LEVEL II FIELDWORK STUDENT INFORMATION
Occupational Therapy Assistant Program Mission
The Wright College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program seeks to prepare competent and effective occupational therapy practitioners who value occupation as both a means and an end to quality living for self and others.
Note: Program policies described in your OTA Student Handbook are considered in effect while you are enrolled in the fieldwork education portion of the program.
Eligibility for Level II Fieldwork Placements
A student is eligible to begin Level II fieldwork placements after successful completion of semesters one through four, including all required general education coursework. Additionally, each student must pass the program exit practicum to be eligible to proceed to Level II fieldwork. In the event that a student does not pass the exit practicum before a scheduled Level II fieldwork, the fieldwork will be rescheduled or cancelled if necessary. After successfully passing the exit practicum, the student will be rescheduled for Level II fieldwork. All Level II fieldwork must be completed within 18 months of completing the didactic portion of the program.
Level II Fieldwork Assignment Schedules and Course Registration Policies
Each student is assigned two, eight-week full time placements. The student must successfully complete the first assigned placement before beginning the second placement. Unless special circumstances (e.g. dying parent, personal health reasons, etc.) warrant alternative scheduling (determined by the program director), students are expected to complete fieldwork at assigned sites in sequence. One rotation satisfies the requirements for OTA 215-1: Fieldwork Level 2A and Professional Seminar (6 credit hours), and the other, OTA 216-1: Fieldwork Level 2B and Professional Seminar (6 credit hours). OTA students will register for OTA 215-1 as a summer term course and OTA 216-1 as a fall semester course. Fieldwork placement assignments are assigned with consideration to students’ preferences of practice settings, learning styles and abilities, and fieldwork site availability as identified in the completed Level II Fieldwork Affiliation Placement Inventory Form. The program will make every attempt to fulfill its obligation to provide every OTA student with two fieldwork education rotations that satisfy program requirements and guarantee a student completion by the end of the final semester of the program.
There are six possible fieldwork rotation start dates occurring monthly from May through December. All students MUST register for class PRIOR TO starting Fieldwork. Students register for OTA 215-1 as a summer semester course. Although Wright’s summer semester begins the 2nd week of June, some students will begin their fieldwork placement in late May or the first week of June. Students beginning fieldwork in May or June must complete summer term registration early, prior to the start dates of their fieldwork placement. Failure to register in a timely manner will invalidate your City Colleges student status and you will not be covered by professional liability insurance. If you are not covered by professional liability insurance you cannot go onto Fieldwork. In other words, if you are not registered for class, you cannot go to Fieldwork. If your first rotation (OTA 215-1) occurs later in the summer, you still must register for it as a summer class and complete your registration at the beginning of the summer school term.
OTA 216-1 may begin in July, August, September, or October. Students must complete fall term registrationprior to the start dates of their fieldwork placement and no later than the end of the registration period for the fall semester. Again, this is essential to ensure students are covered by the City Colleges of Chicago liability malpractice insurance policy, a requirement made by all of the program’s fieldwork sites.Again, if you are not registered for class, you cannot participate in/go to Fieldwork.
Professional Seminars
Professional seminars are an integral part of your fieldwork experience. They consist of two components. The first part is a written assignment (Summer-OTA 215) or exam (Fall-OTA 216). These will be discussed with students prior to the seminars through e-mail or Blackboard technologies.
The second component of the seminars includes threeMANDATORYon-campus fieldwork seminars, scheduled from July through December. Attendance and participation are part of the final grades. Failure to attend the mandatory seminars may result in a failure of the Fieldwork class, delaying or negating OTA program completion. If you are attending fieldwork on any of these seminar dates, you should inform your supervisor immediately that you are required to attend the seminar at the college.
Friday, July 8, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, October 14, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, December 2, 2016 – 9:00 a.m. Note: this is a morning seminar.
ADAAccommodation Requests for Level II Fieldwork
Refer to the program’s OTA Student Handbook for detailed information regarding planning and implementing accommodations for qualifying students. When interacting with potential fieldwork facilities, the OTA program carefully follows procedures that follow ADA guidelines.
FIELDWORK EXPECTATIONS
Health Insurance
It is mandatory that students have all fieldwork forms and medical paperwork turned into the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC) by the designated due date in order to attend fieldwork clinicals. If forms and paperwork are not submitted by the due date then the delinquent student(s) will not be eligible to participate in assigned fieldwork clinicals. Not participating will result in an automatic failure of the class since fieldwork is a required part of the curriculum.
