Perceptions by practicing occupational therapists of the clinical doctorate in occupational therapy.

Despite recent discussions regarding the implementation of the clinical doctorate in occupational therapy (OTD) as the entry-level degree for occupational therapy, there is a dearth of published literature that addresses the issue of the OTD. In this study, recent alumni of an occupational therapy program from an urban midwestern university were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the OTD. Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the OTD curriculum should include courses about managed care and/or insurance regulations, business management/ administration, effective professional communication, research, and specialization in a specific area of occupational therapy. Respondents believed that an OTD would assist in career advancement, obtaining a higher salary, and professional competence. However, the majority of respondents did not believe that an OTD would result in enhancement of interprofessional relationships, improved reimbursement from third-party payers, and enhanced public recognition of the profession or enhanced ability to practice without a referral. There was not a strong opinion whether there is an advantage to a clinical doctorate degree, and only 22% agreed or strongly agreed that they would be interested in pursuing a postprofessional OTD. J Allied Health 2007; 36:137-140. THE PROFESSION of occupational therapy (OT) is currently considering a move to the clinical doctorate (OTD) as the entry- level degree. As of March 2004, there were four entry-level clinical doctorate programs and eight postprofessional clinical doctorate programs for OT.1 Ongoing discussions continue, and standards for the OTD are being developed.2 These discussions are occurring even as current programs are reestablishing themselves to offer the nowrequired professional master's degree as the entry-level degree. The purpose of this report is to review literature on the OTD and present results from a survey taken of recent alumni from a large, urban, midwestern university. It is believed that results would provide information to assist the profession in creating a future that reflects the opinions and concerns of practicing therapists. Review of the Literature Despite these recent discussions regarding the implementation of the OTD as the entry-level degree for OT, there is a dearth of published literature that addresses the issue of the OTD. One article promoting the OTD outlined the history of OT education, mentioning issues such as the excessive number of hours to attain a professional master's degree and the shortage of doctorally prepared faculty.3 In that article, justification for the OTD included the need for a doctoral degree to compete for tenure, revealing that it should not be necessary to attain a PhD for tenure consideration.3 The need for a clinical doctorate was argued for both faculty members and clinicians who desire to possess advanced clinical skills, an advanced ability to apply theory to clinical practice, and advanced supervisory and leadership training. This same article stated that many occupational therapists desire an advanced degree but do not wish to pursue a PhD. The clinical doctorate was suggested as a viable option. Clinical doctorates in areas such as medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, social work, psychology, and education were presented as justification for the OTD.3 The background literature mentioned in the article concluded that individuals with an OTD would provide a higher level of skilled practice service to patients and bring advanced clinical skills to the classroom. Another article paralleled the emergence of clinical doctorates in OT and physical therapy with other professions with regard to the pressure of preparing practitioners for entry into a profession with only 2.5 yrs of professional preparation.4 This literature presented a clear fit of the clinical doctorate curriculum with the professions' commitment to match practitioner preparation with adequate depth in professional knowledge. …