OT Council Held at Salus

The Philadelphia Region Occupational Therapy (OT) Fieldwork Consortium held its 25th annual Clinic Council Day (CCD) on the University’s Elkins Park campus on Thursday, March 7.

Free to participants, the annual event is a way to give back to the clinical community for supporting OT students.

With a record breaking 160 attendees, the event featured keynote speakers Drs. Michelle Marshina and Sheila Wilson from Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa., who provided participants with a framework to address issues related to how best support students who may be experiencing anxiety when completing Level II (full-time) fieldwork - when students take their textbook knowledge and apply it clinically.

After the keynote session, attendees participated in small group “conversations that matter” discussions facilitated by representatives from the Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium (PRFWC) - academic professionals representing occupational therapy fieldwork programs at colleges and universities in the Philadelphia region.

The vision of the Philadelphia Region Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Consortium is to be the premier educational resource for occupational therapy fieldwork education at local, state and national levels.

Mary Beth Thomas, DOT, OTR/L Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator in the MS in Occupational Therapy Program, Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls presented the Fieldwork Educator of the Year Award on behalf of all the consortium schools to the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 Occupational Therapy Practitioners for their tireless supervision and education of fieldwork students from across the greater Philadelphia region.

After lunch, all participants had the choice to attend two of five breakout sessions; all presented by academic fieldwork coordinators from the PRFWC schools. Topics included:

• Translation of Emergent Practice Fieldwork into Traditional Practice
  • Jeanne Coviello, OTD, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Thomas Jefferson University--Bucks Campus
  • Kristy Meyer, BS, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator,  Harcum College
  • Nicole R. Roberts OTD, MS, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, University of the Sciences
• Reasonable Accommodations: Managing Students with Special Needs in the Fieldwork Environment
  • Caryn Johnson, MS, OTR/L FAOTA Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Associate Professor, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Leigh V. Leonard, MS, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Thomas Jefferson University--Center City
• How to Foster Student Success for New Fieldwork Educators
  • Jennifer Calabrese, OTD Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Stockton University
  • Megan Strauss, MS, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, University of the Sciences
  • Bridget Trivinia OTD, MS, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Widener University
• Koru Mindfulness Stress Management Techniques for the Fieldwork Educator
  • Michele C. Peterson, MS, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Gwynedd Mercy University
  • Lynne Rockwell, BS, COTA/L, CLT Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Harcum College
• E. Safety Matters! Strategies to Increase Student Safety in Medically Based Fieldwork Settings
  • Mary Beth Thomas, DOT, OTR/L Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator in the MS in Occupational Therapy Program, Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls
  • Lydia Navarro-Walker, OTD, OTR/L Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Doctoral Residency Coordinator, Assistant Professor, Thomas Jefferson University

Jeanne Coviello, OTR/L, academic clinical education coordinator of Thomas Jefferson University - Bucks County Campus Occupational Therapy Assistant program, and a member of the Philadelphia Region Fieldwork Consortium, also on the CCD committee, was one the presenters for the afternoon breakout sessions.

Her goal as a presenter was to enhance Fieldwork Educators’ (FWE) understanding of student placements in emergent practice settings and how it translates into traditional practice. “I enjoy the opportunity to support the professional development of Occupational Therapy Practitioners and network with FW Educators and colleagues,” she said.

“We supported this event logistically and all went quite well.” said Natalie Standig, program manager for Salus University’s Department of International and Continuing Education.