Program-Specific Info / Q's Salus University MOT

[lcs2074]

So who else has been accepted and is planning on attending Salus this fall? I know they are scheduled to receive a visit from ACOTE the first week in March and should receive their accreditation soon after. Just curious though, has anyone actually called ACOTE and asked them for insight about the school?

Also, any current students have any insight into the program, or advice for incoming students? I'd especially be interested to know how possible it is to maintain a part time job while in school. When I went for the interview, a professor said its a full time program so they don't recommend working more than 5-10 hrs a week, but a current student mentioned they only have class on campus 2-3 days a week for several semesters, which makes it easier for students to work.

Would love to hear more from other students currently attending or planning to attend! Thanks.

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[pectoralis]

I have an interview there in March. Any thoughts about how it went you are willing to share?

 

[mbc416]

So who else has been accepted and is planning on attending Salus this fall? I know they are scheduled to receive a visit from ACOTE the first week in March and should receive their accreditation soon after. Just curious though, has anyone actually called ACOTE and asked them for insight about the school?

Also, any current students have any insight into the program, or advice for incoming students? I'd especially be interested to know how possible it is to maintain a part time job while in school. When I went for the interview, a professor said its a full time program so they don't recommend working more than 5-10 hrs a week, but a current student mentioned they only have class on campus 2-3 days a week for several semesters, which makes it easier for students to work.

Would love to hear more from other students currently attending or planning to attend! Thanks.

I am planning to attend Salus this Fall. When i was in the application process I called in to Acote to see about the accredation process and everything. Salus is in stage two which is the final stage before accredation. They couldnt tell me much at Acote about a decision obviously they just told me the basic info and said it would have to be a risk i'd be willing to take. When i had my interview there the director of the program said she was 99% sure that they would get their accredation in March. She said she couldn't say its 100% because nothing is that certain, but they submitted everything they needed to at that point and it was more-or-less unheard of for a school to go through this entire process with submitting all necessary materials and not gain accredation. at the interview we also got a tour of the campus from two current students and they were really confident too that they would be accredited. regarding having a job, they said they were told too that jobs are not recommended to have but if you need to (which obviously most people will- grad school isnt a small expense) then its not impossible. the one girl was a waitress part time and said she had no troubles with it. i think its just dependent on your personal situation.. I'm going to see how I feel about the workload and everything when I start and then look for a part time job if I think i can manage it. Anyways, I'm really excited for it to start!!!
and @pectoralis - the interview was your standard one basically. just asking about what OT means to you, why you want to be an OT, how you came upon it; your best traits and worst, how you deal with stress, etc. the person i interviewed with was really nice and it went really well. best of luck to you!

 

[herky12]

I have an interview at Salus on March 26th (seems so far away) and am so nervous! When you guys visited, was the interview one-on-one? Should I be prepared to do a writing sample?

 

[lcs2074]

I am planning to attend Salus this Fall. When i was in the application process I called in to Acote to see about the accredation process and everything. Salus is in stage two which is the final stage before accredation. They couldnt tell me much at Acote about a decision obviously they just told me the basic info and said it would have to be a risk i'd be willing to take. When i had my interview there the director of the program said she was 99% sure that they would get their accredation in March. She said she couldn't say its 100% because nothing is that certain, but they submitted everything they needed to at that point and it was more-or-less unheard of for a school to go through this entire process with submitting all necessary materials and not gain accredation. at the interview we also got a tour of the campus from two current students and they were really confident too that they would be accredited. regarding having a job, they said they were told too that jobs are not recommended to have but if you need to (which obviously most people will- grad school isnt a small expense) then its not impossible. the one girl was a waitress part time and said she had no troubles with it. i think its just dependent on your personal situation.. I'm going to see how I feel about the workload and everything when I start and then look for a part time job if I think i can manage it. Anyways, I'm really excited for it to start!!!
and @pectoralis - the interview was your standard one basically. just asking about what OT means to you, why you want to be an OT, how you came upon it; your best traits and worst, how you deal with stress, etc. the person i interviewed with was really nice and it went really well. best of luck to you!

