Throughout the student's time within the LMU OTD Program, student's should demonstrate knowledge, skills, attitudes and clinical and professional judgement to assume the responsibilities of an OT. The OTD faculty and staff monitor student progress in all phases of the curriculum and make recommendations on student progression in the Program and, when appropriate, recommendations on academic or professional probation.
Didactic Phase – Academic Probation
At the conclusion of each semester, any student who has the cumulative GPA of less than 2.7 is automatically placed on Academic Probation. The student is notified of their Academic Probation through an email from the Program Director. During the time that a student is on Academic Probation, it is the student’s responsibility to work alongside their academic advisor in developing a plan to increase cumulative GPA to 2.7, or above, during the next academic semester. At the conclusion of the semester that the student is on Academic Probation, if the student is successful in increasing their cumulative GPA to at least a 2.7 then they will be take off of Academic Probation. If a student is unsuccessful in increasing their cumulative GPA to at least a 2.7, they will continue on Academic Probation. For students who fail to be removed from Academic Probation, the OTD Program may recommend any of the following actions/requirements:
- Mentoring by Program Faculty
- Use of other Program/Institutional resources
- Other (e.g. use of resources external to the institution)
- Progression in the Program
- Dismissal from the Program
Clinical Phase – Academic Probation
Any student required to complete formal remediation learning activities and assessment(s) is automatically placed on Academic Probation at the time of identification and documentation of the academic deficit. The course grade for the related course may be initially recorded as “I” (incomplete) until assessment of remediation activities is completed. The following are possible outcomes of being placed on Academic Probation while in the Clinical Phase:
- Removal from Academic Probation
- Mentoring by Program Faculty
- Use of other Program/Institutional resources
- Other (e.g. use of resources external to the institution)
- Progression in the Program
Didactic Phase – Course Failure
Any student who fails a Didactic Phase course with the grade of an “F” has the possibility of being dismissed from the Program.
Clinical Phase – Course Failure
Any student who fails a Clinical Phase (Fieldwork, Capstone) course has the possibility of being dismissed from the Program. Failure of a Fieldwork Performance Evaluation or Capstone Evaluation alone does not equal failure of a Clinical Phase course. The Clinical Education Department will discuss the possibility of remediation of the clinical experience and determine if this is appropriate based on the evaluations, discussion with the student and clinical personnel, and other information collected. The course syllabi for Clinical Phase courses detail student performance required for successful course completion.
Remediation For Professional Conduct Deficits
Any student who is suspected of violating professional conduct policy will be notified by the OT Program Director regarding recommendation(s) on disciplinary action and/or progression, including dismissal from the Program.
In cases where the student is not dismissed, he/she is placed on Professional Probation and is required to successfully complete remediation of the professional conduct deficit(s) in the following time frame:
- Didactic Phase
- Prior to beginning the Clinical Phase (this may result in a delay in beginning FWs, delay in graduation, and failure to complete the Program curriculum within 72 months of initial matriculation)
- Clinical Phase
- Prior to beginning the next scheduled FW or Capstone (this may result in a delay in graduation and failure to complete the Program curriculum within 72 months of initial matriculation)
In addition, the OTD Program may require any of the following for professional conduct deficits:
- Mentoring by faculty
- Use of other Program/institutional resources
- Other (e.g. use of resources external to the institution)
If the student does not successfully complete remediation of professional conduct deficit(s), the student will potentially be dismissed from the Program. In addition, students placed on Professional Probation two (2) or more times may be dismissed from the Program.
Program Progression
Students must complete all components of the Program’s curriculum within 72 months of initial matriculation. This includes time for remediation and leaves of absence. The academic and non-academic requirements that students must meet in each phase of the Program to be eligible for graduation are listed below.
Students must meet all Didactic Phase requirements including those listed below to be eligible to progress to the Clinical Phase.
- Demonstrate consistent compliance with all LMU and Program policies and procedures.
- Demonstrate no professional conduct deficits or successful remediation of professional conduct deficits.
- Demonstrate successful achievement of Didactic Phase Learning Outcomes:
- Earn a grade of C or higher for all Didactic Phase courses
- Pass all graded clinical skills assessments
- Pass all graded simulated client encounters
Students on Academic and/or Professional Probation may be delayed in beginning fieldwork and capstone experiences. In order to graduate, a student must achieve a 2.7 overall GPA. Before progressing to the clinical phase, if a student’s GPA is below the required 2.7, they must meet with the Clinical Education Department to determine readiness.
Students must meet all Clinical Phase requirements listed below and must not be on Academic and/or Professional Probation to be eligible for graduation.
- Demonstrate consistent compliance with LMU and Program policies and procedures
- Demonstrate no professional conduct deficits or successful remediation of professional conduct deficits.
- Demonstrate successful achievement of Clinical Phase Learning Outcomes:
- Successfully complete Fieldwork Level II A and B with a grade of pass.
- Successfully complete the Capstone Experience with a grade of pass.
- Successfully complete Doctoral Capstone IV with the dissemination of the Capstone Project with a grade of pass.
Students on Academic and/or Professional Probation are not allowed to progress to Graduation. The OTD Faculty have the authority to remove a student from Academic and/or Professional Probation so that the student may progress to Graduation.
Dismissal Policy
The Program may dismiss any enrolled student or rescind an offer of admission to any matriculating student found to betray the values and integrity of LMU, the Program, the OTD profession, and/or the community. Circumstances warranting dismissal or rescinding of an offer of admission may be of an academic, professional, or legal nature. Enrolled students who are dismissed must complete an exit interview with the Office of Admissions and Student Services and must return their LMU-Knoxville OTD student name badge and parking tag to the Campus Police and Security Team. Failure to do so will result in the Program withholding all records pertaining to the student’s attendance.
Readmission/Reapplication Policy
- Any student dismissed from the Program for academic deficits is eligible to reapply to the Program. The Program does not offer automatic readmission for any student dismissed for academic deficits.
- Any student dismissed from the Program for Violation of the Student Code of Conduct is not eligible to reapply to the Program.