Fieldwork Educators

The placement site contact will be notified by email approximately 8–12 weeks before the placement start date confirming the placement match.

The student will be advised to send a letter of introduction to the placement site contact approximately 6 weeks before the placement start date which we ask you to respond to.

All Fieldwork Educators will also be invited to attend a pre-placement Zoom session in the two weeks leading up to the placement. These sessions usually take place over lunch, from 12:00–1:00pm, and are hosted by the UBC Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Fieldwork Faculty team.

Approximately 1 week before the placement start date, Fieldwork Educators will be sent a pre-placement memo with resources to help prepare for the placement. This includes key reminders about placement expectations, schedules, absences, fieldwork resources, evaluation, and who to contact if questions or concerns arise.

The student sends a letter of introduction to the placement site contact before the placement begins.

This letter is intended to help you learn a little more about the student, including their background, learning goals, and interest in the placement area. Students are advised to send this approximately 6 weeks before the placement start date.

Students are also expected to complete any placement-specific pre-placement requirements before the placement starts. This may include site-specific readings, online modules, courses, onboarding documents, or other requirements requested by the placement site.

If you have not heard from the student, please contact the Fieldwork Team.

We will follow up with the student directly.

Before going on their first placement, UBC MOT students complete the following onboarding requirements:

• Criminal Record Check
• Student Practice Education Core Orientation Certificate
• Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum Certificate
• Standard First Aid, including CPR Level C
• Health Immunization Review
• Towards a Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment Course

Students are also responsible for completing any placement-specific requirements requested by the site before the placement starts.

For placements with Interior Health, Island Health, and Northern Health, UBC requests student accounts using the information provided in HSPnet.

To help ensure student access is set up correctly, please make sure the HSPnet placement offer includes the details of the site or sites the student will attend, or specific access required for the placement.

If a student’s access is incorrect or delayed, please contact the Fieldwork Team and we will follow up immediately.

For other placement sites, students are expected to complete any site-specific onboarding or access requirements as directed by the placement site.

UBC retains documentation related to the following:

• Criminal Record Check
• Student Practice Education Core Orientation Certificate
• Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum Certificate
• Standard First Aid, including CPR Level C
• Health Immunization Review
• Towards a Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment Course

Students retain:

• Annual N95 respirator mask fit test
• Flu shot verification, if applicable

If you have questions about pre-placement procedures or documentation, please contact the Fieldwork Team.

UBC MOT placements are full-time. Students are expected to follow the same work schedule as their Fieldwork Educator. This may include a standard 7.5-hour workday, 4-on/4-off schedule, or another alternative schedule depending on the site. Students receive the same universal closure days and statutory holidays as their Fieldwork Educator, and are not expected to attend placement on statutory holidays.

Placement lengths are:

• Level 1 and Level 2A: 5 weeks / 187.5 hours
• Level 2B and Level 3A: 6 weeks / 225 hours
• Level 3B: 7 weeks / 262.5 hours

Students are instructed to notify you if they are unable to attend placement due to sickness or an emergency. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator should be notified for if the student misses 3 consecutive days.

For any planned absences the student should seek approval from the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator prior to missing placement.

If you are not sure if the student has approval please contact the MOT Fieldwork Team.

Any missed days, that are not made up by the end of placement, should be noted on the evaluation form.

If a student is injured or experiences a workplace incident, it needs to be reported. Reporting of any event involving injury or near-miss to a person or damage to property, or with the potential to do so, must take place within 24 hours of occurrence. Multiple reports can be submitted for the same incident.

Incident Reporting: Supervisor/Preceptor Responsibility

Step 1: Follow Workplace Protocols 

• Immediately follow standard incident protocols at your workplace. 
• Ensure the student receives appropriate care and guidance. 

Step 2: Report Online 

• Within 24 hours, complete the “UBC Centralized Accident / Incident Reporting System (CAIRS) form on the UBC Risk Management Website. 

Step 3: Inform the Department 

Notify the Fieldwork Team about the incident.

This depends on the student’s placement level, learning needs, demonstrated readiness, site policies, client complexity, and the Fieldwork Educator’s clinical judgement.

