Fieldwork Level II and Occupational Therapy Students: A Position Paper

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to define the Level II fieldwork experience and to clarify the appropriate conditions and principles that must exist to ensure that interventions completed by Level II fieldwork students are of the quality and sophistication necessary to be clinically beneficial to the client. When appropriately supervised, adhering to professional and practice principles, and in conjunction with other regulatory and payer requirements, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) considers that students at this level of education are providing occupational therapy interventions that are skilled according to their professional education level of practice. AOTA asserts that Level II occupational therapy fieldwork students may provide occupational therapy services under the supervision of a qualified occupational therapist in compliance with state and federal regulations. Occupational therapy assistant fieldwork students may provide occupational therapy services under the supervision of a qualified occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant under the supervision of an occupational therapist in compliance with state and federal regulations.

Standardized Patient Encounter: An Innovative Curricular Design to Enhance Fieldwork Readiness

“…In the classroom, OT educators are challenged to go beyond teaching basic knowledge to develop higher-level clinical skills for more complex clients and populations within various contexts (Coker, 2010). Outside the classroom, Level II fieldwork educators are tasked with providing in-depth experiences that allow the student to apply theory and evidence to deliver OT services that focus on a broad range of professional responsibilities (Amini & Gupta, 2012). However, due to the increasing complexity of workplace demands related to time constraints and productivity expectations, fieldwork educators have less time for teaching basic application skills (Hanson, 2011).…”