A Historical Cross-Disciplinary Perspective on the Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy

Clinical doctorates are emerging in occupational therapy. By examining the development of clinical doctorates in medicine, dentistry, psychology, pharmacy, nursing, and physical therapy, implications can be drawn for the future of occupational therapy education. These histories offer us a sense of the distinct purpose and curricular structure of the professional doctorate, its successes and problems, its general sequence of unfolding, the political dynamics surrounding it, and the potential it holds for supporting the profession’s capacity for service to patients.