Fieldwork

Students are assigned fieldwork settings based on multiple considerations including: student's interest, site availability, student's academic needs, etc. Fieldwork experiences are crucial to allow students the opportunity to apply knowledge they have gained within the education program to real-life situations with clients. The Fieldwork Coordinator will work closely with all students to ascertain the highest degree of success possible.

There is a possibility that you may need to relocate for some portion of fieldwork and you are not guaranteed to be placed in a specific geographical area. There are two types of fieldwork for the occupational therapy program:

• Level I: Shorter in length of time, focused on various populations and in conjunction with curriculum focus each semester, and with various settings and facilities

• Level II: Performed in various settings including hospitals, nursing homes, out-patient facilities, school systems, psychiatric facilities, child and adult developmental care facilities, community-based settings, wellness facilities, etc.

*You must complete Level II Fieldwork within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program.

Fieldwork Educator's Resources

• AOTA Mental Health Resources
• HIPAA Policies in Fieldwork
• Level I Fieldwork Information
• AOTA Position Paper for Level 2 Fieldwork & OT Students
• COE Guidelines for Level 2 OT Fieldwork Experience

Additional fieldwork articles for reference

• Cohn, E., Dooley, N., Simmons, L. (2001). Collaborative fieldwork model. Haworth Press, Inc., pp. 69-83.
• Evans, M., Barnes, M., and Cohn, E. (2002, January/February). Perceptions of level I and level II fieldwork in the same site. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, pp. 103-106.
• Johnson, C., Haynes, C., Oppermann, J. (2007, December). Supervision competencies for fieldwork educators. OT Practice.
• Stutz-Tanenbaum, P., Hooper, B. (2009, June). Creating congruence between identities as a fieldwork educator and a practitioner. Education Special Interest Quarterly published by The American Occupational Therapy Association, 19(2), 1-4.