Fieldwork experiences are linked to the East Falls OTA program’s curriculum design. Students learn how to apply the occupational therapy process to populations in various settings.  Fieldwork provides students with clinical opportunities to practice skills and professional reasoning, evaluate career interests, and make the critical transition from learning to practice.

Typical Fieldwork Sites

• Medical settings (specialized and rehabilitation hospitals, hand therapy and outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities)
• Public school settings, early intervention programs, summer camps
• Community agencies, group homes, senior centers, assisted-living facilities, residential programs

Fieldwork placements are completed within two phases: Level I (shorter and part-time), and Level II (longer and full-time).

Level I fieldwork is embedded within OTA courses so that students can apply what they are learning in class to clients in a clinical setting. It consists of multiple hours of clinical experience scheduled over an 8-week term. These clinical and community placements provide opportunities for structured interaction with clients under the guidance of a practicing professional.

Students complete three Level I fieldwork experiences. Level IA occurs during the first year of the course Occupations Across the Lifespan: Infancy though Adolescence (Term 4). Level IB and Level IC occur in the second year within the courses Interventions II: Middle Adulthood and Interventions III: Late Adulthood (Term 7 & 8). 

Level II Fieldwork consists of two, full-time 8-week placements for a total of 16 weeks of clinical experiences. It can occur in traditional and/or emerging settings, consistent with the program’s curriculum design. OTA students begin Level II fieldwork after completing didactic coursework. The expectation of Level II fieldwork is that the student functions as an entry-level practitioner who is responsible for implementing therapy sessions and carrying a full caseload of clients. Students are supervised by an occupational therapy practitioner, but are responsible for their own client caseload.