Yvonne Said:

My dad wants me to go to Marshall University, and I wants to become a Occupational Therapist..?

We Answered:

Marshall is pretty well a comprehensive school. They have a lot of majors.

Here some of the undergrad degrees they offer that would lead you into taking Occupational Therapy in Grad school:

BS, Communication Disorders*
BS, Cytotech, Cytotechnology*
BS, Dietetics*
BS, Medical Imaging*
AAS, Medical Lab Technology*
BS, MedTech, Medical Technology*
ASN, Nursing*
LPN to RN Bridge*
BSN, Nursing*
RN Option*
BS, Respiratory Care*
School Nurse Certificate*
BSW, Social Work
Pre-Health Professions

I would say the first one would be a good choice as many people who need OT also have communication disorders.

Otherwise, to find out what would be the best undergrad major for it, call the admissions office at the school and ask. They are pretty nice folks.


Also, Marshall has about the best school spirit you will find anywhere. It is a great school. There is also a ton of off campus housing available close to the school. Flats on Fourth is a bit funky. The apartments there are actually hotel rooms.

Also note that Huntington winters are no where as bad as winters even a little bit further north.

Go Herd!

Harvey Said:

how do i become an occupational therapist, what major should i choose?

We Answered:

If you go to www.aota.org and choose "Student," it will list the schools that offer OT. From there, go to the schools website and it will tell you the admission requirements. For Cal State Dominguez hills, the pre-reqs are:
Students must have completed a Bachelor of Arts or Sciences degree from an accredited college or university. The degree must be completed at the time of admission to the program but may be in progress during the application process. In addition the students must have completed separate courses in Anatomy with laboratory (3 credits), and Physiology with laboratory (3 credits), Developmental Psychology (3 credits), Abnormal Personality (3 credits), and Statistics (3 credits). Students should have basic computer skills including word processing and file management abilities. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in bachelor’s degree and pre-requisite coursework and completed of 80 hours of documented volunteer experience under the supervision of a registered occupational therapist. Three letters of recommendation are required. One must be from the occupational therapist supervising volunteer hours and the other two from professionals that can attest to student's ability to complete graduate coursework. To meet the University writing proficiency standards for graduate admission, applicants are required to achieve a minimum GWE score of 8 or a minimum Analytic Writing score of 4 on the GRE. Also required is a combined minimum cumulative Verbal and Quantitative GRE Score of 800 or a minimum Miller Analogy Score of 50. A personal interview with members of the Occupational Therapy Program Admissions Committee will be scheduled and if accepted, students will complete the CSUDH medical history questionnaire and physical examination, provide proof of required immunizations, and provide evidence of Live Scan Fingerprinting and Criminal Background Check.

Some schools work differently - the school I went to required at least 2 years of undergrad work with certain classes required. Then you completed 3 years of grad school in OT and graduated with an entry-level Master's degree.

As far as Cal State D.H - I don['t know about it's reputation - sorry!
Good luck!

Tommy Said:

Can I become an occupational therapist with a bad back?

We Answered:

I would suggest looking into another field as a lot of jobs are in nursing home/long-term care facilities which require doing transfers (for ex., helping them transfer from the bed to the commode) of patients. Even with pediatric OT, the therapist (or OT assistant) may need to get on the ground and interact with the child while providing 'sensory input' from the environment to try to get the child to focus, for example. The occupational outlook handbook states that there is a lot of standing, stooping, kneeling and being on one's feet as an OT so it's great that you're thinking about whether it's a suitable field for you or not :)

For general career info: http://www.bls.gov/oco and can search 'occupational therapists' or such.

Salvador Said:

can i become an occupational therapist with a bachelors in psychology?

We Answered:

I believe that you school counselor is correct. You can and should, however, contact a school that has occupational therapy and ask them directly./