Hi mbc416! I'm so excited to start this fall, and glad to find at least one other student attending Salus on this forum I believe we should find out very soon if they are accredited, I think the ACOTE visit is tomorrow! Just curious, are you planning on moving to the area for school, or commuting? I live about an hour away and am debating about it....thanks!

 

[lcs2074]

I have an interview there in March. Any thoughts about how it went you are willing to share?

I have an interview at Salus on March 26th (seems so far away) and am so nervous! When you guys visited, was the interview one-on-one? Should I be prepared to do a writing sample?

Hello herky12 and pectoralis! You wait as a group, then have individual interviews with one of the faculty and then with an admissions counselor. Then there was lunch and a tour with current students. There was no writing sample, and it was pretty laid back. Mbc416's post shows the kind of basic questions you'll be asked. Just relax, be friendly and confident, and show you're passionate and have a clear vision of what OT is and why you want to enter the field. Good luck!

 

[lcs2074]

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[herky12]

Thank you @lcs2074 for your advice! I was actually reading your posts regarding not being sure if you want to stay so close to home. I 100% can relate to you! I live less than ten minutes away from Salus. Something about knowing that my (potential) school is so close to my hometown does not get me super excited.... but I guess we can't be picky, right?

 

[mbc416]

Hi mbc416! I'm so excited to start this fall, and glad to find at least one other student attending Salus on this forum I believe we should find out very soon if they are accredited, I think the ACOTE visit is tomorrow! Just curious, are you planning on moving to the area for school, or commuting? I live about an hour away and am debating about it....thanks!

Hi @lcs2074 - I actually live about 10 minutes from the school, so I am just living with my parents. all things considered, I dont really mind it becuase it saves me alot of money. I wonder how the ACOTE visit went!! I just got a letter in the mail from USciences on Friday and i got accepted which I really wasnt expecting at all. The fact that theyre accredited and everything almost makes me want to change my decision, but I do have faith that Salus will get accredation and also they are like, $40 grand cheaper.

 

[CurlyHairedGirl]

I actually spoke with ACOTE in the January timeframe about Salus. They told me it was very unusual for a school to go through all the stages of getting accreditation and then not get approved. They have support throughout the process. *However*, Salus had a few minor issues raised when they did their second to last inspection/review in the November or December timeframe. Normally ACOTE recommends that when issues are raised, that a school take time to specifically address those issues before having their final inspection. However, Salus decided to keep the same final inspection/review date in March so that they could get approved in April.

The reason why I'm bringing this up now is...... I signed up for a Salus OT webinar today at 6 pm EDT. I tried to bring up the web meeting software about 5:55, but then my computer crashed. It took until about 6:05 for me to be able to log in. And nothing happened. Nobody is on the webinar or on the phone, and it is 6:30. And I also noticed that originally Salus had options for OTD and MOT under OTCAS, but sometime in February, they dropped the OTD option. Maybe they decided to just focus on the masters and do the OTD later... who knows

 

[lcs2074]

I actually spoke with ACOTE in the January timeframe about Salus. They told me it was very unusual for a school to go through all the stages of getting accreditation and then not get approved. They have support throughout the process. *However*, Salus had a few minor issues raised when they did their second to last inspection/review in the November or December timeframe. Normally ACOTE recommends that when issues are raised, that a school take time to specifically address those issues before having their final inspection. However, Salus decided to keep the same final inspection/review date in March so that they could get approved in April.