Before a student sees clients independently, the Fieldwork Educator should consider whether the student has demonstrated appropriate professionalism, communication, safety awareness, clinical reasoning, and understanding of the client population and setting.

If you are unsure whether a student is ready to see clients independently, please contact the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator. We are happy to talk this through with you.

Please contact the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator as early as possible if you have concerns about a student’s progress, professionalism, attendance, communication, safety, or ability to meet placement expectations.

You do not need to wait until midterm or final evaluation to reach out. The Academic Fieldwork Coordinator can help talk through the situation, clarify expectations, and support next steps.

Please contact the Fieldwork Team or Academic Fieldwork Coordinator if you have questions or concerns during placement.

You can contact us about student progress, absences, placement hours, evaluation questions, site concerns, communication issues, or anything else that comes up during the placement. The placement confirmation memo also lists the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator and Fieldwork Education Manager as contacts for questions or concerns during placement

There is no set number of learning objectives required for every placement. Students should focus on a manageable number of meaningful learning objectives that reflect their placement level, learning needs, and the opportunities available at the site.

Learning objectives should be specific enough to guide the placement experience, but flexible enough to adapt as the placement progresses.

Students are expected to take an active role in developing their learning objectives.

Fieldwork Educators are encouraged to review the learning objectives with the student early in the placement and help ensure they are realistic, appropriate for the placement level, and relevant to the practice setting.

Learning objectives can be updated throughout the placement as the student’s learning develops.

Examples of suggested activities by placement level are available on the Fieldwork Education website in the Description of Placement Levels and Suggested Activities resource. In addition, Module 4 of the Fieldwork Educator’s Manual explores Learning Objectives in more detail.

These examples can help students and Fieldwork Educators think about what may be appropriate for each placement level. Learning objectives should still be tailored to the specific placement setting, student learning needs, and available learning opportunities.

Students are expected to review key program and practice education resources before placement begins, including:

• MOT Student Handbook
• Fieldwork Course Outlines — OSOT 528, OSOT 538, and OSOT 558
• Fieldwork Handout
• BC Student Practice Education — Practice Education Guidelines & Standards
• BC Student Practice Education — Orientation and Preparation

Students should also review any information provided by the placement site. This may include site orientation materials, readings, online modules, policies, onboarding requirements, or other placement-specific preparation.

Students are encouraged to take time to learn about the practice area, client population, and setting before they arrive. For example, this may include reviewing the role of OT in the setting, common assessments or interventions, relevant conditions, and any site-specific expectations shared by the Fieldwork Educator.

Students are expected to complete all placement-specific pre-placement requirements before the placement starts.

UBC MOT students are evaluated using the Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Assessment in Canada (OTFAC) at midterm and final.

Fieldwork Educators can access the assessment forms, training materials and submission instructions in the Everything You’ll Need for a Placement – Student Fieldwork Evaluation section above.

Fieldwork Educators complete the student evaluation at midterm and final.

The midterm evaluation is an opportunity to review the student’s progress, discuss strengths and learning needs, and identify goals for the remainder of the placement.

The final evaluation should be completed and reviewed with the student before the end of placement.

Fieldwork Educators may ask students to complete a self-evaluation before their midterm or final OTFAC meeting. This can help encourage reflection and guide discussions about strengths, learning needs and goals.

Students are also required to complete a Student Evaluation of Fieldwork Experience, which should be reviewed with their Fieldwork Educator at the end of placement.

Please contact the Fieldwork Team or Academic Fieldwork Coordinator if you have questions about the evaluation process.

You do not need to wait until the evaluation is due to reach out. If you are unsure how to document feedback, how to discuss concerns, or how to interpret expectations for the student’s placement level, please contact us early so we can support you and the student.

T-Res is the system students use to track their placement activities and complete placement-related reflections.

Students are responsible for completing their T-Res entries throughout placement. Fieldwork Educators are not expected to complete T-Res for the student.

Students are expected to complete T-Res outside of placement hours.

T-Res should not take time away from the placement day or from direct learning opportunities at the site. Students are encouraged to complete their entries regularly so that their activity tracking and reflections stay current.

Students may discuss their T-Res activities or reflections with their Fieldwork Educator as part of their learning, but T-Res completion itself should happen outside of placement hours.