Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork

Watch a video testimonial below by a participant in our Student Fieldwork Placement Program.

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We love creating an outstanding experience for our Fieldwork students! North Shore Pediatric Therapy clinicians work with children throughout the Chicagoland creating an ideal Level I or Level II* OT fieldwork experience.

At North Shore Pediatric Therapy OT Fieldwork students who meet their university’s academic and clinical requirements are matched with experienced pediatric therapists to learn how to incorporate current evidenced based practices into evaluation and intervention strategies. Due to the broad spectrum of diagnosis’ our therapists treat, students have the opportunities to learn, collaborate, and discover great assessment and treatment strategies for entry level practice as an occupational therapist. The Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork program includes a week by week outline of expectations and assignments to complete with the supervision and mentoring of a licensed and registered occupational therapist.

Students interested in a North Shore Pediatric Therapy Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork experience, should inform their faculty adviser of their interest and complete our Application Form or contact us at students@NSPT4kids.com to initiate a contract. North Shore Pediatric Therapy will provide faculty and administration at the university with resources, materials, and information regarding the supervision of students upon request.

Providing Clinical Training Beyond the University

At North Shore Pediatric Therapy we pride ourselves in providing evidenced based and client-centric, holistic care for our clients, and we take that same pride in providing those opportunities to our students. The students will be provided with the opportunity to evaluate and treat various diagnosis’ and ages in the pediatric world while at NSPT. The students also get the opportunity to interact and collaborate with our other disciplines including PT, SLP, SW, ABA and our neuropsychology team.

Goals of the Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork Program

The North Shore Pediatric Therapy Fieldwork Program is designed to:

Expose students to entry level practices and models of practice in the pediatric setting.
Provide students with the opportunity to explore a multitude of diagnosis’ in assessment and treatment principles.
Provide students with experiences that will prepare them for future employment
Allow students to explore an area of interest while also exploring other pediatric populations and modalities.
Enable students to meet university requirements and prepare students for national and state licensure.
Promote communication and interaction between the university and North Shore Pediatric Therapy.

To start your occupational therapy student fieldwork experience, please contact us here.

Qualifications for Placement

Before beginning the Occupational Therapy Student Fieldwork program, students must have completed pre-requisite coursework required by their university and ACOTE to be qualified for their level II Fieldwork Placements. The student must show competence in the model of pediatric practice and display an understanding of developmental milestones, pediatric assessments, and pediatric modalities and intervention strategies. The student’s must display flexibility when working with the pediatric population and be able to understand “occupation” as it pertains to the pediatric population.

What we are looking for in a Level II Fieldwork Student:

At NSPT, we are looking for students who love what they do and are excited to learn and explore evidence based and client centric care in the pediatric population. We want students who are fun, hard working, flexible, and willing to go above and beyond for their clients because we are dedicated to making our clients blossom in their progress.

*We will only accept inquiries from Academic Fieldwork Coordinators. If you are a student who is interested in a placement with us, please have your Coordinator reach out.*

All school coordinators submitting information for students for the Level II program should email students@nspt4kids.com.

Requirements for Level II Fieldwork

*Please note, if you are interested in completing your Level II Fieldwork assignment with NSPT, you will need to have your school’s academic fieldwork coordinator contact us to schedule the reservation. We are unable to schedule reservations through students.*

The following documentation will need to be submitted prior to your first day of Fieldwork:

Affiliation Agreement from your school
An updated background check (must be completed within 3 months prior to your start date and this is done at the student’s expense)
An updated 5 panel drug screen (must be completed within 1 month prior to your start date and this is done at the student’s expense)
Updated immunization records
Coverage of Insurance from your school

All Level II Fieldwork students are selected on a first come, first serve basis.

Establishing a University Affiliation Agreement

Faculty or administrators can establish a North Shore Pediatric Therapy/University Affiliation Agreement consistent with the university’s course description, course objectives, procedures, and expectations. Based on the student’s application, North Shore Pediatric Therapy will assess the availability of locations and complete the placement process.

Intern Experience Reviews

As a prospective Occupational Therapy graduate student, It’s important to me that I get the shadowing experience I need within the field I desire to pursue, so that I know I’m on the right path. My experience shadowing at NSPT has solidified my dream of going into the field of Pediatric Occupational Therapy. I’ve successfully completed over 100 hours shadowing a variety of occupational therapists at NSPT in Glenview, and that I had the most amazing learning experience — I loved shadowing there so much that it was hard for me to leave!! I think the therapists at NSPT are so knowledgeable, skilled, and passionate about their work. I definitely found a few wonderful role models there that I aspire to be like once I am a therapist. NSPT is such a wonderful work environment as well. And I can’t even begin to tell you how much I have learned while shadowing at NSPT — I have a notebook filled with notes that I know will be helpful for me while I am in OT school, learning about some of these practices in theory. NSPT is truly remarkable and one would only dream to work at such a place with a great philosophy, and be part of such a talented and positive team of therapists. Out of the variety of settings I shadowed in during this past year, I have learned the most from shadowing at NSPT. The therapists at NSPT are smart, helpful, and willing to explain everything to me, and that is truly invaluable. I can’t thank NSPT enough for the experience to learn from the best.

Elana Monahemi

Having the opportunity to complete my Level II fieldwork at NSPT in Bucktown has been the greatest learning experience I could have ever asked for. Since day one, even when a lot of information was being presented to me, I felt well supported and knew there were many people that I could turn to for help. When I realized that at some point in my program I would be treatment planning and leading activities, I found it hard to believe I could be as confident and skilled as the therapists at the site. However, the fieldwork program at NSPT prepared me well by providing the right opportunities, challenges, and assignments that left me feeling more than ready to be an entry-level occupational therapist with my own caseload some day. During all of my fieldwork educator’s occupational therapy sessions, I could see how passionate she was about her work, making me fall in love with OT even more. My fieldwork educator [Dana Pais OTD, OTR/L] is an incredible therapist, very approachable and knowledgeable about OT. I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor, always available to answer all of my questions and finding new ways to help me build me own knowledge and skills. I was also lucky to have the chance to observe some of the other therapists working at the site and found them all to be equally as friendly, skilled, and kindhearted professionals. I began my Master’s program in Occupational Therapy interested in pediatrics and after completing my twelve week fieldwork program at NSPT, I find myself even more excited about a possible future as an occupational therapist in pediatrics. All of the kids were also wonderful to work with and I could see how much the therapists enjoyed seeing them every day. I couldn’t have asked for a better location to continue building my skills as a future occupational therapist.

Susana Zizumbo

I completed my Level IIB occupational therapy fieldwork at North Shore Pediatric Therapy (Glenview) and had such a great experience. From day one, I felt so welcomed by all of the therapists and the fun, comfortable environment they create. NSPT provided clear expectations and assignments to facilitate smooth progression as I increased my caseload. I really appreciated the support I received from my awesome supervisor, who provided daily feedback and advice. I really enjoyed the interdisciplinary collaboration between the OTs, PTs, and SLPs. I learned so much and feel prepared as an entry level OT in a pediatric setting. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better experience!!

Emily Waters

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience for my first Level II fieldwork at NSPT- Lake Bluff. Everyone was so kind and welcoming my entire time I was there and I was truly amazed at how positive the team culture was. Through the fieldwork curriculum, I was able to greatly expand my knowledge and skills with both treatments and evaluations. After completing the program, I feel very competent and confident in my skills. I can’t thank NSPT- Lake Bluff and my clinical instructor, Ashlen, enough for investing in my learning and making sure I had the best experience possible. Total 10 out of 10!

Meredith Boe