About Student Fieldwork at AOTA
Fieldwork experience at the American Occupational Therapy
Association's (AOTA's) headquarters is available to
occupational therapy student members who will have completed
their academic course work prior to an AOTA fieldwork
experience. (Special exceptions may be made on a case-by-case
basis.) Occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students may apply
for an OTA fieldwork opportunity as an optional third
fieldwork.
Fieldwork at AOTA headquarters offers students the
opportunity to gain and strengthen their analytical,
organizational, communications, and advocacy skills while
increasing their knowledge of AOTA. In addition, students will
have the opportunity to meet national volunteer leaders.
Finally, students may be involved in national projects and
activities in the following areas:
- Professional Affairs (e.g., outcome-related activities,
multicultural activities, relationships with external
agencies, Association standards, ethics, Special Interest
Sections projects, research and development of grant
proposals, and completion of grant applications)
- Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) (participate in EBP
literature reviews on selected topics including: preparing
materials for dissemination on the Web site and in print;
providing information on EBP to members through the
development of Evidence-Bytes for inclusion in AOTA's
1-Minute Update e-newsletter and Evidence Perks for
OT Practice; updating the Evidence-Based Practice
Resource Directory; and translating EBP findings into
user-friendly formats)
- Professional Development (e.g., board certification and
specialty certification, planning for AOTA's Annual
Conference & Expo, continuing education development)
- Federal and State policy activities (e.g., legislation,
regulation, advocacy, and AOTPAC)
- Reimbursement and Regulatory Policy activities (e.g.,
review and analysis of payment systems, assistance in member
education)
How To Apply
Interested candidates should contact AOTA's Academic
Affairs for an application packet via e-mail at educate@aota.org. A fieldwork
agreement will need to be established between the student's
academic program and AOTA before the student starts
fieldwork.
- The candidate completes the application, selecting a
first and second preference for placement among the
selections and indicating the desired time frame for the
placement. [Note that AOTA cannot guarantee that the
student will be placed in the preferred
selections.] Two reference letters from academic or
clinical instructors are to be included with the
application.
- The student writes and submits an essay describing his or
her interests; a description of prior (or anticipated)
fieldwork experiences; information about related projects or
activities; and the rationale for requesting an AOTA
fieldwork experience, as well as expectations and objectives
for the experience.
- The potential supervisors will review the application and
essay. A telephone interview will be scheduled.
- A letter of acceptance or denial will be sent to the
student and his or her academic fieldwork coordinator. If the
student is accepted, the notification will include
confirmation of dates, information about AOTA work policies,
and instructions for the first day. On receipt of this
packet, the student should contact his or her designated
contact person to discuss objectives and expectations.
Students are responsible for arranging their own housing.
AOTA headquarters is accessible to Metro, which is the subway
system of metropolitan Washington, DC.