University of St Augustine for Health Sciences Reviews

"Awesome support staff and faculty no matter the discipline everyone is very willing to help in any way that they can. I feel like some classes do not prepare you as well as others for in person practice but overall my experience at the school has been good and i would recommend attending."

"It’s a great environment and professors really care about their students, but the program could be a lot more impactful and streamlined if they cut down on all the busy work, that only adds stress and encourages occupational imbalance. There are classes that should be only one class and others that should be two. It’s a very strange curriculum."

"Although the program had a rocky start with Covid and being primarily online, I truly feel like the professors put everything they had into preparing us for our fieldwork. The professors are what makes this school. Not even all the textbooks in the world can fully prepare someone to be an OT. The field is a hands on job. But they taught us how to think and view the world like an OT, which serves as building blocks for our careers. I’ve also seen the revisions to the program for current and incoming students and think the changes are extraordinary and will increase the depth of knowledge for students.Read Less"

"The Occupational Therapy program at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is a great opportunity for students who are willing to be challenged and who believe in the pursuit of excellence. USAHS offers both a doctoral and masters program for aspiring OT's, and even has a flex program wherein you can earn your OT degree and still manage other responsibilities. USAHS supports our military members and their families, and is a great location to attend if your family is stationed on the west coast.Read Less"

"St. Augustine San Marcos campus prepared me for my future career in occupational therapy. Furthermore the entry doctoral program allowed me to specialize within the first three years of being an OT. I would highly recommend this program for any student wishing to go into emerging practice areas."

"Almost all of my professors show compassion and willingness to help your learning at this school! I feel welcomed and cared for by all of the faculty. I feel that the activities and labs really support my learning and connect the lecture material. The simulations and the actors who come in also support my learning and give me a "real" perspective on client care and how to help clients as early as first term. This school also has great support with tutoring options, helpful feedback from the Writing Center, and a great library with models and devices to check out.Read Less"

"I liked the smaller setting of the schools, the cohorts became very close to eachother and were a great support system throughout the program. I really liked the hybrid program the school offers (lectures are video-recorded/labs in person). I am overall satisfied with the impact my education has had on my career and the mentors I have gained as an Occupational therapist who were once my professors."

"USAHS truly prepares you for clinical and real-world experience. The flipped classroom format fosters time management, research, critical thinking, and individual initiative. The curriculum is carefully crafted to scaffold your learning starting with the fundamentals and then building on clinical skills. The curriculum as a whole and with each course is also always being improved based on student feedback to ensure the best possible results for learning and clinical/fieldwork preparation. All the OT professors at the Miami campus go above and beyond to make sure each student succeeds. Whether it is with additional review sessions, open lab hours, consistent and open communication, or lecture breaks, the professors make it a point to get to know each of their students and check in on us. The professors are the best part of this school. The facilities are also specifically designed for the programs offered, so there is no better school to get your OT or PT degree.Read Less"

"In just a few short weeks I will graduate from the St. Augustine campus PPOTD program. I am about to become a double alumni!!! I am so excited and grateful to this institution for supporting me at all different stages of my academic and professional life. If you want to be an expert in your field, and have while you get there, go to USAHS. Some of the highlights of my experience were: working with faculty who are also currently practicing in clinic, the helpful staff of the library who are always able to assist with hard to locate evidence, the faculty who have supported and encouraged me to push through my insecurities and of course the bottomless cups of coffee supplied to all students by the administration. Thank you for helping me be the best OT I can be and for giving me the skills I need to succeed in the best profession ever.Read Less"

"I am an upcoming graduate reviewing for the full-time OTD program at the Miami, FL campus. The educators are highly knowledgable and significantly influenced my positive experience at USAHS. Educators are experienced OT practitioners, engaging, responsive to questions, empathetic, and willing to support students in areas that they need. Several professors and fieldwork educators have expressed that their support continues beyond graduation. Overall, I am very happy with my experience and learning at USAHS and would recommend the program to those who are interested in Occupational Therapy.Read Less"

"The residential occupational therapy doctorate program at the University of St. Augustine of Health Sciences San Marcos campus has been an amazing experience so far! Looking for a school that has the same values as I do regarding inclusive communities, environmental stewardship, and client-centered evidenced based practice was a process but St. Augustine made that choice easy and has proven to really prove itself over and over. I am so thankful for this school, community, and all of the opportunities that have been provided. Highly recommend!!!Read Less"

