OTD Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a required part of OT educational programs, as stated by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). Fieldwork education provides FDU OTD students with opportunities to integrate newly acquired academic skills into learning and practice in clinical and non-clinical settings which includes participating in observation, evaluation, treatment planning, activity implementation, documentation, and communication. In these settings, students will begin to define their role as future doctorate-level occupational therapists and will develop personal and professional skills essential to meeting the demands of this challenging profession.

Level I

Level I Fieldwork is the first level of experiential learning that occurs within the OTD curriculum. There is a Level I Fieldwork experience for each immersion course offered. Students are paired with partnering facilities that provide services to populations congruent with the first-year didactic semester curriculum.

The goal of Level I Fieldwork is to introduce students to the fieldwork experience, giving opportunities to acquire a level of comfort with the process while developing an understanding of populations and individual client needs. Level I Fieldwork is not an independent performance of skills, but rather a supervised experience designed to enhance coursework through observation and participation as appropriate within the partner facilities. Students may be supervised by certified and licensed occupational therapists with at least one year of experience, or a variety of other healthcare professionals including, but not limited to, physical therapists, social workers, teachers, psychologists, and speech and language pathologists.

Students complete three (3) Level I Fieldworks in settings across the lifespan, occurring throughout the first calendar year of the program.

Level II

Level II Fieldwork begins after the successful completion of the first calendar year of the didactic program. It is a cumulative educational experience in which students will apply academically acquired knowledge in assessing, planning, and implementing occupational therapy intervention for clients across the lifespan in a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional settings.

Students must complete two (2) 12-week fieldwork sessions, in a minimum of two (2) settings, for a total of six months of Level II Fieldwork experience. Students must be supervised by a licensed and certified occupational therapist with at least one year of practice experience.

The FDU OTD Program seeks to partner with fieldwork sites and fieldwork educators who espouse interprofessional collaboration and practice, understand diverse communities and populations, lead with professionalism, and exhibit a clear understanding of ethics, critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-reflection.

Fieldwork at Fairleigh Dickinson University is managed by the Clinical Director. For more information related to Fieldwork Education, please feel free to contact Dr. Nicole Spaldo at 973-443-8259 or via email at n.spaldo@fdu.edu