Coursework & Fieldwork Level I fieldwork failure?

[HopefulOTGirl]

Has anyone on here failed or had a really bad experience with level I fieldwork? I just completed my first level I rotation, and it was horrible. The CI threw an overwhelming number of assignments and other responsibilities in my direction, and there was just no way that I could complete all of them during the time that was allotted. Plus, I felt like my OT school background had so unprepared me for so many of these assignments/responsibilities that I still could not have done a really good job even if I had been given more time for each. The CI basically failed me in everything on the last day and called the directors of my program to tell them that she thought I was incapable as a fieldwork student. I am feeling so stressed about this and waiting to see if it will result in my dismissal from the program or if I will be given a second chance to attempt this fieldwork rotation at another site. I was just wondering if anyone else on here has had a similar experience with level I fieldwork and if so, would you like to share information about what led to your fieldwork failure and how your program dealt with the situation.

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[Shannon**]

What school do you attend?

 

[trep]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I'm not an OT student yet, but from what I've been told from speaking with the OTLR I've been volunteering under, i got the impression that level 1 fieldwork was somewhat along the lines of shadowing, so that's quite surprising to hear that you were allotted such a rigorous workload. Anyway good luck and hopefully it works out for you.

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

I was under the assumption that it was supposed to be more of a shadowing experience as well. However, this turned out to not be the case. The responsibilities that were given to me during this rotation were more like what I would have expected to have fallen under the line of level II fieldwork. I had honestly never seen more than one medical chart in my life and this supervisor expected me to be able to go through charts and be able to write interventions/evaluations at record speed - being able to interpret and give evaluations that I had never even heard of before. Also, she pretty much had me design and lead the therapy sessions toward the end of the week. This was a disaster as well since my program has not yet covered so many important topics such as transfers and how to safely prepare patients with muscle issues for therapy sessions.

 

[trep]

Wow, that does sounds much more like what I have been told level II fieldwork is like. I'm not sure what the expectations were during your rotation, but if they did indeed far exceed what was outlined by your institution then it would be a good idea to speak with your adviser or someone appropriate in your institution and explain the situation.

 

[ExceptionalSea]

this definitely sounds like a miscommunication between what the school is expecting from you and what your fieldwork supervisor was expecting from you. i would definitely write down every thing that occurred - what the fieldwork site asked you to do/required you to do, and contrast it with what you had learned so far in school. ask to speak to your advisor and even the head of the OT department about it. this sounds like a serious issue that you really need to advocate for yourself and approach with as logically and as prepared as possible.

 

[YayOT]

Can you share what school this is?

I was under the assumption that it was supposed to be more of a shadowing experience as well. However, this turned out to not be the case. The responsibilities that were given to me during this rotation were more like what I would have expected to have fallen under the line of level II fieldwork. I had honestly never seen more than one medical chart in my life and this supervisor expected me to be able to go through charts and be able to write interventions/evaluations at record speed - being able to interpret and give evaluations that I had never even heard of before. Also, she pretty much had me design and lead the therapy sessions toward the end of the week. This was a disaster as well since my program has not yet covered so many important topics such as transfers and how to safely prepare patients with muscle issues for therapy sessions.

 

[OTprospect]

Yeah, I'm very curious as to what school you attend as well

 

[J966]

Not sure if you will find this helpful in evaluating your fieldwork experience, but AOTA publishes a resource page on the criteria/expectations for Fieldwork Levels 1 & 2:

http://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Fieldwork.aspx

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

For obvious reasons, I'd prefer not to share what school I attend at this point. I am planning to speak with the director of my program as soon as possible to see if there is any chance that I might could repeat this rotation at a different clinical site. Since the CI gave me such a terrible review for having no idea how to do so many of the tasks that she sent my way, I am not sure if that will happen or not. From the information provided on the AOTA web page, it still seems that a lot of what was required of me would have better fit under the level II fieldwork descriptions. However, it also looks like level I fieldwork requirements can vary greatly depending on the site. It was definitely bad luck to be sent to the site I was sent to since some of my classmates who were sent to other sites had great experiences and were not required to spend the week attempting to do tasks that were impossibly over their levels.

 

[coolrunnins]

So sorry to hear this makes us all more educated but also weary of what is to come!

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

If I could do this experience over I'd try finding other students who had previously been to this fieldwork site and would have interrogated them to find out more about what I had to look forward to. I am not sure that even this would have made a difference in my case, considering how overwhelming it all was. However, it is the only thing that I can think of that I could have potentially done to better prepare myself. I just thought that I would share this idea for anyone on here who may have a first-time fieldwork rotation coming up.

 

[Shannon**]

If I could do this experience over I'd try finding other students who had previously been to this fieldwork site and would have interrogated them to find out more about what I had to look forward to. I am not sure that even this would have made a difference in my case, considering how overwhelming it all was. However, it is the only thing that I can think of that I could have potentially done to better prepare myself. I just thought that I would share this idea for anyone on here who may have a first-time fieldwork rotation coming up.

So what did your school say about the site?

