To now see this back and forth between AOTA and ACOTE is distressing and disrespectful in my opinion and now we have this ongoing conversation on the PD listserv with a board member that seems to be a little bit of a “he said, she said”.
This decision does impact the profession as a whole but this morning I am feeling that it is directly impacting the people on this listserv. I believe as a group we need to have a conversation to determine if we, as the people who have
to design and deliver the education programs, the people for whom this is our charge, now feel that this is a mute point and that we are resigned or committed to this move anyway.
I think we need to listen to each other and get to the real issues that programs were facing with this move. I heard a lot of conversation on social media, some of which I thought was not entirely based in fact but every so often I heard
passing comments about the real challenge being faced by individual programs – in the past few days it was about a programs charter that would not allow this - we need to know that information, not the rhetoric. Then we can work and help each other to overcome
these challenges and ensure that all our programs remain successful.
I think this is critical because what I have never heard is anyone disagreeing to the statement that it will happen eventually and we are the group that has to deliver the product that our students want to buy.
I believe this conversation is too far advanced, the train has left the station, I already have applicants constantly asking me if they should choose an OTD or an MSOT program, this conversation is already impacting the decision making
of the next generation of students. If the 85 programs continue on their path this conversation becomes irrelevant as applicants will dictate with their feet and the programs they choose. Once there are a critical mass of programs offering OTDs and if we can
create programs that address diversity, cost etc. then the infighting of ACOTE and AOTA becomes slightly irrelevant, in my opinion. If I was an applicant today I would be choosing an OTD, especially based on what we know about this generation of centennials
and their worldview.
We now need to have an inclusive conversation and decide how we as program directors want to respond to this. We need a platform for conversation that allows for open, candid dialogue. My gut feeling is that one way to stop this mess is
for us to come together and make a collective statement from those who truly have a major stake in this discussion that we are now committed to moving to the OTD but with the additional statement that we are also committed to finding a way to support every
program to make that move in a timeline that works for them.
Gavin Jenkins