Overview of OT and nursing.

1. Kelsey Sherard HLTH 4190

2. Introduction
 I am a junior in the Preprofessional
Health Studies concentration of Health
Science. I am considering the fields of
Occupational Therapy and Nursing . I
will be comparing these two fields of
interest. My career goal is to one day
care for patients in a health care setting.
I hope to either become an occupational
therapist or a nurse and specialize in
orthopedics.

3. History of Occupational
Therapy Began in the 1700’s during the “Age of Enlightenment”
 Researched to solve “infirmed” and mentally ill patient treatment
 Two important researchers
 Phillipe Pinel and William Tuke
○ Pinel created the “Moral Treatment and Occupation” movement
○ Tuke developed the term “moral treatment” for mentally ill
 1840-1860 “Golden years” for Moral Treatment and
Occupation
 “Moral Treatment” became practically extinct after Civil War
 Early 1990’s- a Nurse named Susan Tracy created the term
“Occupational Nurse”
 March 15, 1917- the National Society for the Promotion of
Occupational Therapy was founded

4. Occupational Therapy
 Medical University of South Carolina
 Charleston, SC
 Masters’ program
 Average class size: 40
 Minimum GPA: 3.0
 University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
 Chapel Hill, NC
 Masters’ program
 Average GPA: 3.67
 Average of applicants: 185 Average accepted: 20-24
* I meet the minimum GPA requirement for both
programs.

5. Growth potential and Salary
 Average Occupational Therapist salary:
 $34.45 per hour
 National average annual salary- $80,498
 South Carolina annual salary- $77,898
 Growth Potential
 Bureau of Labor and statistics is expecting the
Occupational Therapy job outlook to improve at a rate
that is 33% faster than for the average for all economic
sectors.

6. MUSC Criteria
 MUSC requirements:
 GRE test scores
 Minimum of 30 hours
volunteering/observation in an occupational
therapy setting
 Minimum GPA: 3.0
 Prerequisite classes: Human Anatomy/
Human Physiology, Statistics, Lifespan
Human Development, Abnormal Psychology,
Sociology **plus CPR certification

7. Chapel Hill Criteria
 Chapel Hill Prerequisites
 GPA: Average 3.67
 GRE Scores
 Fixed Required Classes:
○ Anatomy and Physiology 1 and 2
○ Abnormal Psychology
○ Statistics
 Occupation Prerequisite
 No set requirement for observation, but
normally applicants spend time in 6-8
different occupational therapy settings

8. History of Nursing
 First nurse occupations shown were “wet” nurses who nursed
children that weren’t their own
 For the first two centuries after European exploration of North
America, all nursing was home nursing
 Nursing finally became a respected profession when it was
acknowledged by Congress in 1892, providing pensions to
nurses during the Civil War
 Florence Nightingale was an English social reformer and
statistician, she has been labeled the founder of modern
nursing
 Linda Richards was the first graduate from the New England
Hospital for Women and Children and became America’s first
professionally trained nurse

9. Nursing Programs
 Accelerated Second Degree Nursing Program –
Clemson University
 Clemson, SC
 Bachelor of Science in Nursing
 Minimum GPA: 3.0 on most recent 60 credit hours
 Average acceptance: 32 students
 MUSC Accelerated Bachelor of Science in
Nursing
 Charleston, SC
 Average acceptance: 80 each fall and spring
 Minimum GPA: 3.0 on raw classes (forgiveness
classes not accounted for)

10. Growth Potential and Salary
 Growth potential
 Nurse Practitioner
○ Schooling: 2-4 years
○ Job growth is expected to be much faster in the
upcoming years, in most cases over 34%.
 Nurse Supervisor
 Salary
 Average RN hourly rate: $20.36-$37.63
 National RN average yearly pay: $42,441-$81,888
 National NP average yearly pay: $95,070

11. Clemson Accelerated Nursing
Program Criteria
 All classes will be taught at the University
Center of Greenville located in Greenville,
SC.
 Prerequisites include:
 General Education Requirements:
○ English, Oral Communication, Statistics, Biology,
Chemistry, Literature, Non-literature, Introduction
to Psychology and Sociology, Cross Cultural
Awareness
 Major Requirements:
○ Computer Skills, Writing, Human Anatomy &
Physiology part 1 and 2, Microbiology, Human
Nutrition and Research Methods

12. MUSC BSN Nursing Criteria
 Applicants should earn at least a “C” in any
prerequisite course
 Three out of the four should be completed by time of
application:
 Human Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology and a science
elective
 Application Deadlines
 Fall
○ Regular Admission: January 15
○ Priority Admission: November 15
 Spring
○ Regular admission: September 15
○ Priority Admission: August 15

13. O’Net results and
Characteristics
 Occupational Therapy
 My top category from the O’Net profile is social which
would be great with dealing with patients everyday.
 Artistic is my third top category, Occupational therapists
have to be creative in both treatment and artistic when
dealing with designing braces and casts.
 Nursing
 Again with social being my top category, working with
people is very important to me.
 My second category is investigative, which relates to
this field if I am trying to figure out how to best fit the
patient’s needs.

14. Why I would be a good
candidate
 I believe that I am a good candidate for both
sets of programs because of the following:
 I meet the GPA requirement for all programs.
 I have taken all the perquisite courses for all
programs, even those that my major doesn’t
require.
 I have several shadowing and internship
opportunities planned for the new future.

15. Conclusion
 As you can see, I am stuck between two
great occupations. Going into the
Occupational Therapy field does require
more schooling, which means more
student bills, but this field results in a
higher average yearly salary. My plan is
to gain experience in both fields to be
able to decide which occupation to go in.

16. Works Cited
 History of OT
 "The History Of Occupational Therapy." The History Of Occupational Therapy. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/history-of-occupational-therapy.html>.
 UNC School of Medicine
 "Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy." FAQs about the MS Program -. Web. 27 Jan.
2015. <http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/ocsci/Prospective students/ms-program-description/faqs-about-the-ms-
program>.
 MUSC prerequisites
 "Prerequisites." Prerequisites. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
<http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/chp/ot/prerequisites.htm>.
 OT annual salary
 "Occupational Therapist Salaries in Greenville, SC | Salary.com." Salary.com. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 24 Jan. 2015.
<http://www1.salary.com/SC/Greenville/Occupational-Therapist-salary.html>.
 Growth Potential for OT
 "Careers in Occupational Therapy." Careers in Occupational Therapy. Occupational Therapy License. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.occupationaltherapylicense.org/careers.html>.
 History of nursing
 "History Timeline 1870 to 1899." History Timeline 1870 to 1899. Penn Nursing Science. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/nhhc/Pages/timeline_1870-1899.aspx?slider1=1>.
 MUSC Guidelines
 "Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) - Application Deadlines." Accelerated Bachelor of
Science in Nursing (BSN) - Application Deadlines. MUSC College of Nursing. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
<http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/nursing/academics/undergraduate/applications.htm>.
 Clemson Accelerated Nursing Program
 "Prospective Second Degree Students." Prospective Second Degree Students. Clemson University. Web.
27 Jan. 2015. <http://www.clemson.edu/hehd/departments/nursing/prospective/second_degree/>.
 Nurse Practitioner Information
 "Salary: How Much Does a Nurse Practitioner Make? - NP FAQ." Nurse Practitioner Schools. Web. 27 Jan.
2015. http://www.nursepractitionerschools.com/faq/how-much-does-np-make.