The reason why I'm bringing this up now is...... I signed up for a Salus OT webinar today at 6 pm EDT. I tried to bring up the web meeting software about 5:55, but then my computer crashed. It took until about 6:05 for me to be able to log in. And nothing happened. Nobody is on the webinar or on the phone, and it is 6:30. And I also noticed that originally Salus had options for OTD and MOT under OTCAS, but sometime in February, they dropped the OTD option. Maybe they decided to just focus on the masters and do the OTD later... who knows

Hi CurlyHairedGirl,

Thanks for posting this! Did ACOTE give any hints as to what the "minor issues" were? If they were truly minor, I can see why Salus wouldn't want to push back the final review date...that could cause issues for their graduating class and impact those who accept for this upcoming year (I know I will not be sending them a second $500 in mid April to hold my spot if they are not accredited!)

I actually had issues with the webinar the first time I tried to access it too. Ended up having to get it resolved via phone and "attend" the next one a few weeks later unfortunately. Did you talk to them and figure out what happened?

I didn't realize they dropped to OTD option until you mentioned it. Thats interesting, I wonder why. I plan on calling them tomorrow, so maybe I'll see what I can find out.

Again, thanks for all the info!

 

[lcs2074]

Thank you @lcs2074 for your advice! I was actually reading your posts regarding not being sure if you want to stay so close to home. I 100% can relate to you! I live less than ten minutes away from Salus. Something about knowing that my (potential) school is so close to my hometown does not get me super excited.... but I guess we can't be picky, right?

I know what you mean for sure! Though I'm a bit jealous you're 10 minutes away haha. I'll be commuting an hour, though I'm already used to it since I started a job in January thats actually one block from Salus. Just hoping the next two winters aren't as bad as this one!!

 

[lcs2074]

Hi @lcs2074 - I actually live about 10 minutes from the school, so I am just living with my parents. all things considered, I dont really mind it becuase it saves me alot of money. I wonder how the ACOTE visit went!! I just got a letter in the mail from USciences on Friday and i got accepted which I really wasnt expecting at all. The fact that theyre accredited and everything almost makes me want to change my decision, but I do have faith that Salus will get accredation and also they are like, $40 grand cheaper.

Hey mbc416, congrats on your USciences acceptance! I actually plan on calling Salus and ACOTE tomorrow to see what I can find out about their status on the accreditation. I'll be sure to update what I find out. I feel like its very likely they will be accredited too, and every OT I've spoken with have pretty much all advised me to go with the cheapest school possible. I've also heard some talk the past couple years (including postings on this forum) about USciences being in danger of losing their accreditation due to a low NBCOT pass rate, so thats something to maybe consider and ask them about. They are the one Philly school I didn't apply to, but I can't believe they are that expensive! Even more expensive than TJU, and without all the prestige, resources and hospital that comes with TJU. :/

 

[CurlyHairedGirl]

I left a voicemail with them yesterday at the time of the conference and sent an email. Since it was 6:30 nobody was there. Today, nobody was answering their admissions line at 5:30 pm. I got a reply by email at 3:30 (which I didn't see until after I called) apologizing for the technical difficulties and suggested I try again next month.

When I called ACOTE, the first person who answered the phone was the one who told me it was very unusual not to get approved. When I asked about Salus in particular, that's when she wanted to refer me to her boss to get the full story on the accreditation process.

I got the impression that the issues were fixable but were significant enough that they would have preferred that Salus postpone the final review a little bit. If none of them got fixed, they could potentially impact final accreditation. However, that's why they have all the interim reviews, is to find issues to fix before the final review.

The last person I talked to suggested that I attend one of Salus's webinars later on and ask them about how they are progressing with accreditation. That's why I was a little worried when it didn't look like the webinar was happening.

I promise I'm not just making this up so that people who are already accepted won't drop out, making room for people who applied later (like me) to get in.

The school I was attending last fall put a hold on my transcript because I didn't have immunization records (a bit hard to find 35 years later). Their online immunization form said that because of the nationwide shortage of TB tests, only high risk individuals (like people who've been shadowing OTs in hospitals/nursing homes and have chronic health conditions themselves) need to do skin TB tests or get chest X-rays. By the time I got that cleared up, it was almost finals week and I waited for my grades to get posted before doing anything in OTCAS. So I didn't apply anywhere until January.