Health insurance is mandatory for all students in the program and a copy of the front and back of the insurance card must be given to the AFWC.
Updating Information
Students are responsible for providing all updated information (e.g., new address/phone number, medical forms, new email address, etc.) to the AFWC. Students who do not follow through with this will be subject to disciplinary actions as decided by the AFWC, instructor and Program Director.
Site Selection
Fieldwork sites are selected by the AFWC and the OTA Program Faculty based on the availability of facilities as well as the learning needs of the students and expectations of the facilities. Times and locations of sites will vary. Students are expected to meet the schedule outlined by the fieldwork site. Students will be required to travel in and around Chicago and suburbs (neighboring and far) in order to complete their fieldwork clinicals. Sites are not chosen to accommodate students’ requests.
Transportation
Student shall be responsible for his/her own transportation, and shall not be authorized to transport any client of the facility by car or other vehicle.
Immunizations
All students are required to have all mandated immunizations in order to participate in the OTA Program. Any student who chooses not to have immunizations or titers done for any reason will not be allowed to enter or continue in the OTA Program; all fieldwork sites require current vaccinations for the patients’/clients’ protection, as well as the student’s. Current immunization status is required by all Level I and Level II fieldwork sites. If a student previously had an immunization then titers may be done by the doctor to determine whether or not the student has enough antibodies present. Fieldwork sites may also require flu shots; if a student declines taking the flu shot the program cannot guarantee that another fieldwork site may be available. The program requires 2-step TB tests; the Quantiferon Gold TB test is acceptable.
CPR Certification
Each student is required to be certified and/or update and maintain Healthcare Provider certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This must be completed before the academic year begins. A copy of the front and back of the CPR card must be given to the AFWC. CPR courses may not be taken online. Any student who does not complete CPR certification cannot begin fieldwork, and this may result in a failing grade for the class.
Liability Insurance
Wright College provides for general and professional liability coverage of each student completing fieldwork.
Interviews
An interview may be required by some sites for Level II fieldwork. The student should prepare for the interview by reviewing information about the fieldwork site, the academic program and previous fieldwork. The interview provides the student with an opportunity to obtain additional information about the site and the fieldwork requirements. Some fieldwork sites interview several students for a placement and choose the student they deem most qualified. If a student is not accepted at such a site, the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator will place the student at an alternate site. The fieldwork site may accept or decline a student for fieldwork education. When the Fieldwork Educator feels that the student may have difficulty meeting the essential requirements of an OTA student at that site, the Fieldwork Educator may decline to offer the placement to the student. The Fieldwork Educator is asked to provide the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and the student with the specific concerns. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator discusses the feedback with the student and the two may develop a remediation plan to address areas of concern. Should the student have concerns following the interview, he/she should contact the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator to discuss this situation and prepare to provide specific information about his or her concerns. The decision to place a student at an alternate site based upon the student’s dissatisfaction with an interview rests with the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Program Faculty and may delay the placement.
In the event that students fail to pass the interview for such fieldwork sites, ONE alternative fieldwork site will be selected for the student based on the availability of fieldwork sites and meeting the learning needs and capabilities of the student. A failure at the interview may result in a subsequent delay in alternative placement at a fieldwork site. A failure to pass the interview will be considered a ONE-TIME accommodation that will result in no further fieldwork placements should students experience a lack of success/failure at another clinical site. In other words, failing the interview and requiring an alternative fieldwork placement has the repercussion of negating a second opportunity for clinical placement without remediation in the future in light of another clinical failure.
Any delay in placement related to student refusal to attend fieldwork at assigned site will require: 1) a letter to the Program Director explaining reason for refusal and 2) a meeting with Program Faculty. Based on the results of the meeting, a determination will be made on the course of action for fieldwork placement. The following steps may occur: 1)the student may receive an alternative placement site and this will be considered the final placement for that fieldwork rotation. If the student unexpectedly fails at that fieldwork placement he/she will be dismissed from the program without remediation, or 2) the Program Faculty could determine that the student must attend the original fieldwork site based on program policy and lack of sufficient justification for alternative fieldwork placement. If the student refuses to comply with the OTA Program Faculty recommendations the student will be dismissed from the program.
Cancellations
There are times when a fieldwork reservation is cancelled by the site. When a fieldwork cancellation occurs, the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator reassigns the student(s) in a timely manner according to the availability of fieldwork sites.