"Overall, I was so glad that I attended this program because of the numerous unique opportunities that this campus had to offer, the faculty I met, and the level of preparedness I achieved before level II fieldwork. This university provides many outlets for students to get involved, such as the Student Journal of Occupational Therapy (an open-access journal that publishes student work from across the country). Additionally, this campus has peer tutoring services, writing center services, an active SOTA board, and hands-on experiences during level one fieldwork through various outlets such as the on-campus pro bono clinic and local community sites. The faculty at USAHS are all very passionate about the field of occupational therapy and are strong advocates for student success. Most of the faculty I encountered were very approachable and answered my questions promptly. Furthermore, they all took time to get to know me personally and to connect me to individuals within the community, which significantly contributed to my professional development and success at my capstone site. While in the didactic portion of my time at USAHS, I was provided with my “just right challenge” and was prepared to go into fieldwork (more than I realized), despite having less hands-on time due to COVID. Using the knowledge, tips, and skills I learned from my time at USAHS, I excelled during my fieldwork rotations, with one educator telling me that I was one of the best students she had in her 25 years of supervising students. I attribute that success to the professionalism and knowledge instilled during my time as a student at USAHS.Read Less"

"To begin, I am rating the St. Augustine, FL campus. Although, I am grateful for the faculty of this institution granting me the opportunity to pursue my doctoral degree in OT. I honestly rate this campus 2/10 on a 10-point scale. I have had few faculty members who were professional and willing to assist me which I am grateful to them. However, the organization structure of the OTD program, fieldwork coordination, and structure of graduation severely needs improvement. I endured a high amount of stress that was not related to classes due to several professors lacking organization of classes and either not answering my questions or answering them halfway. When trying to get some of the profs. to answer (verbally/email) I felt as if I was being a bother. There is a lot to mention; however, the most recent was graduation, myself including some others did not receive an honors cord when we should have because there was not enough cords available. When speaking to someone from registrar regarding this situation their response indicated she was trying to come up with something to make it seem as if it was not their fault. Overall, while attending USA at the St. Augustine, FL campus I had several bad experiences that should not have occurred as a student. Hopefully, this review can provide insight to others.Read Less"

"I'm not sure if this was due COVID or not but I felt like I had very limited access to resources during my time at the University of Saint Augustine - Dallas Campus. The Dallas Campus isn't really a campus it's more of a business office where you have to check in at a front desk. The staff members are very friendly and accommodating though. There isn't much of a library it's just a single room where you can check out study materials equipment and books. The technology and simulation center they have at the University of Saint Augustine are impressive, but you could hardly go onto campus to practice really outside of lab times to practice. If you plan on going to the ot program, be sure to check out lab equipment and have someone you can practice your techniques on. It's great that you are allowed to check out exam tables. The University of Saint Augustine is blended learning but leans more to the side of online learning as the lectures are pre-recorded. Living alone was not optimal for me. I was not able to thrive in the environment due to a lack of connections with my classmates and an in-person support system. I'm sure other people are capable of learning at the University of Saint Augustine, and it gives you ample time to work as you study. It's very hands-on and quite practical when you do have classes/labs on campus. You will become quite good at bed mobility. I am currently happy in another occupational therapy program that has its labs consistently open to practice even when classes are not in session.Read Less"

"Where do I begin...I am currently an OTD student at USAHS-St. Augustine Campus. To say that my experience thus far has been atrocious would be a gross understatement. You will be promised professional education and treatment, and will receive less than satisfactory education and treatment. The only thing they can and will guarantee, is to drain your pocket book. Expect to be charged for services you are not provided or allowed to use. If you are a student with ADA accommodations, expect to be mocked and gaslighted. You are not allowed to have a voice and if you do not conform to what they believe, you will be lashed out upon and your grades and professionalism points will begin to decline (without any change from you). The professors and staff are under qualified for their positions and have a huge turnover rate, causing inconsistencies with teaching, grading, and with which "guidelines" will be followed and not. DO NOT WORRY, IF YOU UPSET ONE PROFESSOR OR STAFF MEMBER, YOU WILL BE TALKED ABOUT AND SLANDERED BY ALL. It is very clear that teachers have an ongoing black list where they keep the names of students who do not conform. The slander is so bad, that professors who have "quit" (aka been let go due to not conforming) have come forward to students about what to expect and the real reasons they are no longer employed with the school. As a student, I can tell you personally, I have had several professors speak ill of the school and drama that goes along with the staffing system and student body discrimination. The school has received multiple payouts for COVID relief that was supposed to be divided out to students, we have not received the proper deviations of money promised. COVID will be their excuse to get away with student discrimination and labeling. Unvaccinated students are labeled as just that and are denied access to learning material and experiences. This is just the tip of the list of issues that have occurred. All in all...choose another school, even if it means waiting to be accepted to another program.Read Less"

