Early Dismissal or Failure of Fieldwork Experiences
The fieldwork facility may temporarily suspend, and/or may request the Program to withdraw, any student whose conduct or health status may have a detrimental effect on the fieldwork facility's professional staff or its patients or clients. In such cases, the fieldwork facility shall notify the Institute of such temporary suspension as soon as possible. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator may withdraw any student from the fieldwork program whose progress, achievement or adjustment does not appear to justify the student continuing with the placement. Wherever possible, such suspension or withdrawal shall be planned cooperatively by the fieldwork facility and the academic program, and any grievance against any student shall be discussed with the student and the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator.
Grade Determination
If a student is suspended or withdrawn from a fieldwork placement by the facility, the student’s final grade will be determined by the course faculty. The course faculty will assign the final grade based on a comprehensive review of all available information. While student perspectives are valued and will be considered as part of the review, the final grade will be determined in alignment with course objectives, professional standards, and input from the clinical site as appropriate. Depending on the situation, the student may receive a Fail (F), or Incomplete (I).
In making this determination, the course faculty will consider the following:
- The timing and nature of the termination
- FWPE scores, with particular attention to failing indicators such as:
- A score of 1 in any section
- A score of less than 3 on any of the first three items, which reflect foundational professional behaviors
- Documentation from the fieldwork educator or site, including but not limited to emails, evaluations, and reports of student performance or conduct
- The student’s documented professional behavior, engagement, and clinical reasoning throughout the placement
- 6.1.0.Fieldwork Site Policies and Procedures
Students are expected to adhere to all safety guidelines and policies and procedures of the fieldwork site in which the fieldwork education experience takes place. Failure to do so may result in dismissal of the fieldwork experience and a grade of “F” for that fieldwork course.
Failure of a fieldwork experience is considered failure in a professional course and is associated with all actions and penalties that may occur with any failure of a professional course. Failure of a Level II fieldwork placement will result in the need to repeat the course, requiring the student to register and pay an additional 6.0 credits. Any repeat fieldwork placement is scheduled based on the availability of fieldwork sites and may result in a delay in the program’s progression, which may also impact the student’s financial aid.
Level I fieldwork cannot be substituted for any part of Level II fieldwork. If a student's placement in Level II fieldwork is terminated for any reason, time spent in Level I fieldwork cannot be used to meet Level II fieldwork requirements. For Level II Fieldwork students are permitted to log only the time spent onsite fieldwork; time spent outside of fieldwork hours, such as preparing for the next day, will be required but cannot be logged. This policy ensures that the depth and breadth of experience necessary for competent professional practice are adequately met, and it upholds the standards set by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education. This may be completed on a part-time basis, as defined by the fieldwork placement in accordance with the fieldwork placement’s usual and customary personal policies, as long as it is at least 50% of an FTE at that site.
If a student fails any fieldwork experience, the AFWC will make a recommendation to the Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures regarding continued enrollment in the program. Depending on the reasons for the failure, the AFWC may recommend continued enrollment or dismissal from the program.
If the student is continuing in the program, the AFWC may recommend to the Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures that the student completes remedial work prior to repeating the failed fieldwork experience. Remedial activities may include repetition of professional courses, additional focused fieldwork experience, or independent study. The process of making up a failed fieldwork experience will most often disrupt the flow of progression in the academic curriculum.
Failure to successfully complete any two fieldwork experiences will result in dismissal from the program.