ASOT OTD Handbook: Fieldwork Educator Resources and Information​​

Benefits of Being a Fieldwork Educator

When professionals of occupational therapy and other dicsiplines agree to be Fieldwork Educators, academic programs fully understand the amount of time, energy, and emotion that is devoted to teaching fieldwork students. The overarching goal for all students is to eventually become future practitioners, and the journey to accomplishing this goal is only possible with the support of Fieldwork Educators. Sometimes during the throes of fieldwork education, the tasks of teaching, leading, and coaching students become a "labor of love," and the enjoyment of the Fieldwork Educator role can sometimes be lost or forgotten.

Though Fieldwork Eductors have many different reasons for choosing to host students for Level 1 and/or Level 2 fieldwork, a survey was conducted and published in the May 25, 2015 OT Practice that captured the perceived benefits (as well as challenges) of being a Fieldwork Educator. This article is found on American Occupational Therapy Association's website and can be accessed by members by clicking this link. (Roberts, M., Evenson, M., Kaldenberg, J., Barnes, M., Ozelie, R., (2015). Fieldwork education survey: Demand for innovative and creative solutions. OT Practice. Vol 20 (Issue 9) (pp 15-16). AOTA Press, Baltimore, MD)

In summary, the survey results convey common feelings informally shared by many Fieldwork Educators. According to the results of this survey, perceived benefits of being a Fieldwork Educator include:

• keeping up-to-date with current and new practice and research
• personal satisfaction
• giving back to the profession or academic program
• deepen clinical reasoning
• develop supervision skills
• future employment potential

Antecdotally, other benefits include:

• earning continuing competency units that may be appliced toward licensure and certificaitons
• developing and enjoying a reciprocating relationship with the academic institution
• recruitment tool

According to the survey, perceived challenges of being a Fieldwork Educator include:

• workload pressure
• physical space
• concern about student capabilities
• cost of staff time 

Other perceived challenges separate from the survey include:

• lack of employer and/or team support to host fieldwork students 
• being unfamiliar with or intimidated by the role of being a Fieldwork Educator

To continue advancement of occupational therapy and to better serve consumers of this service, academic programs, Fieldwork Educators, and employers must collaborate to address these challenges. Strategies have been identified that capitalize on the benefits of hosting fieldwork students. Strategies include:

• creating new or updating current site-specific fieldwork objectives to build an experience that puts more of the onus on the student
• utilizing a different Fieldwork Educator to student ratio
• engaging fieldwork students in research and program development projects
• early and regular communication with the academic program's fieldwork coordinator with student progress and/or concerns

For more ideas about how to begin or update your agency's fieldwork program, please contact Juliet Steffe, Academic Fieldwork Director, using the information below.

All information found on the OTD Program Fieldwork website is property of the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy at Spalding University in Louisville, KY. Information contained in ASOT fieldwork LibGuide may be borrowed or edited with credit given to this program. Please report any malfunctions related to the information or links found on this page to the Academic Fieldwork Director, Juliet Steffe. Email: [email protected]; Phone: 502-873-4227.