January / February / March • Issue 1 • 2019
communiqué
THE
Illinois Occupational Therapy Assocation
In This Issue
Paula Costello, OTD, OTR/L
Anne Kiraly-Alvarez, OTD, OTR/L, SCSS
Understanding the Entry-Level OTD
Capstone Components
As service delivery systems and policies
continue to change, more occupational therapy
educational programs are transitioning from
offering entry-level master’s degrees to entry-
level doctoral (OTD) degrees. While both
master’s level and OTD programs prepare
students to become generalist practitioners,
OTD programs also prepare students to
gain and apply advanced knowledge beyond
what is expected for entry level practice. One
major aspect of the OTD curriculum that
is not required of a master’s level program
is the doctoral capstone. The doctoral
capstone consists of two components, the
Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) and
the Capstone Project. As of February 2019,
there are 29 fully accredited OTD programs
across the United States, with another 34
developing programs and 73 applicant
programs (American Occupational Therapy
Association, n.d.).
Two Illinois programs, Midwestern
University and Rush University, were the first
in the state to transition to OTD curricula.
Both programs matriculated their first OTD
cohorts in 2017, are currently considered
developing programs, and are expecting
full accreditation in 2020. Midwestern
University refers to the DCE as the “Doctoral
Internship,” while Rush University has
maintained the term of DCE. Students in
the first OTD cohorts from both universities
will be completing their DCEs and Capstone
Projects in January-
April 2020. The
purpose of this article
is to provide ILOTA
members
with
more
information
about the capstone
components, explain
how
the
DCE
is different from
traditional fieldwork
rotations,
and
describe how ILOTA
members can support
OTD students in
completing
their
DCEs and Capstone
Projects.
Purpose andExam-
ples of the DCE and Capstone Project
The DCE is a 14- or 16-week “full-time
in-depth exposure in a concentrated area that
may include on-site and off-site activities
that meets developed goals/objectives of the
doctoral capstone” (Accreditation Council for
Occupational Therapy Education [ACOTE],
2018, p. 47). Students may choose to focus
on one or more of the following areas:
practice skills, research skills, administration,
leadership, program and policy development,
advocacy, education, or theory (ACOTE,
2018). The Capstone Project is a “project that