 

[lcs2074]

I left a voicemail with them yesterday at the time of the conference and sent an email. Since it was 6:30 nobody was there. Today, nobody was answering their admissions line at 5:30 pm. I got a reply by email at 3:30 (which I didn't see until after I called) apologizing for the technical difficulties and suggested I try again next month.

When I called ACOTE, the first person who answered the phone was the one who told me it was very unusual not to get approved. When I asked about Salus in particular, that's when she wanted to refer me to her boss to get the full story on the accreditation process.

I got the impression that the issues were fixable but were significant enough that they would have preferred that Salus postpone the final review a little bit. If none of them got fixed, they could potentially impact final accreditation. However, that's why they have all the interim reviews, is to find issues to fix before the final review.

The last person I talked to suggested that I attend one of Salus's webinars later on and ask them about how they are progressing with accreditation. That's why I was a little worried when it didn't look like the webinar was happening.

I promise I'm not just making this up so that people who are already accepted won't drop out, making room for people who applied later (like me) to get in.

The school I was attending last fall put a hold on my transcript because I didn't have immunization records (a bit hard to find 35 years later). Their online immunization form said that because of the nationwide shortage of TB tests, only high risk individuals (like people who've been shadowing OTs in hospitals/nursing homes and have chronic health conditions themselves) need to do skin TB tests or get chest X-rays. By the time I got that cleared up, it was almost finals week and I waited for my grades to get posted before doing anything in OTCAS. So I didn't apply anywhere until January.

Hey CurlyHairedGirl, thanks for the info! I plan on calling tomorrow too to find out more. I do know the admissions office is closed/stops answering phones at 5:00 Mon-Fri, which I believe is generally the time they close and go home. You've probably spoken with him already, but if not, next time you call you should ask to speak with Ryan. He seems to be the go-to admissions counselor for OT, the few times I've spoken to other admissions counselors they were less knowledgable/helpful. Good luck and I'll definitely let you know if I find out more tomorrow as well!

 

[lcs2074]

SALUS IS OFFICIALLY ACCREDITED! Just got off the phone with them. Hurray.

 

[CurlyHairedGirl]

Hmmm... Got an email that said that they won't be officially accredited until April, but that they got enthusiastic feedback that they would be accredited. I also heard that the class was full and they were only interviewing for the waiting list. The OTD program is not going up for accreditation at this time. OTCAS put it up there by mistake, and the OTD will be implemented later on.

 

[lcs2074]

This is the email I received from Salus admissions:

"We received word a few weeks ago that we would be accredited! The official announcement will come out on or shortly after April 1st and we will update our website as well."

So they were told by ACOTE that yes, they did achieve accreditation, but its not 100% official until April 1st or close to that date. It'll still be official long before the April 15 deposit due date so I'm happy!

 

[herky12]

Where did you hear that their class is full? I have my interview next week. If that's the case, I would think they would inform me?

 

[lcs2074]

Also, for anyone wondering, I was told by the associate director of admissions that "if the impossible happened" and they did not receive accreditation, they would issue a full refund to an applicant. Basically it sounds like there are still a few technicalities to make it official that will occur in early April, but they are 100% positive they will be accredited as they have been informed of such by AOTA.

@mbc416 have you decided which school you are going to attend? hope this info helps in your decision!

 

[mbc416]

Also, for anyone wondering, I was told by the associate director of admissions that "if the impossible happened" and they did not receive accreditation, they would issue a full refund to an applicant. Basically it sounds like there are still a few technicalities to make it official that will occur in early April, but they are 100% positive they will be accredited as they have been informed of such by AOTA.

