McHenry County College's Student Handbook & Fieldwork Manual

FIELDWORK POLICIES

Dress Code

Whenever students are present at a fieldwork they are expected to dress, appear, and act professionally.  Students are expected to follow the dress code of the academic program, or the facility (if specified) No shorts, jeans of any type, athletic or cargo pants, Capri pants, overalls,

sweatshirts, sleeveless shirts, shirts that reveal midriffs or thermal underwear shirts.  Shirts with tails should be tucked in.  Shirts without collars should not be mistaken for t- shirts.  Clothing should not restrict movement. If athletic shoes are worn, they must be specifically for fieldwork work, and therefore clean.  Athletic shoes should be all or predominantly white. No open-toed shoes, sandals, platform shoes or high heels are allowed.  Socks/hosiery are required.

Students should appear clean and well groomed. No dangling jewelry, perfume, colognes or body soaps / lotions with strong odors.  Facial hair should be well groomed. Students should be mindful of the negative impressions that may be created by excessive body piercing, tattoos, unnatural hair colors, or excessive makeup.

Depending on the facility, students may be required by the fieldwork site to have lab coats with them during fieldwork experiences (part and full time). A patch with the school logo is available to be attached to the left shoulder sleeve of a lab coat. The purchase of a lab coat is the responsibility of the student to purchase.

Transportation

Students are required to provide their own form of reliable transportation to and from fieldwork sites.

Nametags

Nametags should be worn at all times while at a Fieldwork site.The Department will supply the student with a nametag indicating the student’s name, and affiliation. In addition, some facilities may require the student to wear a nametag supplied by that facility.  Lost or damaged nametags must be replaced at the student’s expense.  

Attendance and Makeup

Assignments for Fieldwork Level II A and B (OTA 260 and OTA 265) are full time (typically 40 hours per week).  The student’s schedule is dictated by the fieldwork site and the Fieldwork

educator/ Fieldwork supervisor.  This may include weekend or evening work, or alternate work schedules (e.g. four, 10 hour days).  The student must observe policies of the facility regarding days off and holidays (including religious holidays).

Any special requests regarding time off must be approved by the Occupational Therapy Program Director and fieldwork site.  The fieldwork educator, fieldwork supervisor, and

Occupational Therapy Program Director retain the right to deny any request for time off.  Any time away from the clinic is required to be made up and must be approved by the site

and Occupational Therapy Program Director in advance (whenever possible).  Failure to notify the fieldwork site and the director of Fieldwork of any absence is considered a violation

of the Departmental policy.  In cases of illness, the student is expected to contact the fieldwork site prior to their scheduled arrival time to notify them of the illness.  The student is expected to

contact the Occupational Therapy Program Director to notify the them of the absence.  

Students are required to attend all scheduled fieldwork seminars.  Depending on the time and location, the student is expected to follow the policies of the assigned fieldwork site for

attendance in the clinic before and after the meeting.  Dates for the meetings will be given to the student and the fieldwork site before the start of the internship.  

Students may be given the opportunity of attending a continuing education course, workshop, or in-service offered through their fieldwork site.  Attendance at these activities and makeup time is at the discretion of the fieldwork educator and fieldwork supervisor.  The Occupational Therapy Program Director, however, must be notified about any fieldwork education time the student misses due to these activities.

Temporary Accommodations

At times, students may experience a physical, medical, or psychological problem that does not qualify as a disability, but that could significantly impact the ability to complete the fieldwork portion of the OT program.  Students must provide written documentation of the health related limitation(s) from an appropriate health care provider.  Students must give appropriate

documentation to the Occupational Therapy Program Director and the fieldwork facility representative.  Fieldwork educator will work with the fieldwork site to determine whether strategies or accommodations may be developed that will allow the student to fully participate in the fieldwork education experience.  

The entire manual may be found here.