Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone

The Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) provides in-depth exposure to one or more of the following areas: clinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education and theory development.

We support the efforts of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to prepare future practitioners for successful and rewarding careers working with children and adolescents with varying diagnostic profiles and cultural backgrounds to reach their full functional potential. As required by Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), the doctoral capstone consists of two parts: the capstone project and the capstone experience. Students complete an individual capstone project to demonstrate synthesis and application of knowledge gained in addition to the capstone experience.

Program highlights

CHOP is a healthcare network that offers occupational therapy services to infants, children and adolescents in acute care, inpatient rehab, day hospital and outpatient settings. Our outpatient services are provided at multiple campus locations and within multidisciplinary clinics.
Occupational therapy services at CHOP are provided to infants, children and adolescents with a variety of medical and developmental diagnoses.
Occupational therapists at CHOP often have advanced clinical training in various specialty areas.

Prerequisites for doctoral capstone

All prospective capstone students must be enrolled in an education program which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
It is strongly recommended that doctoral capstone applicants have a pediatric level II fieldwork placement prior to their doctoral capstone experience.
All capstone students should demonstrate the following skills: self-directed learning with high levels of flexibility, effective communication skills, and consistent implementation of feedback in a timely manner.