@mbc416 have you decided which school you are going to attend? hope this info helps in your decision!

this info def helps!!!! I am going to attend Salus, considering the "impossible" doesnt happen. If they were told by AOTA that they would be accreddited, i am a happy camper!!!! such good news! thank you!! Did you make your decision?

 

[lcs2074]

this info def helps!!!! I am going to attend Salus, considering the "impossible" doesnt happen. If they were told by AOTA that they would be accreddited, i am a happy camper!!!! such good news! thank you!! Did you make your decision?

That's awesome! Now that they will be accredited I will definitely be attending. I'm looking forward to the first new student webinar tonight as well!

Update:
I spoke with the director of the MOT program yesterday, and found out the admissions folks actually overstated it. They are VERY likely to receive accreditation and did receive enthusiastic feedback as was already stated, but a decision will not be made by AOTA until their meeting on April 5-6, and then Salus will be notified 2-3 weeks later. Still, it sounds very positive and I do have it in writing that if they do not receive accreditation they'll give me a refund. Just wanted to clarify so as not to misinform anyone.

Any ideas as to how we could go about getting a facebook group for our class?

 

[lcs2074]

Hmmm... Got an email that said that they won't be officially accredited until April, but that they got enthusiastic feedback that they would be accredited. I also heard that the class was full and they were only interviewing for the waiting list. The OTD program is not going up for accreditation at this time. OTCAS put it up there by mistake, and the OTD will be implemented later on.

Where did you hear that their class is full? I have my interview next week. If that's the case, I would think they would inform me?

My friend had an interview at Salus today, and was told they still have a few spots open, so its not "wait list only" yet.

 

[herky12]

@lcs2074 - Do you know if your friend has heard from Salus yet? Thanks!!

 

[lcs2074]

@lcs2074 - Do you know if your friend has heard from Salus yet? Thanks!!

Not yet, though she said it went well. How did your interview go? What did you think of the school?

 

[herky12]

I thought my interview went well too, but today I received a "standby" letter I'm choosing to stay on the standby list but I also want to know how many are even on it in the first place. The school is definitely on the tiny side! I was impressed with the staff - they seemed very organized which was a plus. Fingers crossed that I hear better news in the upcoming weeks! Not sure how much more of this I can take...

 

[lcs2074]

I thought my interview went well too, but today I received a "standby" letter I'm choosing to stay on the standby list but I also want to know how many are even on it in the first place. The school is definitely on the tiny side! I was impressed with the staff - they seemed very organized which was a plus. Fingers crossed that I hear better news in the upcoming weeks! Not sure how much more of this I can take...

Well the second $500 deposit for those already accepted is due April 15, so some spots may open up then if they don't receive them from everyone. Have you asked how many are on the wait list? (is "standby" the same as a wait list?) Good luck!

 

[allydoss]

Hi guys!
I will be attending Salus in the fall and I could not be more excited! How do you think we could go about starting a facebook group??

 

[omm92]

Hi guys!
I will be attending Salus in the fall and I could not be more excited! How do you think we could go about starting a facebook group??

I will be attending in the Fall also! Congrats! We can just get the names of all the students who would want to be able to chat in a fb group when the semester starts. I know I would definitely want to be in one with at least a small group from the class to be able to help each other out throughout the program.

 

[omm92]

I thought my interview went well too, but today I received a "standby" letter I'm choosing to stay on the standby list but I also want to know how many are even on it in the first place. The school is definitely on the tiny side! I was impressed with the staff - they seemed very organized which was a plus. Fingers crossed that I hear better news in the upcoming weeks! Not sure how much more of this I can take...

I advise you to stay on the list and keep your hopes up. I have a feeling that there will be openings in May if people weren't able to get proper grades on prerequisites they are currently taking. At the March 26th interview the wait list had zero applicants on it. You are probably very high on the list.

 

[omm92]

Was anyone else that attended the interview on March 26th accepted? I'm hoping to see some familiar faces the first day.