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

So what did your school say about the site?

So far, they have interviewed me and the CI about what went on during the week. She has nothing but negative things to say about me, so I am hoping that they will equally consider my side of the story as they make the decision of whether to let me redo the rotation at a different site. When I mentioned the fact that I was asked to do so many things that we had not yet covered, while my classmates who were sent to other sites basically spent most of the time shadowing, their response was something along the lines of "fieldwork responsibilities vary greatly from site to site" and that I just happened to get one of the more difficult sites. Since my school's policy regarding level I fieldwork failure is pretty vague(they basically make decisions about this on a case-by-case basis), I am waiting to see whether they will dismiss me for the failing fieldwork grade or let me redo the fieldwork rotation at a different location. Even if they do allow me to repeat the fieldwork, the failing grade from the first attempt will have a negative impact on my gpa and put me on probation. This whole situation is just a huge mess, and I'm hoping that it will not totally ruin my chances of someday becoming an OT.

 

[OTprospect]

HopefulOTGirl-- I hope everything works out. It makes sense that each site would have different responsibilities but I don't think they should vary that drastically. Totally unfair to you especially since you didn't feel prepared being there. Good luck!

 

[OT2bhopefully]

Hi OThopefulgirl! I am in the same boat like you. I failed my level 1 FW last Dec. and I was devastated and very sad. My CI didn't guided me well or told me how I was doing with my clients. I failed due to professionalism. I was suppose to attend a commitee meeting with the school but I was too afraid, afraid that they will dismissed me anyways so I left the school voluntarily but later decided to go through with the meeting which was done via Skype when I moved back home. Now I'm waiting to hear back on what the school will decide. If I get back in I am delayed by one year and I'll be with the new class one year below me. Let me know what the school will say. I hope we both get a second chance!

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

Thanks OTprospect! It is very unfair, and I am hoping that the committee will keep the difficulty level of my fieldwork site in comparison to other level I fieldwork sites in mind as they are making their decision.

OT2b, I am sorry to hear that you are also in the same situation. Hopefully, things will work out for both of us. It is so difficult having to wait while not knowing whether or not a second chance will be allowed. Does your school have any kind of written policy about what happens when a level I fieldwork has been failed?

 

[OT2bhopefully]

I sent you a message. How about you, does your school have any written policy if a student fail FW? I do believe in second chances as this is a first FW setting. I was only at a SNF for almost 3 weeks. It's not long enough to show improvements or determine if I'll be a good therapist. They should not based their decision on this FW as there are a lot to learn from in the future. Learning and practicing takes time.

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

I sent you a message. How about you, does your school have any written policy if a student fail FW? I do believe in second chances as this is a first FW setting. I was only at a SNF for almost 3 weeks. It's not long enough to show improvements or determine if I'll be a good therapist. They should not based their decision on this FW as there are a lot to learn from in the future. Learning and practicing takes time.

Yes and no. The policy regarding student FW failure at my school is pretty vague. Basically, the higher powers get together and vote/discuss whether to allow a repeat of the FW or to dismiss the student. If they decide to let the student redo the fieldwork then the student has to pass it on the second try or he/she will be dismissed from the program. I agree with you that a first-time fieldwork experience of 3 weeks,(or less than 1 week in my case) should not be the determining factor for whether or not someone will have the chance to become a good therapist. I also think that the first fieldwork would be much more beneficial experience if the CI would be more of a nurturing teacher than a critical judge. Hopefully things will work out for both of us when it comes to repeating level I and continuing in our programs.

 

[Johann00]

I know this doesn't help you at this point, but I just wanted to say how rotten this seems to me. Both of my level 1's were glorified shadowing experiences; barely any different than the volunteer work before applying to programs. If your site supervisor was that disappointed with your performance, she should have let you know LONG before giving your a failure grade. Shame on her for possibly jeopardizing your career in OT or (at the very least) forcing you to retake a class.

 

[HopefulOTGirl]

I know this doesn't help you at this point, but I just wanted to say how rotten this seems to me. Both of my level 1's were glorified shadowing experiences; barely any different than the volunteer work before applying to programs. If your site supervisor was that disappointed with your performance, she should have let you know LONG before giving your a failure grade. Shame on her for possibly jeopardizing your career in OT or (at the very least) forcing you to retake a class.

From what a lot of my classmates described, their experiences were a lot more like shadowing as well. I guess I just got unlucky in getting this particular CI. It does seem super unfair, but I guess that's how life is. My school is planning to allow me to retake level I fieldwork. However, I am now on probation and have an f on my transcript. This means that if I fail any other fieldwork, class, or do anything else to get on my professors' bad side I will likely be dismissed from the program. Because of this, I'm super worried about how redoing level I will go. I am also really beginning to stress about level II since I have heard that it is much more common to fail level II fieldwork rotations and since I'd now be dismissed from school if I happened to fail a level II. Prior to the failed level I rotation, I never imagined that what I had thought would be an enjoyable week of learning would end up being such a disaster. This situation is so stressful and such a big mess.