University of New England

Clinical education is a crucial component of the occupational therapy curriculum here at University of New England.

The purpose of fieldwork experience is to provide occupational therapy students with the opportunity to integrate academic learning with clinical skills. Fieldwork requires the student to provide occupational therapy assessments and interventions to clients in a supervised setting.

Through the fieldwork experience, the student therapist is able to demonstrate progressively higher levels of performance and responsibility.

We are fortunate in that we have the resources of  the finest health care facilities in the world. Some of these sites are found in nearby Boston and in other New England states. We have clinical contracts and schedule placements with hundreds of facilities and occupational therapy clinical supervisors throughout the United States. Our student placements are nationwide in scope.

During the 27-month professional curriculum, students complete three level I fieldwork community practicum experiences that reflect concurrent classroom information and provide opportunities for exposure to various clinical settings and client populations.

Following the third semester of the professional program, students complete one three-month clinical rotation (level II fieldwork). The final semester of the program is the second level II fieldwork experience. We require one experience in physical disabilities and one in mental health or pediatrics.

UNE OT students have completed their Level II clinical education requirements in a variety of settings including:

• A rehabilitation hospital in Hawaii
• A nursing home/ rehabilitation hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska
• A forensic psychiatry hospital in Boston
• A pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Palm Beach, Fla.
• A Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Dallas
• A neurofeedback clinic in Biddeford, Maine

Level I fieldwork experiences are varied as well including:

• Police departments
• Youth corrections centers
• Public and private school systems
• Mental health hospitals
• Rehabilitation hospitals
• Home health care agencies
• Housing for the homeless