All experiential components of the curriculum must be completed within 24 months following the completion of all didact coursework. All experiential learning may be completed at locations across the State of Minnesota.
Level II fieldwork experiences are completed in a minimum of 2, 12 week placements, for a total of 24 weeks. Level II fieldwork can be completed on a part-time basis.
Level II fieldwork occurs after all didactic and Level I fieldwork are successfully completed during the following terms per program:
- Masters: Semester 4 and 5
- Doctorage: Semester 4 and 6
Student Experiential Learning Handbook
This handbook (Google Doc) provides the information that students receive regarding the format and structure for fieldwork within the Occupational Therapy Program.
- ACOTE C Standards FAQs
- AOTA Fieldwork Education Resources
- AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) Rating Score Guide
- AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) for the Occupational Therapy Student (Revised 2020)
- Fieldwork Educators Certificate Workshop
- HIPAA Guidelines for Fieldwork (PDF)
- NEOTEC Fieldwork Site Profile
- Sample Level II FW Weekly Student Activities:
- Sample Student Weekly Meeting Form: Weekly Feedback Form
- Understanding the AOTA Student Fieldwork Performance Evaluations
- UMN Level II Fieldwork Objectives
- UMN OTD Minimum Technical Standards
- University of Western Ontario Preceptor Education Program: This is a free online training program for clinical educators of health professions students and is applicable to OT fieldwork. Registration is required.
- New England Occupational Therapy Education Council: This is a consortium of OT programs in New England with resources for clinical educators.
Level II Fieldwork Objectives
Level II fieldwork objectives include goals addressing individual, community or population intervention, analyzing alignment between evaluation and intervention, having students identify evidence to support intervention, and students being able to demonstrate clinical reasoning and performance when onsite. We place students in a variety of settings identified by age group served and then by AOTA setting type for Level II experiences The objectives for Level II fieldwork are organized around the program's curricular threads and then collaborated with the site fieldwork educator to be aligned with the experience and the AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE).
By the end of Level II experience, students will be able to:
| Related Program Curricular Threads | Associated Fieldwork Performance Evaluation Section | Related Site Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Thread 4: Effective Professional and Ethical Reasoning | Fundamentals of Practice | Demonstrate consistent knowledge and behaviors to apply AOTA Code of Ethics and all federal, state, and facility regulations in various practice settings. Ensure safety of self and others during all fieldwork related activities by anticipating potentially unsafe situations and taking steps to prevent accidents in various practice settings. |
Thread 1: Service to to Diverse Persons, Groups, Communities and Populations Across the Lifespan Thread 4: Effective Professional and Ethical Reasoning | Basic Tenets | Clearly, confidently, and accurately articulate and communicate the values and beliefs of occupational therapy as a profession and the value of occupation to site specific stakeholders. |
Thread 1: Service to to Diverse Persons, Groups, Communities and Populations Across the Lifespan Thread 3: Use Evidence to Make Critical Decisions Thread 4: Effective Professional and Ethical Reasoning | Screening and Evaluation | Obtains sufficient and necessary information to develop an occupational profile using relevant resources throughout the evaluation process across practice settings. Administers standardized and non-standardized assessment methods accurately and efficiently to Interpret, synthesize, and document evaluation information accurately to determine occupational performance and plan. |
Thread 1: Service to to Diverse Persons, Groups, Communities and Populations Across the Lifespan Thread 3: Use Evidence to Make Critical Decisions Thread 4: Effective Professional and Ethical Reasoning | Intervention | Establishes and clearly articulate an accurate and appropriate client-centered plan based on the evaluation results, contexts, theories, frames of reference, and/or practice models. Choose, implement, and modify task and/or environment to maximize occupational performance. Documents response to services in an accurate manner that demonstrates skilled need and effectiveness of interventions. |
Thread 1: Service to to Diverse Persons, Groups, Communities and Populations Across the Lifespan Thread 4: Effective Professional and Ethical Reasoning | Management of Occupational Therapy Services | Demonstrates knowledge of organization, stakeholders, and systems relative to occupational service delivery such as federal, state, and third party, and private payers. |
Thread 2: Active and Life Long Learning Thread 5: Innovative and Collaborative Practitioners and Scholars | Communication and Professional Behaviors | Manages relationships effectively through therapeutic use of self and adjusts approach to meet the needs of the site’s clientele and stakeholders within various practice contexts. Communicates clearly and effectively through verbally, nonverbal, and written formats relative to various practice settings. Takes responsibility for attaining professional competence by seeking out learning opportunities and interactions with fieldwork educator(s) and other stakeholders to maximize learning experience and demonstrate lifelong learning. |
Number of Sites
The University of Minnesota Program in Occupational Therapy has over 500 affiliation agreements that are sufficient in scope and number for populations across the lifespan (child & youth, adult, older adult, and mental health), across individual, community, and/or population based practice, and in traditional and emerging practice settings. The Director of Experiential Learning provides an ongoing examination of sites to ensure the scope and number are sufficient across both performance sites.
Timing of Level II Fieldwork
All experiential components of the curriculum must be completed within 24 months following the completion of semester 6 of the didactic portion of the curriculum. All experiential learning may be completed at locations across the State of Minnesota. Level II fieldwork experiences are completed in a minimum of 2, 12 week placements, for a total of 24 weeks. Level II fieldwork occurs in semester 7 and 8 in the program.