The Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone: A Framework for the Experience and the Project

The second edition of The Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone is an essential resource to guide both students and educators through every phase of the doctoral capstone, from development to dissemination.

Fully revised to align with the latest ACOTE accreditation standards and terminology, each chapter of the book is divided into two sections: one for students and one for educators. This updated edition includes new chapters on mentorship and how to build collaborative skills, conducting a literature review, and performing a needs assessment and program evaluation. Student learning activities are redesigned around design thinking principles, such as empathy and identity mapping, and personal mission statements to promote student self-exploration and alignment with capstone sites and populations. Mezirow’s transformational learning theory is threaded throughout the content designed for the educator.

Additional guidance for faculty and capstone coordinators includes exemplar assignments, rubrics, and relevant topics such as artificial intelligence and intellectual property in relation to capstone deliverables. A chapter on post-professional capstones has also been added.

Well-organized and full of practical examples of capstone experiences and projects, this book is a vital tool for students in entry-level or post-professional OTD programs, as well as their educators and mentors.

Elizabeth D. DeIuliis is Clinical Associate Professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is currently the Program Director and served as the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator from 2010 to 2021. She has been a practicing acute-care practitioner for over 21 years. DeIuliis has published several textbooks and numerous peer-reviewed publications and has presented at state, national, and international conferences on topics related to professionalism, interprofessional education, and experiential learning.

Julie A. Bednarski is the Program Director of Occupational Therapy at Indiana University in Indianapolis. Throughout her career in education, she has gained significant expertise in curriculum design and guiding doctoral students through their capstone experiences and projects. Bednarski is motivated by the transformation seen in students after completion of their doctoral capstone experiences and the impact seen in the lives of those they served.