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Level II Fieldwork


As I am starting to prepare for my level II fieldwork rotations, the biggest thing I am trying to keep in mind is that I am not expected to come into these new settings/situations as an expert. As a student, I am not going to be expected to be perfect, as I am still learning and growing. While it is important to prepare and do my best, I know that my fieldwork educators are going to teach me and push me along during my three months in each setting. One quality that fieldwork educators like to see in their students is confidence. While I might not be confident in all of my skills yet, I should be confident in my ability to learn and improve. Another positive quality in a fieldwork student is being responsible and taking advantage of your own learning. This includes being on time, being alert, and doing work at home (researching diagnoses, interventions, familiarizing yourself with assessments/precautions, etc). I think that the ideal fieldwork student is motivated, asks for constructive feedback and uses it to improve, asks questions, and overall does their best. These are things that I am aiming to do during my time as a level II fieldwork student.
One area in particular that I have improved in during my time as a level I fieldwork student is to take responsibility for my own learning. During my first fieldwork, my fieldwork educator did not push me or expect very much out of me. Instead of asking more questions or for more learning opportunities, I mostly sat back and observed and did not want to get in anyone’s way. After reflecting on that experience, I decided to do better and take advantage of my own learning during my subsequent fieldwork rotations. By my third level I rotation, I realized that I was much more comfortable asking for feedback and pushing myself out of my comfort zone to practice administering assessments, scoring evaluations, and practicing documentation. These are all things that I was not confident enough to try during my first rotation. I am proud of how much I have improved in this area and I am looking forward to Level II’s so that I can stretch myself even more and gain confidence as I get closer and closer to graduation and becoming an occupational therapist.

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