Fieldwork | Messiah, a private Christian University in PA

MOT fieldwork education

Fieldwork education is essential to incorporate the knowledge, evidence and information learned in the classroom setting and apply it to the practical setting. Through the fieldwork experience, students develop fundamentals of domain and practice, apply basic tenets of occupational therapy and practice and enhance skills of observation, screening, evaluation, intervention, communication and professionalism. The students emerge in their roles as future occupational therapists and begin to develop the personal and professional skills needed to succeed as an entry level practitioner upon graduation from the MOT program.

Fieldwork education is a required component of an occupational therapy education as defined by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). Fieldwork education is divided into level I and level II affiliations. Students must pass all of their level I and level II fieldwork affiliations and successfully complete all coursework in order to graduate and qualify to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination.

Level I fieldwork experiences begin in the spring of the first year. Level II fieldwork experiences begin in the spring of the second year.

Fieldwork education at Messiah University is managed by the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator. For questions or more information related to fieldwork, contact Dr. Carrie Gorman at MOTfieldwork@messiah.edu.

Level I fieldwork

The level I fieldwork experience in the occupational therapy program at Messiah University is integrated as a component of the curriculum design. The student is required to successfully complete 3 level I fieldwork experiences:

OCCU 562 Level I Fieldwork: Pediatric Practice
OCCU 602 Level I Fieldwork: Adult Practice
OCCU 572 Level I Fieldwork: Community Based Interventions

The goal of level I fieldwork is to introduce students to the fieldwork experience, to apply knowledge to practice and to develop understanding of the needs of clients.

Level II fieldwork

Level II fieldwork is the culminating educational experience for the occupational therapy student. The student will have the opportunity to apply academically acquired knowledge of the occupational therapy process to a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional service settings. The student will be expected to integrate prior learning and experiences as they complete higher-level requirements and execute higher-level responsibilities. The goal of level II fieldwork is to learn how to be an entry-level occupational therapist. Students are required to complete a minimum of six months or 24 weeks of full-time level II fieldwork. Students will be supervised by an occupational therapist with at least one year of experience who is licensed and certified. Successful completion of all academic coursework from an accredited institution and level II fieldwork is necessary for graduation and will qualify the student to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination.