Position summary

Andrews University’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences is seeking a full time Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, who will create, implement, and oversea the fieldwork education of the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) students according to the Accrediting Council of Occupational Therapy Education’s (ACOTE) fieldwork standards. 
 

Qualifications summary

Education and/or Experience

 

• The ideal candidate will have experience with OTD AFWC program, administration, and ACOTE accreditation.
• An earned doctoral degree in occupational therapy or related field from USDE accredited university.
• An occupational therapist licensed or eligible for licensure in the state of Michigan.
• Minimum of 2 years as an occupational therapist preferably as AFWC in an OTD academic program.

Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.

Duties and responsibilities

• The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC) is one of the essential leadership positions in the occupational therapy doctorate program at Andrews University’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences (AU SRS). 
• The ideal candidate must have at least 2 years of clinical experience and will be a full-time faculty member (12-month appointment), with a desire for a multifaceted role within the occupational therapy doctorate program. 
• The AFWC will be a member the AOTA’s Academic Leadership Council (ALC) which meets twice a year in the spring and fall at specific locations selected by AOTA, to share ideas, discuss current issues, and updates on educational practices.
• The primary role of the AFWC is to create, implement, and oversee fieldwork education in accordance with Accrediting Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) fieldwork requirements/standards. 
• AFWC is also responsible for providing valuable input to curricular design & redesign, policy development & updates, overall administration capabilities, and engaging in teaching & scholarship.
• AFWC is responsible for ensuring the fieldwork education program synthesizes with the AU OTD didactic program.
• The AFWC is a full-time faculty position as such the job responsibilities include at a minimum, curriculum design, teaching, and student advisement within the didactic portion of the student’s education as wells as during their time on fieldwork.  
• AFWC will be responsible for student fieldwork placement, coordination, and supervision in collaboration with clinical fieldwork educators. 
• The AFWC responsibility includes frequent travels to various fieldwork sites (site visits) to meet with students and fieldwork educators supervising OTD students during their fieldwork.  Travel to clinical sites by airplane, rental car and/or personal vehicle, as appropriate.
   

Supervisory responsibilities

• AFWC is responsible for ensuring the fieldwork education program synthesizes with the AU OTD didactic program.
• The AFWC is a full-time faculty position as such the job responsibilities include at a minimum, curriculum design, teaching, and student advisement within the didactic portion of the student’s education as wells as during their time on fieldwork.  
• AFWC will be responsible for student fieldwork placement, coordination, and supervision in collaboration with clinical fieldwork educators. 
• The AFWC responsibility includes frequent travels to various fieldwork sites (site visits) to meet with students and fieldwork educators supervising OTD students during their fieldwork.  Travel to clinical sites by airplane, rental car and/or personal vehicle, as appropriate.

Qualifications

• Leadership and strong verbal and written communication skills. The AWFC must be able to coordinate multiple ongoing projects and communicate effectively with community partners, as well as the faculty and program director. Specific skills include:
   

  1. Ability to locate, market, recruit, develop, and evaluate new and existing fieldwork sites (including site visits).
  2. Initiate and negotiate affiliation agreements/clinical training agreements/memorandum of understanding (MOUs) involving legal or administrative staff as needed.
  3. Schedule and confirm student placements.
  4. Monitor student progress during fieldwork rotations and provide mediation as needed.
  5. Develop and update fieldwork educator handbooks, student manuals, and fieldwork course syllabi. 

  
   

• Collaborative and innovative thinking to allow fieldwork experiences to expand occupational therapy into emerging professional practice areas, create opportunities for inter-professional learning/collaboration, and apply creative problem-solving skills.
   

  1. Collaborate with fieldwork sites and fieldwork educators to design learning experiences that integrate program learning objectives and outcomes into their specific context.
  2. Advise fieldwork educators who are working with a struggling student.
  3. Develop site capacity through mentorship and educational opportunities for fieldwork educators to improve supervisory and instructional skills.
  4. Identify new and emerging practice areas and design programs that support student learning in these areas.

  
   

• Organizational skills and ability to understand curriculum design to manage multiple student placements and all placement aspects, ensure consistency of experience to the curriculum, and proactively inform the program about new and innovative practice initiatives.

1. Create and implement a model of Level I and II Fieldwork practice and procedures to ensure that they match the program’s curriculum design.
2. Ensure that students meet site health and onboarding requirements for fieldwork.
3. Manage all fieldwork data collected for fieldwork program evaluation, curriculum analysis, and accreditation.
4. Develop, implement, and evaluate fieldwork education policy.
5. Develop protocol/procedures to ensure program compliance with ACOTE Standards and prepare for accreditation.

• Teaching and expertise with advising and provision of remediation techniques when needed to ensure student success, whenever possible.
   

  1. Advise students on developing skills needed for site specific objectives.
  2. Aid students with managing communication skills required for interactions with teams, clients, any other community partners on site.
  3. Communicate with sites and students regularly to monitor progress toward success.

   

• Management and higher-level administrative tasks, including but not limited to:
   

  1. Initiate the creation of affiliation agreements with new sites as needed.
  2. Collect and interpret data for fieldwork program evaluation and curriculum development.
  3. Act as liaison between academic faculty and fieldwork educators to integrate fieldwork with academic curricula.
  4. Market the program to outside partners, build and develop community relationships.
  5. Supervise student workers and/or administrative staff who may offer support for completing departmental tasks.

  
   
  Must be a Seventh-day Adventist in good and regular standing.

Technical competencies

Language Skills

Ability to communicate in English expressively and receptively with all persons.

Mathematical Skills

Knowledge of basic statistical manipulations, financial and accounting processes.

Reasoning Ability

Possesses critical inquiry skills and judgment necessary to guide and interact with faculty, staff, and students. 

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

An occupational therapist with a doctorate degree from USDE accredited institutions (Doctoral degree is not limited to Occupational therapy). 

Be National Board of Certification of Occupational therapist (NBCOT) Certified or registered.

Be licensed or elligible for and obtain a current occupational therapist practice license for the state of Michigan and be qualified for American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Michigan Occupational Therapy Association (MIOTA) membership.

 

Interpersonal interactions

Language Skills

Ability to communicate in English expressively and receptively with all persons.

Mathematical Skills

Knowledge of basic statistical manipulations, financial and accounting processes.

Reasoning Ability

Possesses critical inquiry skills and judgment necessary to guide and interact with faculty, staff, and students. 

 

Physical demands

• Stand, talk, and demonstrate at a level to be understood for two or more hours at one time as required for lecture and laboratory sessions.
• Ambulate approximately 500 yards and negotiate at least 2 flights of stairs to get around campus as needed.
• Be able to perform physical tasks relevant to the teaching load.
• Be able and available to travel by personal vehicle or commercial transportation for distant fieldwork site visits.
• Be able to be away from home for two or more days at one time during fieldwork site visits.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work environment

• Office space, lecture hall, laboratory space, university library, various on campus conference rooms, occasional off-campus clinical sites, faculty lounge, work, and storage areas.
• Work in close quarters with other faculty, staff, and students.