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https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Fieldwork.aspx

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AOTA FWECP Course

Fieldwork Education Modules 1 - 3

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The Essential Guide

OT Fieldwork Survival Guide: A Student Planner

Occupational Therapy Student to Clinician: Making the Transition

The Clinical Success Formula

Professionalism Across Occupational Therapy Practice

The Entry Level OT Doctorate Capstone

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Use SharePoint or some other electronic system within your site to have all paperwork, manuals etc. be electronic

OT Staff level job description for your site

OTA job description for your site (even if you don’t have one)

Dress code (send ahead of time)

Be specific about:

Piercings

Tattoos

Hair style, color, smells

As well as clothing

Deodorant/hygiene

Supervision style and outline level of supervision that OTS should expect from first week to last week so they have a clean ‘map’ of supervision and independence expected.

Include how supervision or feedback may decrease from midterm on

Procedures if there is a problem with supervision; who does the OTS talk to (including the academic institution Director or Coordinator of Fieldwork).

Use a communication log between supervisors and OTS and supervisors especially if more than one supervisor or very busy environment

Provide OTS with an example of proper paperwork forms completed

Give examples of a “good” note, eval, etc.

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Research and Evidence Based Practice Efforts

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Research and Evidence Based Practice Efforts

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Invite OTS to observe or participate in clinical research.

Have newer staff/FW OTS present an inservice to older staff to educate about EBP.  Present a critical question and take through the whole process.  Or other areas of interest:  theory? Etc.

Have OTS be part of hospital wide quality support teams to review current research and to open interdisciplinary discussions.

Encourage OTS to sign up for interest areas in Medscape.com to have cool articles fly into their inboxes.

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Give the OTS basic information:  background check or drug testing requirements, expected hours, where to park, when to be there, what to wear, if there is a place to keep lunches etc.

Tell the OTS your preferred contact method: email, phone, text?

Have the OTS shadow you for a day or visit prior to FW II to decrease anxiety (offer it if possible)

Tell the OTS what typical evaluations and treatment modalities you use so they can review them prior to FW II.  This helps them feel more prepared in the long run!

Some sites give a study guide or a competency questionnaire a month before fieldwork begins for the OTS to complete.  Then review the first day or two of FW.

Make OTS feel welcomed…have a welcome sign and introduce them to other team member

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Begin by having OTS perform an occupational profile and history

Have OTS do part of an evaluation and let them know ahead of time of this expectation

Ask, “How does this challenge impact a client’s daily functioning?”

Ask OTS and coworker to do role plays to practice interviews or the evaluation process

Ask OTS to focus on one client and ask a good question about assessment or progression before they can go home.

Always assume positive intent when OTS tries to do an activity.

OTS follows a client through all treatment sessions to better understand progress and goals

Have the OTS write down or tell you what he/she will tell the client to introduce the activity and why it is relevant

Ask: What approach am I using?  What do you think the reason is for using this approach? What other approach could I use?

Ask:  What is your backup plan?

Have OTS pick out 3 items in the supply closet and list 10 activities they can do with each of them.

Observe and critique interactions between other therapists and their clients.  How did the client respond?  How did the therapist assist the client to complete the activity?

Have student make an “occupation based kit” to make it easier to be occupation based and have it be portable and cleanable (especially for acute care).

Use chart or grid to determine preparatory, purposeful, occupation based and therapeutic use of self (TUS)

Sample:

Preparatory – stretching

Purposeful – running drills

Occupation Based – sports games

Examples from personal life when I played sports

Write a treatment plan for each new diagnosis and include ways to upgrade and downgrade activities

Have OTS go to multidisciplinary grand rounds twice a week to evaluate and focus on integrating outcome measures with EBP for intervention.  Share with FWE and then respond to questions with suggestions.

Have OTS develop a treatment plan, then say, “the client did that already, think of something else.” (around week 9-12).

Take away commonly used items to create a challenge and more treatment ideas

OTS chooses 4 items for their OT bag, then tell then they have to use any of these items with all their clients today (if appropriate)

Journal club involvement of students, biweekly or monthly where OTS presents EBP at least once on an issue related to a client being seen.

Share personal experiences and stories to help student with their communication skills.  May be things you say during team meetings; how you introduce new ideas etc.

Use reflective journaling for emotional aspects of difficulty settings/clients or successes in FW.  Give them a time limit of how long they can journal (e.g., 5-10 minutes)

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Use an observation sheet to check or fill in the blanks during sessions to prepare for documentation

Utilize other OT’s to “proofread” or review a OTS’s note for clarity and thoroughness

OTS brings a list of goals for treatment to begin thoughts about documentation

Cheat sheets for levels of assistance, categories to look at, FIM scores etc.  (some examples:

Quizlet flashcards for levels of assistance: http://quizlet.com/532767/levels-of-assistance-flash-cards/

Study stack flashcards http://www.studystack.com/flashcard-288960

Let OTS develop their own or use your outline for what they need to document for most sessions.  If it can be a checklist, it’s easier for them to fill out right after the session or later.

