Our Occupational Therapy program provides local and international fieldwork experiences
for students, made possible by clinical partnerships with over 300 centers.
D’Youville offers a five-year occupational therapy program leading to a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree featuring strong professional
involvement and an ongoing curriculum review. The master of science degree in occupational therapy is an entry-level degree created
for students with a BA or BS in another area of study. The three-year degree program includes courses in occupational therapy theory and practice, six months of supervised
fieldwork, and research.
We welcome you as a clinical fieldwork coordinator and/or fieldwork educator for students
in the D’Youville Occupational Therapy programs. We appreciate the time and expertise you bring to the fieldwork experience
and hope that the materials contained in this website will be useful to you.
Please take the time to become familiar with this information. We welcome any feedback
you may have and encourage you to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward
to a successful and ongoing educational alliance with you and your facility.
The Department of Occupational Therapy has clinical agreements with over 300 hospitals,
school systems, rehabilitation centers, mental health sites, and community-based facilities
across the United States and Canada. International fieldwork options can be pursued.
Local sites are available for many fieldwork experiences.
Three levels of fieldwork education are integrated into the occupational therapy curriculum.
The first level is comprised of site visits and Level I. Level II fieldwork comprises
the second level and Community Practice comprises the third level of clinical fieldwork.
Site Visits
Visits to health care agencies are part of certain entry-level courses. These visits
orient the student to a variety of services provided in the local area, focusing on
the context in which occupational therapy services are delivered or could be provided.
LEVEL I
Experiences during the academic phase of the program enable students to apply classroom
learning in the clinical setting. These experiences are associated with specific intervention
courses and place students in various settings with a variety of consumers/patients.
LEVEL II
Level II fieldwork consists of two full-time 12 to 13-week clinical training experiences,
(Part-time options are available). Each student treats a wide range of disabilities
and age groups. Emphasis is on applying knowledge through in-depth activities, tasks,
and the responsibility for delivering health care to patients. Clinical experiences
may include acute hospital settings, inpatient psychiatric settings, rehabilitation
centers, day treatment centers, nursing homes, school systems, developmental centers,
and community health initiatives.
COMMUNITY PRACTICE
An advanced placement in a community setting or educational environment allows you
to explore non-traditional or specialty applications of occupational therapy. Community
Practice occurs in the graduate year following fieldwork.
Founded in 1908, D'Youville is a private college located in Buffalo's vibrant West
Side neighborhood with a tradition of educating students who go on to become leaders
in their fields and change agents in their communities. D'Youville is home to more than 3,000 students who are studying in more than 50 undergraduate,
graduate, and doctoral programs.
D'Youville was named after Saint Marguerite d'Youville, the patron saint of the College's
founders, The Grey Nuns, and continues her mission through a focus on emphasizing
leadership and service to the communities our students serve.
D'Youville's compact campus features everything students need to succeed inside and
outside of the classroom.
