learning on Creighton’s campus in the Phoenix Medical Quarter. Creighton’s Phoenix campus opened in 2021, offering students more than 16,000 square feet of simulation space. In the school’s 12 labs, learners gain hands-on experience with standardized patients, home care environments and more.
Addressing the Healthcare Shortage
The Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance is an important addition to Phoenix’s healthcare community, which faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals to serve the region’s diverse population. The Creighton Alliance provides Creighton students essential hands-on patient-care experience at mission-focused Phoenix healthcare facilities.
3 + 3 Dual Degree OTD Program with ASU
Creighton and Arizona State University have partnered to offer a unique opportunity for ASU undergraduate students. Participants in the program can earn a bachelor’s degree at ASU and a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree at Creighton in just six years.
Curriculum
Our curriculum is the same for all pathways, and it encompasses three primary themes: occupation, professional practice and professional identity, with themes of leadership and Ignatian values interwoven.
Interprofessional education (IPE) is a foundational element of the curriculum. All students take an Introduction to Collaborative Care course. Students also take part in the IPE Passport, completing three activities focused on equipping them to take part in interprofessional collaborative practice.
The curriculum builds on the primary themes and culminates in a Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE). The DCE allows students to explore or expand their knowledge in key focus areas, such as:
- Advanced clinical practice
- Research
- Administration
- Leadership
- Program and policy development
- Advocacy
- Education
- Theory development
Creighton students graduate equipped with the skills and knowledge to serve their patients and make a difference through healthcare.
A Customized Clinical Education
Students directly develop their clinical education trajectories with individualized clinical advising from a dedicated team of faculty and staff.
We emphasize abstract, forward focused and creative approaches to OT and new innovations in practice, while assessing the needs of the OT profession.
We require 41.5 weeks of experiential education, consisting of:
Four Level I Experiences
(3.5 weeks)
- Each experience has its own focus based on the curriculum
- Prepare students for Level II experiences
- Progressive exposure and responsibility
- Much more in-depth than the average OT program
Two Level II Experiences
(12 weeks each, 24 weeks total)
- Over 850 contracted clinical sites in the United States
- Focus on becoming competent, entry-level practitioners
Doctoral Capstone
(14 weeks)
- Special interest area—students can be very creative in designing their capstone
- Individually planned
- Develop in-depth skills in one or more of the following areas: clinical practice, research, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education and theory development
- Capstone project tied to the experience
International Clinical Opportunities
(Optional)
- Level ID
- Level IIB
- Doctoral Capstone Experience
- OT ILAC program in the Dominican Republic available as a three-week portion of the capstone experience with a focus on clinical care
- Current contracts in Dominican Republic, Italy, United Kingdom, Uganda, Australia and China
Interprofessional Education and Practice
Creighton University and our primary academic health partner, CHI Health, are national leaders in blending interprofessional collaborative practice with interprofessional education.
This innovative enterprise, the Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research (CIPER), brings together the whole team of healthcare professionals, drawing on all disciplines to treat the patient from every angle—leading to better patient care.
Through the CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center–University Campus, health sciences students can put their education into practice in everyday situations with real-time decision making.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The Doctor of Occupational Therapy tuition and fees varies over the 3 years of the program.
All admitted students are considered for scholarships, and scholarship awards range up to $60,000, divided throughout the three years of the program. The Office of Admission awards the top 25% of the incoming class at minimum.
Admissions
To apply, submit your application through the Occupational Therapy Centralized Application Service (OTCAS).
Pathway Coordinator
Coordinator
Andrea Thinnes, OTD, OTR/L, FNAP
Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy,
402.280.5929
andreathinnes@creighton.edu
