Coursework & Fieldwork Level II fieldwork?

[HopefulOTGirl]

Has anyone on here done level II fieldwork yet? If so, would you be interested in sharing what it was like and any tips that you may have on how to prepare for level II? After a really bad level I experience, I am worried that my level II fieldwork may be a nightmare. For people on here who have done level II, did they expect you to basically know how to do everything starting out? Also, did you work alongside an OT supervisor, or do they basically turn you loose and tell you to provide the therapies etc. on your own as if you were working there as a therapist rather than as a fieldwork student? Do supervisors typically just sit back and watch the whole time while the level II students are working, or are they more involved in the process?

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[CurlyHairedGirl]

I shadowed at a place that had a L2 fieldwork student. I think at the beginning the supervising OT was showing her the routines of how things were done. In the middle, she was doing treatment plans, evals, and documenting with the OT watching and giving feedback every step of the way. At the end she was largely doing all that on her own, without the OT providing much guidance. Basically the supervising OT was just providing a licence and signing off on her work. However, this was someone who had been a COTA prior to going to OT school.

Eventually in your career you will reach a point where you have to learn to pedal on training wheels and maybe struggle with coordination. Then comes the point where the training wheels come off and you fall a few times.

I remember when I was 30 I was at a job doing systems engineering, although software development was my prior background. A girl came on who was about 24 and had just gotten a bachelors and a one year masters degree. Most all of us in systems engineering didn't have much knowledge of the obscure areas we were designing. So we would spend time researching, then come up with a design and review it internally. I could see that even after 3-4 months she was still hesitant about what we were doing.

So I sent her a short pep talk that ended in: "Be bold. Make **** up." She was more willing to come up with potential design ideas after that.

If you run into something that you are really unsure about, maybe you could say something like: My schoolwork has said X about Y condition. What do you think about trying one of approaches A, B, or C?

If you are asked to do documentation, then looking on previous examples could be a way to move forward.

If I wasn't sick of one fingered tapping on a tablet I would expl ain about the time I was 23 and in charge of the software install at our largest customer site overseas. Kind of a mess but I survived.

 

[Sunny324]

Has anyone on here done level II fieldwork yet? If so, would you be interested in sharing what it was like and any tips that you may have on how to prepare for level II? After a really bad level I experience, I am worried that my level II fieldwork may be a nightmare. For people on here who have done level II, did they expect you to basically know how to do everything starting out? Also, did you work alongside an OT supervisor, or do they basically turn you loose and tell you to provide the therapies etc. on your own as if you were working there as a therapist rather than as a fieldwork student? Do supervisors typically just sit back and watch the whole time while the level II students are working, or are they more involved in the process?

I have not gotten to my level IIs yet, but during one of my level I placements I worked with a level II student. Just like CurlyHairedGirl described, she quickly transitioned from following the OTs lead in the first week to having her own caseload at the end. She did evals, treatment sessions, and paperwork on her own and the OT gave her feedback along the way. For a large part of the time the level II student did therapy and paperwork on her own while the OT either observed or went off and did other work.

 

[trep]

I am currently volunteering/shadowing at a pediatric rehab center. There is a level II fieldwork student coming in and from talking to the practitioner she will be working with, it appears that eventually the student will be taking over her entire course-load. Although i'm sure the practitioner will be overseeing her and guiding her along the way.

 

[jewel11786]

Has anyone on here done level II fieldwork yet? If so, would you be interested in sharing what it was like and any tips that you may have on how to prepare for level II? After a really bad level I experience, I am worried that my level II fieldwork may be a nightmare. For people on here who have done level II, did they expect you to basically know how to do everything starting out? Also, did you work alongside an OT supervisor, or do they basically turn you loose and tell you to provide the therapies etc. on your own as if you were working there as a therapist rather than as a fieldwork student? Do supervisors typically just sit back and watch the whole time while the level II students are working, or are they more involved in the process?

I am just finishing up my last level II. No they don't expect you to know everything but the CI will expect you to be actively learning the whole time. Remember you are there to learn, your coursework doesn't teach you how to be an OT. Your success in FW will depend on how good of a mentor your CI is (I recommend you interview with potential placements before going, which is what my school required). If you have no choice I advise you to chat with your CI or whoever your contact is at your placement and ask such things as what will be expected of you, what is the process for an OT student like, what assignments will be required, etc. Read through your textbooks on some of the info you learned in class. For example, if you're going into a phys dys clinic read up on muscles, nerves, PAMs, interventions, etc. If you don't know something ask. You will make mistakes along the way, but ultimately everyone will we don't come out of OT school with all the answers. Generally the process for level II is like this: you start off shadowing/observing for a week or 2 and the CI will start your off with 1 or 2 easy patients, they will generally observe as you begin treating the first few weeks, by the end you should have a full caseload and be able to treat independently.

 

[gialuan]

I finished my Level IIs last year and have been working as an OTR/L for 2 months. During my first few weeks, I basically observed and learned how to write notes and treatment plans. Eventually, my CI let me execute my treatment plans on an easy patient and practice transfer training. You slowly start taking over your CI's caseload and by the end, you should be doing everything your CI does, but on your own. Your CI will be there to supervise you in the beginning. Towards the end, they kind of back off into the distance and let you do your thing.

If there are other students at your placement, I highly suggest you befriend them as they can be good study buddies or transfer training buddies. It would also be good to bounce ideas off of each other. And don't just befriend the OT students- PT students are great too.

Study up on MMT, goniometry, PAMs, precautions (spinal, sternal, hip) and FIM if you're in a hospital. If you're able to, find out what are the common diagnoses seen at the facility and read up on intervention techniques.