"I just graduated from the miami campus and I was in the occupational therapy doctorate program. Let me tell you, this doctorate program is a JOKE. As all the other reviews say, this school is horrible. All they care about is money. When I needed assistance for my capstone project, no one was there to assist me. Not even the two doctoral coordinators who’s job it is to assist the small amount of people in our cohort. And when they did “try” to assist me, they made me doubt my project and kept making me change things and then would forget what they told me to change and criticize it a week later. My coordinators decided to give me an incomplete in my last semester because, in their own words, “they didn’t have enough time to grade my project”. This delayed me taking my license exam for MONTHS. If you, the person reading this, has ANY other option for graduate school, CHOSE THE OTHER OPTION!Read Less"

"USAHS is the worst school you could ever invest your money into. I would not recommend any of the campuses they all have issues. When you ask professors to teach you most of them just refer you to videos on blackboard. The program directors don’t care about you either. They are so quick to get their students to drop or retake classes to get money. Don’t recommend this school at all especially the Dallas campus"

"This school is an absolute disaster, and I will spend my entire professional career encouraging aspiring health science students to avoid attending. I was the honor graduate for my class, and did very well in the program, so I’m not writing this review from the perspective of a disgruntled former student who didn’t perform well. I have an MBA and background in operations management, so I guess I had a little more awareness of their antics than some younger students. There are some amazing teachers and staff, but the school is a business and prioritizes cutting costs and maximizing use of minimal resources so they can increase stakeholder value and their bottom line. And the quality of education has greatly suffered. I graduated prior to the pandemic; even before then, the “hybrid” approach they pitched in marketing and interviews really meant spending >75% of your time watching of online lectures (recycled throughout terms between campuses, and a number from professors at other universities - $$ savings). It was online learning with minimal hands on education. We all made it through, but as a practicing clinician I can see how much better students from other universities perform on fieldwork rotations. Perhaps my biggest complaint is the clinical placement process. For fieldwork rotations, most universities work with students to help ensure they are placed in locations and settings that align with their personal and professional needs. USA? They just place you wherever is convenient, change placements without notification, and allow ZERO flexibility in the process. My fiancé is currently a student who will be on rotation starting next term. For months she had a pending placement in our hometown of Tampa. We based our living situation off of this planned placement, assuming that it would be confirmed (or if not they would work with her to find another local placement). Instead, she recently got an email saying she was now pending a placement in a city 2 hours away. No notification of being dropped from her first placement or a “hey let’s discuss options and see if we can find something that works.” So in addition to the outrageous cost of tuition, we now have to pay for an additional short term rental (which is very expensive during a pandemic when looking for a 12 week option 3 months prior to the start. When reaching out to see if there was any flexibility, they shut her down and told her she shouldn’t have made arrangements for living until being confirmed. There is NO consideration given to the hardships placed on students, personally or financially. I am a military veteran who served on five deployments in six years. I have seen my share of disorganization and systems/policies that don’t make sense. This is by far the most unprofessional and selfish company (not educational institution - that denotes care for the student body) I have ever encountered. Stay far, far away. Even if you don’t get in to another school on your first attempt for whatever program you’re applying to, do yourself a favor and wait. Your education is worth it.Read Less"

"The school does not care about the students that attend it. They know that students want to go to physical therapy/occupational therapy/ speech pathology school and use that to their advantage. The cost of the school is substantially higher than most programs. They do not offer financial assistance options for funding school. Throughout the program they continued to raise tuition costs and have several other questionable charges. Considering the high cost of their programs, one would expect to receive a quality education. However, all of the courses are online. Even the “seated” classes are online but have a lab once a week. They also teach by having practicals every week where you must receive an 80 percent to pass or you can potentially fail the semester. This is a way of forcing students to teach themselves the information before the practicals rather than hiring quality professors to instruct them on how to be a therapist. Another part of the curriculum is fieldwork. During fieldwork students are sent to a hospital for hands on experience. This school is allowed to send you to any state in the country. You are given little to no control over what region of the country or type of setting you can do your fieldwork in. The system for finding students fieldwork is also broken because they are unable to find everyone fieldwork in a timely manner. You are expected to find your own housing which can be difficult and extremely expensive when you are only given a few days to find housing. It would be better to find a school that has good connections with the community where they take place if you are interested in staying locally. It would also be better to find a more affordable school as this one is well above the market price which does not take into account it’s poor quality of education and fieldwork experience.Read Less"

"At the University of St Augustine, OT students are considered second class citizens. There is not a hint of direction as to what is expected from OT. The professors are mostly great, HOWEVER, they are not allowed to give you the answer to things you got wrong on a test or quiz. For exapmple, if you answered 75/100 questions correct on an exam, YOU WILL NEVER know which 25 you got wrong or what the correct answers are. It's a poor way to teach."