LEWISTON – Roxie Black, PhD, director of the Master in Occupational Therapy program at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College, has announced a 100 percent success rate for all members of the 2003 graduating class who have taken the national certification exam.

“This means our graduates have enjoyed a 100 percent success rate with this rigorous exam for the last five years,” she noted. “Over this same period, the national average fell to 81 percent for all first-time takers and 71 percent for first-time and repeat takers combined.

“This demonstrates very clearly that our graduates are well prepared to become outstanding practitioners in their field. In addition, 100 percent of our graduates have successfully found employment as occupational therapists.”

The LAC program, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy of the American Occupational Therapy Association, is a full-time, entry-level graduate program that can be completed in two years on a full-time basis, or three to four years part-time.

The council recently granted reaccreditation to the program for a 10-year period. This is longest time period for reaccreditation granted, reserved only for those programs meeting their highest standards.

In making its decision, council officials noted that the LAC program boasted one of the strongest curricula and some of the best-prepared students it had encountered. It specifically commended the strength of the director, faculty and college administration. The report also noted the depth of the library holdings in the occupational therapy field.

An MOT program information session/open house will be held at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 15, at the college.

Anyone interested in the program can call 753-6523 or visit the Web at usm.maine.edu/lac. Applications for the fall semester are being accepted.