Student Fieldwork Experience at the AOTA Headquarters
Fieldwork experience at the AOTA headquarters is available to occupational therapy student members** for
level II practice-based fieldwork or for an additional 6 to 12 week experience. (Note: Federal, State and
Reimbursement and Regulatory Policy departments requires an 8 week minimum.)
Fieldwork at AOTA headquarters offer students the opportunity to gain and strengthen communications,
analytical, and organizational skills while increasing their knowledge of AOTA. Students may be involved
in national projects and activities in the following areas:
Practice activities:
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Pediatrics–Develop a power point on the role of OT in addressing the needs of individuals with
ASD
Ethics–Drafting an ethics advisory opinion and writing/updating ethics FAQs also draft responses
for questions in the ethics mailbox
Home Modifications–Write brief articles for external publications such as National Association
of Home Builders Certified Aging-In-Place Specialists (CAPS) Connection Newsletter
Driving–Older Driver Initiative: Awareness building activities that may include site visit(s) to
learn more about partner activities and projects (ie visiting NHTSA, The Alzheimer’s Association
and/or AARP and then expanding member awareness by adding resources and therapist friendly
(translational) descriptions to the Older Driver Microsite.)
Research:
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Research–Disseminating research resources and opportunities, evidence gap analysis, advocating
for OT research, attending federal research meetings)
Evidence-Based Practice–Dissemination and Translation of Findings from Systematic Reviews:
Results of systematic reviews have been made available through CAPs, CAT, AJOT articles,
Practice Guidelines, etc. Consider developing a format (Fact Sheet or Q & A) on the individual
topics that could explain and highlight the focus of each format and something about the content.
Results could be organized by audience e.g. practitioners, consumers, regulatory agencies,
referral sources, etc. as a way of translating the findings.
Professional Development:
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Professional Development (part-time)–Create a professional development resource for members
or provide enhancements to a currently existing resource, such as the AOTA Professional
Development Tool (PDT)
Annual Conference & Expo–Assist in planning the educational program for the Annual
Conference & Expo and the AOTA/NBCOT National Student Conclave)
Federal and State Policy activities (e.g. legislation, regulation, and advocacy)
Reimbursement and Regulatory Policy activities (e.g. review and analysis of payment systems, assist
in member education)
(**OTA students may be considered.)
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How To Apply
Interested candidates should work with their fieldwork coordinators to ensure that a current fieldwork
agreement between the student’s academic program and AOTA is on file, prior to the student starting
fieldwork.
1. The candidate completes the appropriate application (FW II or OTD), 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 in individual sealed envelopes with the application.
2. The student writes and submits a brief summary describing:
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his or her interests;
prior (or anticipated) fieldwork experiences; information about related projects or
activities;
rationale for requesting an AOTA fieldwork experience, as well as expectations, and
objectives for the experience.
3. AOTA staff will review the application and essay, and schedule a telephone interview.
4. A letter of acceptance or denial will be sent to the student and her or his 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. Upon 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,
the metropolitan Washington’s subway system. Contact Susan Lin at slin@aota.org if you have
questions.
Please complete the related documents below:
Application Form for Fieldwork
Application Form for Fieldwork Doctoral Experiential Component
Reference Form
10/09
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