For Medicare clients, use a sticker or stamp the states, “OT supervisor was present and directly observed the entire session, made all skilled judgments and clinical decisions regarding care and is responsible for assessment, treatment and documentation.

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California Occupational Therapy Council - caotfwc.com

Florida Occupational Therapy Consortium - floteceducation.org

Gateway Occupational Therapy Education Council (Missouri)  - gotec.squarespace.com/resources

Metro-Buffalo OT Fieldwork Council - otfieldwork.net/resources

Michigan Occupational Therapy Education Consortium - miota.org/motec.php

New England Occupational Therapy Council - neotecouncil.org

Philadelphia Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Consortium - philaotfwconsortium.org

Virginia Education Council - VAOTFWC.com

Western New York Fieldwork Consortium - http://www.otfieldwork.net/resources.html

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Alert OTS ahead of time regarding conversation in the staff office… “What happens in the staff office stays in the staff office.”

Remind staff that OTS are around and may want to watch and monitor staff conversations more

Address discomfort as needed.

Let OTS:

Make mistakes

Then correct the mistake themselves

Tell them the biggest thing is to not keep making the same mistake

Give your OTS the “out” of a therapy session…. a way to step out of the room so they can ask a question of their FW Educator away from the client.

First ask the OTS, “How did you think the session went”

Have different times with the OTS to provide constructive criticism, other times when you are simply open and supportive.

Questions to ask:  What went well?  What could we do differently?  Logistics (things to do, work on, practice etc.); AHA moments were……

Give a pretest and then a post-test to show students how much they have learned

Take video clips of the OTS’s ability (with OTS and client approval)

Give OTS a survival kit half-way through fieldwork (e.g., goodies or funny items)

Give structure for when and where to give feedback

Talk about typical scoring at midterms:  3 – very good at midterm, 2 – good, typical at midterm, 4 – very rare

Consider developing site specific clarification for each item on the FWPE

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OTS gives supervisors two positive and two areas of growth for supervision each week on a feedback form

OTS evaluates the amount of supervision given, and their feelings about their performance on their weekly feedback forms (Likert scale, 1-5)

Use the FEAT at weeks 3 and 9.  https://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/EducationCareers/Accredit/FEATCHARTMidterm.pdf    (may be a good tool for new employees as well!)

If more than one OTS in the site, meet monthly where OTSs talk about “good” and “not so good” moments.   Facilitate a discussion on professional topics the 2nd half of the FW

On the SEFWE, ask the OTS to provide 2+ suggestions for each section of the questionnaire.

Provide OTS with “anonymous” evaluation form to submit to site after FW completion

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We compiled the resources on the AOTA website that address cultural humility:

https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Considering-OT-Career/Diversity.aspx

https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Continuing-Education/AOTACE/CE-Articles/understanding-racism.aspx

https://www.aota.org/Publications-News/AOTANews/2020/AOTA-Statement-On-Systemic-Racism.aspx

https://www.aota.org/-/media/Corporate/Files/Practice/Guide-Acknowledging-Impact-Discrimination-Stigma-Implicit-Bias.pdf

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As of January 2021 the Fieldwork Performance evaluation is electronic. Here are an array of resources on the tools and its use:

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AOTA's new online Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) will be available in September 2020. Developed by AOTA in response to school requests, the new online tool will replace the current printable PDF. Schools have the option to transition online before September 2020 or in January 2021.

AOTA's new online evaluation will streamline the entire fieldwork performance evaluation process:

Easy online access for educators and students to complete midterm and final reviews, anytime and anywhere

Built-in compliance with a validated assessment

Automatic scoring and documentation with reviews provided to educators and students via email and PDF, and certificates of supervision hours provided to educators to support licensure and certification

Saves time for staff, educators, and students in completing and processing evaluations

Instant access to aggregated data for a clear picture of student performance

Customizable forms to meet your school's needs, with training resourcesfor faculty and fieldwork educators

AOTA invested significantly in the revision of the tool to ensure currency and ease of use, incorporating the insights of faculty members in its development. In addition the revised AOTA Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) items for the Occupational Therapy Student (OTS) and the Occupational Therapy Assistant Student (OTAS) underwent extensive statistical analysis to evaluate evidence of validity in relation to internal structure, response processes, fairness in testing, and precision.

The cost for the new evaluation tool is $850 per year for up to 5 fieldwork staff users, with unlimited use by fieldwork educators and students. Schools with more than 5 fieldwork staff may incur additional fees.
Enrollment Form
Please register for the upcoming weekly training webinars for the new FWPE tool.
First Round of Training Webinars PDF Downloads
Revisions were made to the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE):

This page will be updated with new information aswe get closer to the September 2020 launch. Read the FAQs. If you have questions, contact AOTA Customer Service at customerservice@aota.org.

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New Fieldwork Performance Evaluation Tool

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AOTA's new online Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) will be available in September 2020. Developed by AOTA in response to school requests, the new online tool will replace the current printable PDF. Schools have the option to transition online before September 2020 or in January 2021.

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AOTA General Medicaid Resources
OT/OTA Student Supervision & Medicare Requirements

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Thanks for the Feedback
Decide Your Legacy: How to Be Less Critical and More Engaging

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BMH