April / May / June • Issue 2 • 2019
According to a 2018 NBCOT Overview of Certificant Data, approximately 69%
of OTRs work in one of the following settings: schools (21%), pediatrics (16%),
rehabilitation (12%), skilled nursing facilities (11%), or acute care (9%; NBCOT,
2018, p.5). Many OT students will inevitably complete fieldwork in one or more
of these settings due to the increased number of OTRs. Conversely, only 1% of
occupational therapy practitioners nationwide report their practice work setting as
working primarily with the developmental disabilities (DD) population (NBCOT,
2018, p.5). While a limited number of OTRs report DD as a primary work setting,
it is also the case that there are a limited number of facilities which primarily service
this population. So, it may be difficult for students to find a placement or it could
seem less desirable to some students to complete a fieldwork rotation in a specialized
setting that may not necessarily lead to a direct hire. However, completing a fieldwork rotation in a non-
traditional DD setting has many benefits and helps to develop skills that translate to any area of practice.
As the lead occupational therapist at Marklund, I have had the privilege of hosting several fieldwork
students from different OT schools. Marklund is a nonprofit organization that serves children and adults
with severe and profound IDD (intellectual and/or developmental disabilities) and special healthcare needs.
Marklund has 3 residential campuses including an ICF-DD (intermediate care facility for DD), 2 MC-DDs
(Medically complex skilled nursing facility for DD), an adult community day services center, and a therapeutic
day school. Three level II fieldwork students at two of our sites were kind enough to answer a few questions
about their time at Marklund and share their experiences as students in a non-traditional DD fieldwork
setting. To learn more about Marklund, please visit our website: https://www.marklund.org/.
Student Reflections on Fieldwork in
Developmental Disabilities Settings
Rita Moore, MSOT, OTR/L
Katherine Saunders, MSOT, OTR/L
University of Illinois at Chicago, MSOT Class of 2018
When did you complete
your Level 2 fieldwork at
Marklund and at which
campus? I was at the
Marklund Hyde Center
campus in Geneva, IL from
April to July 2018 (Adult
residential ICF-DD and
adult community day services).
What other fieldwork experiences did you have,
and how was this setting different from your
other Level 2 experience? For my Level IA, I ran
socioemotional groups for 3-5 year olds in a Head
Start program with my classmates. For my Level IB,
I was at Horsefeathers Therapeutic Riding, a stable
where therapists utilize hippotherapy as a treatment
strategy. For Level IIA, I was at Niles Township
District for Special Education and worked with
students in early education, elementary, and middle
schools. Marklund was different because it was a
long-term residential setting and I was working with
adult clients who had significant physical disabilities.
It was also different because the role of occupational
therapists was more consultative and the primary
intervention approaches were to maintain, modify,
and prevent as opposed to establish/restore.
What was the most difficult aspect of being a
Level 2 student in this setting? The learning curve
was pretty steep in this setting, so I spent a lot of
time learning about different medical conditions
and precautions. Communication was challenging as
well since the majority of my clients were not verbal
communicators. I learned a lot about alternative
communication methods and assistive technology
and how to use them, as well as how to hone my
observation skills.
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