Assistant Professor Dr. Reggie Kehoe shares what rehabilitation science is and the benefits of Concordia’s Accelerated BSRS Program.
Rehabilitation science includes a broad field of professionals whose research is focused on finding ways to improve function in day-to-day activities for people who experience disabilities. Within Rehabilitation Science are multiple science-based professions including physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and audiologists, orthotists and prosthetists, clinical psychologists, physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors, and rehabilitation nurses” (World Health Organization, 2023). Concordia Ann Arbor’s School of Health Professions offers Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy programs.
What is Rehabilitation?
Rehabilitation is defined as “a set of interventions designed to optimize functioning and reduce disability in individuals with health conditions in interaction with their environment” (World Health Organization, 2023). Rehabilitation is a process working towards helping people with a disability reach and maintain an optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological, vocational, social, and functional potential that allows them engagement in activities they need and want to do (Parkin et al. 2016, p. 3).
What are the benefits of the Accelerated BSRS Program at Concordia?
Pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science (BSRS) degree at Concordia University Ann Arbor is your first step in achieving a degree in physical or occupational therapy. The BSRS Accelerated Program offers a focused education that meets the prerequisites for applying to the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Program or the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program. In the BSRS Accelerated Program, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to ensure a successful transition from undergraduate to graduate studies at CUAA.
How do I apply for the BSRS program?
Pre-OT Students: If you enroll as a pre-OT student, you would apply to the OTD Program your sophomore year and begin the OT Program your junior year. This option allows students to complete the OTD degree in 4.75 years rather than 7 years. This option is open to students who enter CUAA as freshmen and take all their science prerequisites and BSRS major requirements at Concordia University. If you pursue admission through the accelerated process, you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science degree at the conclusion of the summer of your third year of academic study at Concordia University.
Pre-PT Students: If you enroll as a pre-PT student, you would apply to the DPT Program your junior year and begin the program your senior year. This option allows students to complete the DPT degree in 6 rather than 7 years. This option is open to students who enter CUAA as freshmen and take all their science prerequisites and BSRS major requirements at Concordia University. If you pursue admission through the accelerated process, you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science degree after completing your fourth year of academic study at Concordia.
Dr. Kehoe’s Resources
Parkin, K., Corcoran, J. R., & Stolfi, A. (2016). Introduction. In A. Moroz, S. R. Flanagan, & H. Zaretsky (Eds.), Medical aspects of disability for the rehabilitation professional (5 ed., pp. 1-18). Springer Publishing Company. World Health Organization. (2023). Rehabilitation. https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/rehabilitatio
Want in?
The Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Science (BSRS) is the first step in pursuing your career in occupational or physical therapy. Click on the link below to learn more.
— Reggie Kehoe, OTD, OTR/L, is an assistant professor of CUAA’s rehabilitation science department. He began teaching at CUAA in the fall of 2022. He graduated from Adrian College with a BA in Exercise Science and later graduated from the University of Toledo with his OTD in Occupational Therapy.