How much experience do I need to be a supervisor?

The standard B 10.17 says… “has a minimum of one year of practice experience subsequent to initial certification and is adequately prepared to serve as a fieldwork educator.”

 

Can a COTA supervise an OTR student?

A certified assistant can supervise a registered therapist student during Level I Fieldwork. An occupational therapist must supervise an occupational therapist degree candidate during Level II Fieldwork.

Does a COTA student have to have an OTR as a supervisor? Can a COTA supervise a COTA student?

A certified assistant can supervise an assistant degree candidate student under the supervision of an occupational therapist. The occupational therapy assistant candidate student can be supervised by an occupational therapist.

How many PDU's does a supervisor receive for Level II Fieldwork?

PDU’s are earned by occupational therapy supervisors based upon the number of weeks they provide supervision. For example a supervisor may earn one PDU for each week of supervision of an occupational therapy student.

Do students have professional liability? Who provides it?

Generally, students carry student liability insurance through the college or university where they attend. 1,000,000/3,000,000 is required by most schools. Check with the individual schools with which you have clinical contracts to validate.

How many level II hours do COTA students need?

ACOTE “requires a minimum of the equivalent of 16 weeks full-time Level II fieldwork. This may be completed on a full-time basis, but may not be less than half-time as defined by the fieldwork site.”

How many level II hours do OTR students need?

ACOTE “requires a minimum of the equivalent of 24 weeks full-time Level II fieldwork. This may be completed on a full-time basis, but may not be less than half-time as defined by the fieldwork site.”

Who do I contact at a school to setup a fieldwork site?

You should contact the designated academic fieldwork coordinator for each specific school.

Do I need any special training to become a supervisor?

Clinical fieldwork supervision is an important professional responsibility of each professional. There is an informative website offered by AOTA for fieldwork supervisors. A resource list has been provided by NEOTEC of books available on how to set up positive clinical fieldwork experiences.  The colleges and university academic fieldwork coordinators will be more than happy to assist you. Contact your area occupational therapy programs.

Who can attend NEOTEC's Free Conferences?

The NEOTEC conferences are held annually and are open to clinical supervisors by invitation by NEOTEC members.

Where can I find more information on fieldwork performance evaluations?

The AOTA website is very helpful in locating information about Fieldwork. They also have the Fieldwork Performance Manual for sale:http://store.aota.org.

Who should I contact if I have a student who is failing?

If you have a student at your facility that is not passing the specific tasks listed on the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation and is not fulfilling the requirement of the specific goals set up by your  fieldwork site, contact the academic fieldwork coordinator from the specific college or university in which the student is enrolled.