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Fieldwork

Occupational therapy students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center participate in 5 fieldwork placements designed to prepare them for practice across the lifespan in a variety of settings following graduation.

Level I Fieldwork placements are two-weeks in duration and designed to address the unique occupational needs of the following populations: pediatrics, adult, and geriatrics.  Students can be supervised by licensed health care professionals, which may include, but not limited to, occupational therapy practitioners, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, special education teachers, and/or recreational therapists.  Level II Fieldwork placements are 12-weeks in duration and are scheduled in physical rehabilitation, mental health, and specialty practice areas, such as hand therapy and pediatrics.  Students must be supervised by a licensed occupational therapist for Level II Fieldwork.  Students are required to complete at least one fieldwork in mental health for either Level I or II fieldwork.  Three Level I Fieldwork placements (2 weeks each) are scheduled during the didactic portion of the curriculum and two Level II Fieldwork placements (12 weeks each) occur after all coursework has been completed.

Fieldwork sites are located across the country with the greatest number of clinical sites concentrated in West Tennessee and the Mid-South area. Assignments are made using a lottery system for Level I Fieldwork and an individualized matching system for Level II Fieldwork. Students are expected to travel and live in a variety of locations in order to complete all of the fieldwork requirements, which includes out-of-state placements. Students should also be prepared to assume the financial and personal obligations associated with this travel.

All fieldwork information and documents can be accessed on the EXXAT Dashboard.

Any facility interested in becoming a fieldwork site should contact the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator:

April Hilsdon, MOT, OTR/L
Department of Occupational Therapy
College of Health Professions
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER
930 Madison Ave, Suite 603| Memphis, TN  38163
Phone: 901.448.2296 | Fax: 901.448.7545 | Email: otfieldwork@uthsc.edu

 

Additional Information

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Masters of Occupational Therapy program requests fieldwork placements on January 1st of each year using EXXAT, which is a web-based scheduling program. Slots are typically requested for the next calendar year.

Fieldwork placements are assigned through a lottery process for Level I Fieldwork and matching process for Level II Fieldwork. For Level I Fieldwork, sites will be notified of the student assigned to their facility within 4-8 weeks of the start date. For Level II Fieldwork, sites will be notified if their facility has OR has not been matched with a student approximately 6 months prior to the start date.

If a fieldwork facility needs to cancel a student reservation, please notify the University program as soon as possible to allow the program and student time to make alternative arrangements.

Fieldwork educators who participate in our fieldwork program are eligible to enroll in continuing education opportunities offered by the department at a reduced fee.  All fieldwork educators receive a thank you letter verifying time spent as a supervisor, which can be used for professional development units with the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) and potentially state licensing boards.

  • Fieldwork educators will have access to textbooks in OT Library upon request.
  • Opportunity to host an in-service provided by UTHSC academic faculty at your facility upon request.
  • Opportunity to serve on various committees, such as the Admissions Committee and Alumni Advisory Committee.
  • Opportunity to participate in student projects for evidence-based practice courses.
  • Access to EXXAT for fieldwork resources and information.
  • Recognition as adjunct faculty once requirements are met.

The following documents are in PDF format and require Adobe Reader, which is a free download.

Course Syllabi

EXXAT Student Profile. Fieldwork Sites with assigned students will receive a Student Profile from the University approximately 8-12 weeks prior to the student's arrival for Level II Fieldwork and 4-8 weeks prior to arrival for Level I Fieldwork. This profile will contain demographic information about the student, as well as the student's goals and objectives for the internship, and pertinent documents. Please save noreply@exxat.com to your address book to ensure that the email makes it to your inbox. Students will also contact the site coordinator to make an introduction via email.

Documentation of Contact Hours. The Department of Occupational Therapy will provide documentation of fieldwork educator contact hours following the completion of internships. Certificates with documentation of contact hours will be emailed from EXXAT within a few months following the completion of the internship. 

Certificates of Insurance. The Certificate of Insurance (COI) will be mailed to site coordinators prior to the fieldwork rotation. The COI renews once a year in June. A master copy of the COI is also available to download from https://apps.exxat.com/public/steps/TN-OT/Home.

Forms

All fieldwork sites are encouraged to update the AOTA Data Form annually. Students and faculty use your completed AOTA Data Form to learn more about your facility and fieldwork education program.  The Fieldwork Educator checklist is recommended to determine if your facility can participate in Level I or II Fieldwork.

Oct 24, 2023