OTA Fieldwork Policies

Maintaining Requirements for Clinical Education

All OTA students are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the foregoing student health information.  This includes, but is not limited to, PPD, chest X-ray, (if PPD is positive), Hepatitis B series, physical, and the American Heart Association BLS.  It is mandatory for each student to keep these health records current at all times.  No student is allowed to attend Fieldwork with expired health information.  It is the responsibility of the student to bring documentation of new health records prior to their expiration; this includes, but is not limited to, PPD tests and the American Heart Association BLS.  Student Services provides optional health center referrals upon request for any student needing to update their health records.  Students are responsible to pay for any necessary renewals of health records.  Any student with expired health information will not be allowed to attend Fieldwork without updating the expired information.  Any absences accrued due to expired health records may not have remediation limits waived. Failure to provide any of these health records in a timely manner may result in the student missing a fieldwork course and may result in dismissal from the program.  Also, any student who accrues absences due to expired health records may receive a Notice of Deficiency.

Student Responsibilities at Fieldwork Facilities

Students are responsible for the following while at clinical facilities:

• Protecting, first and foremost, the health and safety of patients at facilities where they perform their fieldwork.
• Honoring the preservation of patient privacy by scrupulously observing confidentiality of patient information. Violation of patient confidentiality may lead to dismissal of the student from the program.
• Seeking the guidance of a Stanbridge University Fieldwork Coordinator or faculty member when unsure of what to do.
• Arranging for transportation to and from school, fieldwork facilities and other designated locations for instruction in the OTA program. Note:  Some periods of fieldwork facility education may not match other schedules (for days of the week or hours of clinical education) due to facility-driven scheduling.  Students are responsible for arranging their personal schedules to meet prearranged facility schedules.
• Making the didactic and clinical schedule in the OTA Program the top priority in their personal schedule.
• Abiding by the rules and regulations of the clinical facilities during clinical rotations.
• Notifying the fieldwork site and the school’s fieldwork coordinator of any absences from a fieldwork placement.  Failure to notify the site and the fieldwork coordinator will result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the program.

Student Acknowledgement of Risk at Fieldwork Facility Rotations

Occupational Therapy Assistant students will be required to sign, as a condition of their presence in clinical facilities for clinical education, the following acknowledgement:

I understand that due to my fieldwork rotations at various facility settings, I will be exposed to potentially infectious materials and diseases.  I agree to follow all fieldwork facility protocols regarding patient safety, personal safety, and all other protocols I have been taught at school during clinical facility orientations and during my clinical rotations.

I hereby confirm that I will seek the direction of my instructor or a facility mentor should I be unclear as to how to proceed with patient treatment or any other procedure, protocol or process at the clinical facility.

I hereby indemnify and hold harmless Stanbridge University, its employees, agents, owners and partnering clinical facilities from any liability pertaining to any infectious disease, illness, or injury I may acquire or get as a result of my participation in my fieldwork rotations, including any infectious disease, illness, or injury I may acquire as a result of my participation in a potentially dangerous clinical rotation such as at a Mental Health Unit/Ward/Facility.