Doctor of Occupational Therapy Capstone

Whitworth University offers Doctor of Occupational Therapy students a unique Doctoral Capstone Experience where you will build upon your entry-level occupational therapy skills and engage in advanced professional development.
Our innovative occupational therapy capstone experience prepares you to become a compassionate health science professional in a clinical environment by equipping you with the skills and insights you need to make a lasting impact in the field.

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The Occupational Therapy Capstone Experience

Your occupational therapy capstone gives you the opportunity to both develop advanced clinical skills and investigate a topic of interest.

You will select a faculty advisor and work with a community mentor to plan your occupational therapy capstone project idea. The project will be mutually beneficial for both you and the community partner and will advance the profession through the dissemination of research and evidence-based practice.

Occupational therapy capstone ideas you can pursue include:

• Administration
• Advocacy
• Clinical practice skills
• Education
• Leadership
• Program and policy development
• Research skills

What Students Are Saying

"Attending the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT) conference was an invaluable opportunity for professional growth, networking and staying up to date with the latest advancements in neonatal therapy. The Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) has been instrumental in preparing me for this level of professional engagement. Programs like ours, that emphasize real-world application and leadership development, help bridge the gap between academic learning and clinical practice, making conferences like NANT even more impactful for emerging professionals. The reason I was able to complete my dream capstone experience was because the professors at Whitworth have the knowledge and connections to the neonatal world. I am thankful to have professors that work their hardest for us as students and future clinicians. The Doctoral Capstone Experience has been my favorite part of the OTD experience.” 

– Sophia Sumner ‘25

Discover Occupational Therapy Capstone Project Ideas

Current OTD students are pursuing diverse occupational therapy capstone project ideas. Following are a few of their creative research topics for occupational therapy:

• Developing Expertise Among Occupational Therapists in Seating and Positioning for Manual Wheelchairs as a Preventive Approach to Pressure Injury Management
  • Focus area: research skills; clinical practice skills
• Sensory Dysregulation as an Intervention for Trauma-Related Behaviors in Elementary School Students
  • Focus area: clinical practice skills; clinical program development
• Therapeutic Education for Parents of Infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS)
  • Focus area: clinical practice skills; research