A historical cross-disciplinary perspective on the professional doctorate in occupational therapy

Clinical doctorates are emerging in occupational therapy By examining the d evelopment of clinical doctorates in medicine, dentistry, psychology, pharm acy, nursing, and physical therapy implications can be drawn for the future of occupational therapy education. These histories offer lu a sense of the distinct purpose and curricular structure of the professional doctorate, i ts successes and problems, its general sequence of unfolding, the political dynamics surrounding it, and the potential it holds for supporting the pro fession's capacity for service to patients.