FIELDWORK PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS
Arriving on Time
It is expected that you will begin each day ready to work at the time scheduled by the fieldwork site. This means that you have settled in and are ready to work.
Arriving and being ready to work is an important professional behavior; breach of these expectations will not be tolerated. If there is an accumulation of threelate arrivals you will be required to extend the fieldwork an additional week or may be terminated from the fieldwork experience. If something unexpected does occur, promptly notify your supervisor.
Attendance and Punctuality
Attendance at all fieldwork education sessions is mandatory. Every effort must be made to avoid absences during fieldwork experiences. Each student is expected to arrive on time and remain for the entire day at fieldwork. Tardiness is not accepted and has consequences that can include dismissal from the fieldwork site. Leaving a fieldwork site early to attend to personal business or to go to work is not permitted. Taking unexcused or lengthy breaks is not acceptable. An absence due to illness of more than one day requires a doctor’s note to return to fieldwork.
Absences
Fieldwork rotations are primarily scheduled for eight consecutive weeks. Each day is an important day for your learning; any missed days impact the fullness of the experience. Absence should occur only for significant illness or an exceptional emergency.
If a student must be absent or late due to illness or an emergency, the following procedure must be followed:
If an absence is anticipated, the student must report this in advance to the Fieldwork Educator andthe Academic Fieldwork Coordinator so that arrangements for make-up can be made. If an absence is sudden, the student must inform the Fieldwork Educator by calling the site at least 15-30 minutes before the scheduled start of the day. If a message is left, the student must call again later to ensure the message was received. Text messaging is not permitted unless the fieldwork site permits it. The student must notify the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator of the day missed and the scheduled makeup date.
Absence Protocol
- First Notify the OTA Program Fieldwork Coordinator, either by e-mail or phone that you will not be attending Fieldwork. Leave a message if an OTA program staff or the department secretary is not available to take your call. Our message answering machine will validate the date and time your message is received.
- Then, call the Fieldwork Supervisor immediately. This can be done initially by leaving a voice message on an answering machine if it is late in the evening or early in the morning or speaking directly to your supervisor.
If you originally leave a phone message it is your responsibility to call again to speak directly to your supervisor or another assigned staff person in order to discuss the reason you are going to be absent and to make arrangements for coverage of your job responsibilities. It is NOT acceptable (unless otherwise informed to do so by your supervisor to do so) to send a text or e-mail message to inform the supervisor of your absence.
One day of absence:
It is at the discretion of your fieldwork site supervisor to determine if a one-day absence must be made up.
Two days ofabsence:
Two days of absence may be required to be made up. Scheduling will be at the discretion of your supervisor. The college will be notified of absences and end dates of the fieldwork adjusted accordingly.
More than two days of absence:
Depending on the circumstances, more than two days of absence may result in
a dismissal from fieldwork anda resultant failure at the Level II experience.
More than two days absence may also result in a dismissal from the OTA
Program at the discretion of the OTA Program Director.
If an absence is due to illness, documentation from a doctor will be required to
return to fieldwork if the absence is three or more days. An absence due to
injury will require documentation from a doctor stating that the student is safe
and well enough toreturn to fieldwork.
Dress and Behavior Code
Students are expected to abide by the dress/conduct requirements of the facility. This includes wearing school and/or facility identification badges at all times you are at the facility. Keep in mind that people experiencing challenges to their health should not be distracted from treatment by clothing such as leggings, low-cut blouses or provocative shirts, torn/tattered jeans, low slung slacks to reveal underwear or skin, slippers, decorative hats of any kind,large obtrusive jewelry, tattoos,scents, or gum chewing while on fieldwork. Neat grooming, including tying up any long hair, is the norm in a healthcare environment. Cell phones use is prohibited during the clinical day, other than during designated break and meal times. All cell phones must be turned off while at fieldwork and must be left with the student’s belongings (not taken with them during scheduled clinic/client time). Also PROHIBITED is the charging of phones or other devices at the fieldwork site. Additional information is described in your OTA Student Handbook.
Background Checks, Drug Testing and Fingerprinting
Background checks are completed upon entering the OTA program, but some sites may require an update or additional information. If a site requires drug testing and/or fingerprinting, it will be the student’s financial responsibility to complete those requirements. A student cannot be placed at a fieldwork site if the background check, drug testing or fingerprinting result in positive results. Such circumstances may result in a failed Fieldwork attempt and/or dismissal from the OTA Program.