This course will prepare students to read and understand health reports and charts, as well as communicate with consumers of health care on individual, group, and population levels. Students will interpret medical terminology, develop strategies to effectively communicate using principles of health literacy, and will apply important concepts of language, cultural humility, compassionate communication, public speaking, and assertive communication.

This course will present the foundations of the Assistive Technology profession. Topics will include work settings, introduction to areas of practice, an awareness of other disciplines with whom ATP's work, specialization within the field of AT, and the code of ethics.

This course will provide students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to meet children’s and youth’s assistive technology (AT) needs within the education setting. Students will also learn educational regulations and ethical considerations that impact the implementation of assistive technologies in this setting. Case studies will be used extensively in this course, focused on children with high and lower incidence disabilities throughout the school-age range (5-21 years). Specific areas of AT focus include: alternative and augmented communication, mobility, physical access, and transportation, cognitive aids, computer access, computerized adaptations, sensory aids, and devices to support learning. Students will gain experience in clinical decision-making in each focus area and observe children in the school setting.

This course will provide students with the knowledge of the needs of older adult clients and people who have disabilities wishing to live in their communities and homes. Specific areas of AT focus include: environmental access, environmental modification, computerized adaptations, smart home tools, tele-health, and sensory aids.

This course will provide students with exposure to the profession of occupational therapy and related rehabilitation, health, and wellness fields. This course will introduce the core concepts of occupational therapy (OT) and related fields, a history of rehabilitation science, concepts of occupation across the lifespan, and explore a variety of settings in which professionals in these health-related fields practice. Through engagement in community-based learning activities, students will begin to observe and discuss the role of professionals in a variety of health-related fields. As a result of these experiences and reflections, students will begin to understand client-centered practice, critical thinking, human occupation, adaptation and remediation as cornerstones of service delivery. Students will emerge from this course with a solid understanding of occupation in human life and form a vision of their professional future.

This course is designed for OS students who are preparing for the transition to the post-undergraduate experience, including; graduate school search and application process, professionalism, communication, interview preparation, resume building, development of a personal statement, and professional networking.

In this course, students will consider the properties of objects and tools that facilitate human occupation, and connect them with the characteristics of human beings to determine how to promote engagement and independence in daily occupations. Students will learn how to design, sequence and modify creative and functional occupation-based projects. Students will engage in the process of design thinking to solve real-life complex problems to promote engagement and quality of life.

This course presents a comprehensive approach to health assessment for wellness consultation and promotion. Students will gain skills in formal and informal assessment and communication as well as the ability to demonstrate those skills in simulation activities. Topics will include measurement of health-related demographics and assessment procedures. Students will receive biometric assessment training, instruction in ergonomics and work station assessment, and skill-building in understanding emotional intelligence and applying motivational interviewing.

Students will gain knowledge of various research designs, including their strengths, limitations, and utility in different contexts. Quantitative, qualitative, experimental, and other research designs will be explored and compared. Corresponding methods for participant sampling, data collection, and data analysis will be examined and applied. Students will develop skills in critiquing research studies, study design & implementation, data collection & analysis, scholarly writing, and professional presentation

As the population in the United States grays, it becomes necessary to understand the concepts and controversies associated with promoting and maintaining the health and wellness of older adults. This course provides an overview of aging from a biopsychosocial perspective. Successful aging and creative endeavors will be covered, as well as retirement options, assisted suicide, and economic concerns. Students will learn about the fundamental concepts and issues of aging and both sides of the controversies that surround them. They will also learn what implications these concepts and controversies have on health care practice. Increased knowledge of aging issues and controversies will allow students to become advocates for continued quality of life as aging occurs.

This course will provide students with the knowledge of client needs across the lifespan in the following AT practice areas: seating and mobility, transportation, and recreation. Students will engage with case studies, complete an assessment, and complete a plan of care.

This course introduces students to the interprofessional field of occupational science. Occupational science is dedicated to the study of humans as occupational beings. The term occupation refers to those meaningful activities that occupy peoples’ time and space every day. Engagement in healthy occupations in routine and habit formation is associated with health and well-being. This course explores how the art and science of living is affected by occupation in personal, population, and community settings. The student gains a broad understanding of the value of occupation in society.

This course provides an overview of the principles and practices within the domain of stress management. The concept of stress, the psychobiology of stress, and physiological implications are examined. Determinants and measurements of stress are considered, along with the relationship of stress to physical/mental health and performance, primary prevention and intervention in stress management. Alternative and complementary modalities to address stress are explored. Students will assess stress, as well as practice and learn to facilitate a variety of stress management and relaxation interventions.

In this course, you will learn about theories and models that explain the underlying factors of human health behavior and decision-making, and how you can positively influence these factors to motivate individuals and populations toward healthy behaviors. You will learn effective communication techniques for educating individuals and populations about health topics. Ultimately, you will apply this theoretical knowledge and these educational skills to the development and delivery of a health intervention for a real human population in the local community.

The students will define disability and explore biomedical, environmental, functional, and sociopolitical models of disability. They will investigate the experience and culture of disability. They will review sources of discrimination and prejudice toward people with disabilities, understand how people with disabilities experience prejudice and discrimination and identify methods to counter discrimination by building inclusive communities. The individuals response to disability will be explored and wellness strategies will be considered.

This course presents the history of drug use in the U.S., trends in treatment of substance misuse, models of addiction, basic addiction approaches, and socio-cultural perspectives on addiction. Interventions and levels of treatment, environmental influences of substance abuse, and gender differences in treatment and recovery are discussed. Expectations for addictions recovery are explored. Current addictions policies and services are critiqued.

The Health, Wellness, & Occupational Studies internship course is designed to provide practical experience and facilitate preparation for the workforce. Students will complete professional work in the field at an internship site secured through collaborative effort by the student and internship professor. In addition to the work done for the site, students will also be expected to complete course work related to the focus of their internship, likely including but not limited to reflective journals, a related paper, culminating project, and summative portfolio. Ample preparation is required before beginning an internship, and the planning process should begin at the start of the semester prior to the intended internship experience. To initiate the planning process, interested students should contact the internship professor prior to registration. Throughout the semester prior, the professor will support students through the process of identifying an internship site, preparing a cover letter and resume, and making an initial connection with the site. Upon completion of these steps, and a successful initial meeting with the site supervisor, students will be approved for registration in the internship course. Only students who have completed this planning process (by the end of the semester prior to the intended internship experience) will be able to enroll in the course.

This course is designed to enable students to study special topics not otherwise offered through the HWOS program; students work directly with a faculty mentor to design the course of study.