 

[mbc416]

Hey guys! Do you think they will notify us via email when they get word on accreditation? I called in to Acote and they did make their decision but they said they couldnt talk about it until they notify the school, then i spoke with Salus and they said they are just waiting on the letter

 

[lcs2074]

Hey guys! Do you think they will notify us via email when they get word on accreditation? I called in to Acote and they did make their decision but they said they couldnt talk about it until they notify the school, then i spoke with Salus and they said they are just waiting on the letter

Yes, I'm sure they will notify everyone and post it on their website as soon as its official. It's certainly in their best interest to do so!

 

[lcs2074]

So when I called AOTA back in March, I was told they would decide Salus U's accreditation at a meeting April 4, and notify the school 2-3 weeks later. We're going into week 3 now, so hopefully we'll hear something official in the next few days!!

 

[lcs2074]

ITS OFFICIAL! Salus U's Occupational Therapy program is now fully accredited by ACOTE. Hooray!

 

[herky12]

I got that email too! I am happy for the institution but man, what a tease for me! I thought it was an acceptance when I read the subject line.

 

[CurlyHairedGirl]

I had finally gotten an email from Salus asking for an interview 2 weeks ago when I was out of town at TSU for an interview. I tried calling their admissions office last week but it was after 4 pm and people might had left. I kept pressing buttons for different extensions but didn't get routed to a live person. I left a message saying that if I was going to interview it would need to be soon because I had a letter of intention deadline/deposit due for another school this Friday. So I waited until the last minute to send in the deposit - and got a call back from the Salus admissions office to schedule the interview less than 24 hours later. Had to tell them it was too late.

 

[mbc416]

ITS OFFICIAL! Salus U's Occupational Therapy program is now fully accredited by ACOTE. Hooray!

WOoohoo! Cannot wait to start!

 

[Cvl27]

Hi! I actually have an interview on Wednesday and am very excited! Does anyone have an idea about the current wait list status or if the class is full?? I'm surprised that they're still holding interviews!

 

[herky12]

@Cvl27 - Have you heard from Salus?

 

[Cvl27]

Nope not a thing yet! Pretty anxious to hear back. I was told I should hear something by today.

 

[lcs2074]

Good luck! My friend was accepted about a month ago but is probably turning it down/asking if she can defer for a year, so there may be another spot opening soon.

 

[Cvl27]

Good luck! My friend was accepted about a month ago but is probably turning it down/asking if she can defer for a year, so there may be another spot opening soon.

I wonder if they will let her defer a year?? Are you attending this upcoming Fall? I have yet to hear back. We will see! I can't wait much longer because I still have to wait on funding and other things before August if I did receive an acceptance. So much to do in little time!

 

[lcs2074]

Hey! So are any Salus students on here looking for a roommate/housing near the school, and may be interested in looking together?

 

[Cvl27]

Did anyone start a FB page for the Class of 2016?

 

[Triciabg]

Hi All,
I just read all the threads and I am in the class of 2016 and just started us a Facebook page to continue to connect. Titled: Salus University Class of 2016 OT's, join if you want to!

 

[omm92]

Hi All,
I just read all the threads and I am in the class of 2016 and just started us a Facebook page to continue to connect. Titled: Salus University Class of 2016 OT's, join if you want to!

Hey Tricia
You made a fan page on fb instead of a group page. I just went to join but on fan pages you can only "like" it. If you search "salus university" on fb you'll see some other programs have closed group pages to chat on

 

[omm92]

Does anyone know what the schedule will be like for the first semester? I haven't talked to any current students, but I received an email for one of the courses already (probably due to the fact we have to read a book before the class..boo!) and it seems like Monday-Wednesday is the schedule? Not sure though

 

[lcs2074]

Its Monday, Wednesday, Friday

 

[Cvl27]

It's Monday-Wednesday for only that first week, Then off Tuesdays and Fridays following that. They should have a current student contact you soon with any questions during your transition into the program. They have have been so helpful to me so far!