January / February / March • Issue 1 • 2019
Understanding the Entry-Level OTD Capstone Components, Continued from Page 3
to guarantee understanding amongst clinical educators and
mentors so that expectations, roles, and responsibilities are
clear for each. Important differences include the expectations
of performance, level and type of supervision, length of the
clinical experience, and the requirements for on- and off-
site attendance. One difference between Midwestern and
Rush Universities is the length of the experience. The new
standards adopted in August 2018 and set to go into effect
in July 2020 indicate that the length of the DCE will change
from 16 to 14 weeks (ACOTE, 2018). Programs may elect
early adoption of the D.1.5 ACOTE standard. Midwestern
University is maintaining the 16-week length for the DCE
for their first cohort and Rush University has chosen early
adoption of the 14-week length for the DCE.
Another important distinction between fieldwork and
the DCE is the use of mentors as opposed to supervisors.
Mentoring is defined as “a relationship between two people
in which one person (the mentor) is dedicated to the
personal and professional growth of the other (the mentee)”
(ACOTE, p. 38). Students are believed to have entry-level
skills as a result of completing all fieldwork requirements,
therefore a mentoring approach – one of guidance, coaching,
and collaboration, rather than direct supervision – is used
as another means to transition the student to the role of
professional and leader in practice. Students have both a
faculty mentor and site mentor with expertise in the area of
focus. Other significant differences between fieldwork and
the DCE are described in Table 2.
Summary
Changes in occupational therapy education, with shifts to
the entry-level OTD, present changes in clinical education.
The DCE and Capstone Project offer benefits to students as
well as clinical and community settings. Students have an
opportunity to gain advanced practice skills and become
emerging leaders in professional practice. Clinical settings
and community organizations benefit from the student’s
knowledge of contemporary evidence, time and enthusiasm
to develop or evaluate programming or interventions
for which settings never seem to have enough time, and
continued professional development through dissemination
of capstone deliverables through publication or presentations.
Table 2
Differences between Fieldwork and the Doctoral Capstone Experience
Characteristic
ACOTE Goals
Administrator
Supervisor &
Credential
Time
Level II Fieldwork
“Entry-level generalist”
Academic Fieldwork
Coordinator (AFWC)
Fieldwork Educator-OTR/L
12 weeks full time (480
hours)
Productivity
Gradual caseload build-
up with typical full-time
equivalent by end
Location
100% of time on site
Duties
Provide direct or indirect
services to client
Learning Objectives Site develops (with input
from AFWC & student)
Evaluation
Fieldwork Performance
Evaluation
Placements
AFWC with student input
Doctoral Experience
“Advanced skills” beyond generalist level
Doctoral Capstone Coordinator/Director of Capstone Development
Site Mentor- may or may not be an OT. “Expertise” in area of focus
Current ACOTE: 16 wks. (640 hrs.)
New ACOTE: 14 wks. (560 hours)
May or may not bill for services depending on site and type of
experience
At least 80% on site
Provide direct or indirect services to client, organization, or
populations.
Individualized & student developed (with input from site and faculty
mentor)
Individualized evaluation (based on program specific goals and
student goals)
Student with capstone coordinator, site, and faculty mentor
Adapted from Cleary & Kemp, 2018
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