Making a difference in quality of life

Faculty

Keuka College’s OT faculty are among the best and brightest in the field. Your future professors are accomplished professionals and scholars who have a passion for exceptional teaching. Your professors will get to know you by name, learn your strengths and weaknesses, and take a vested and personal interest in seeing you succeed. Meet our OT faculty:

Faculty in the Division of Occupational Therapy

Digital Learning

As an occupational therapy student, you will use the latest apps (on iPads provided by the department) to supplement your pediatric and anatomy studies—the same apps used in professional clinics.

Professors will encourage you to shoot video of your patient and use it to evaluate muscle movement from a clinical perspective, or for joint analysis. Looking for feedback? Share the footage with your professor and get their input on your client interaction.

A goniometer is the traditional tool used to measure the range of motion in joints. Numerous photo-based apps have been developed that claim to work just as well. As an OT student, you will have the opportunity to test these apps for reliability, and join the OT faculty as they move toward creating their own app that could be incorporated into clinics.

Research

Occupational therapy is an ever-changing and evolving field. Keuka College’s faculty and graduate students are continuously studying the latest therapeutic techniques, authoring books and publications, and presenting scholarly projects at conferences and professional programs.

Laboratories

Our laboratories provide hands-on experience with actual clinical tools from day one, from apps that help treat clients to equipment that evaluates reflexes. With great thanks to the Alden Foundation, our laboratories were recently renovated and are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.

An an OT student,you'll have round-the-clock access to the labs, meaning you can sharpen your skills or prepare for an exam whenever you need.

Professional Organizations

Membership in professional organizations is viewed as a professional responsibility. Professionalism begins during the college years, not upon graduation or licensure. Options for professional organization involvement are available at the student, local, state, and national levels. These organizations include:

Student Level: Student Occupational Therapy Association

SOTA is the occupational therapy student club at Keuka College and is open to all OT majors. It provides social and professional learning experiences in addition to promoting a sense of community amongst students and faculty. The organization sponsors educational speakers, fundraisers, and community service activities. SOTA is sponsored and funded by the Student Senate as an officially recognized club at Keuka College.

Membership in SOTA prepares the student for participation in professional level occupational therapy organizations.

* Several students attend both the state and national conferences each year with support from the student organizations.

PTE (Pi Theta Epsilon)

Keuka College has established the Alpha Sigma Chapter of this prestigious national honor society for outstanding occupational therapy students. Members are elected on the basis of scholarship, leadership, and service.

Eligible students must have attained second semester junior standing, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, and rank in the top 35% of their occupational therapy class. Both full and part-time students are eligible. PTE is also sponsored and funded through the Student Senate as an official organization at Keuka College.

The Alpha Sigma Chapter promotes intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and professional development. PTE is known for promoting the profession of OT during April, which is National Occupational Therapy Month. Each year, the organization brings speakers to campus who cover topics well beyond the entry-level practitioner.

State: NYSOTA

Students are encouraged to become members of the New York State Occupational Therapy Association and participate in district level meetings. Keuka College is located within the Rochester District, however students may also participate in the district they reside in.

National: American Occupational Therapy Association

AOTA was established in 1917 to promote the profession of OT and to foster excellence in practice. It does so through many routes such as:

• Developing standards for practice and education
• Accreditation of educational programs (ACOTE: Accreditation Council for OT Education)
• OT education
• Continuing education
• Consumer education
• Political action

AOTA's future depends upon the active involvement of all of its members, particularly our present stufents and future OTs.

Award Opportunities

Future OT Practitioner Award

The Future OT Practitioner Award is presented to an occupational therapy student whose enthusiasm and interest represents an exceptional commitment to the ideals of the profession of occupational therapy.

Award for Excellence in Clinical Reasoning

The Award for Excellence in Clinical Reasoning is presented to the student who demonstrates commitment and skills in the clinical reasoning process throughout academic and practice settings.

The Occupational Therapy Award for Academic Excellence

The Occupational Therapy Award for Academic Excellence recognizes a student for their overall academic excellence as demonstrated in Grade Point Average, classroom participation, field period and field work performance and research endeavors.

Leadership in Occupational Therapy Award

The Leadership in Occupational Therapy Award recognizes a member of the occupational therapy senior class for their collaborative effort to promote the profession of occupational therapy. The award acknowledges the individual’s efforts to promote public awareness and understanding of OT at Keuka College and the community at large.

Michael A. Wiley ’00 Scholarship

Michael Wiley '00 was an Occupational Therapy student at Keuka. He was, by all reports, a fine young man, an excellent student, and excited about his chosen profession. He and his fiancée, Alissa Putnam, were killed in a car accident in March of their junior year. His parents established this scholarship to remember Michael and to help other Keuka students like him who choose to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy.

Barbara Neuhaus Scholarship

Barbara Neuhaus graduated from Keuka in 1950 with a degree in sociology. After Keuka, Barbara earned a certificate in occupational therapy, a Master’s degree in special education, and a doctorate in teaching from Columbia University. She worked as, lectured on, and taught occupational therapy throughout a long and distinguished career, winning numerous awards and commendations for her work. This scholarship is presented to honor Barbara Neuhaus– Her dedication to her profession, determination, integrity, and special humor are noteworthy.

It is hoped that this scholarship will help a senior occupational sciences major finish their studies here and embark on a career that’s just as distinguished as Barbara’s.

Fieldwork

By graduation day, you’ll have more than 1,380 hours of hands-on experience in the real world—more than any other OT graduates in the country. Although every OT program mandates a fieldwork component, we have our own additional requirements to ensure our OTs are among the most well-prepared health care practitioners in the world.

Field Period™

Each year you’re studying occupational therapy at Keuka College, you’ll be responsible for completing two two-week Field Period internships in January.

You’ll be encouraged to complete these Field Periods in a variety of different settings (hospitals, nursing homes, school districts, private practices, adult day care centers, and child care centers) so that you’ll gain the most hands-on, real world exposure possible.

Downloads

• Freshman Requirements
• Sophomore Requirements
• Junior Requirements

Level I Fieldwork

During your senior year, you’ll need to complete two two-week Level I Fieldwork placements. You’ll work with the academic fieldwork coordinator to design these experiences and work under the guidance of an experienced OT clinician.

Downloads

• Level I Requirements

Level II Fieldwork

You’ll also complete two full-time, 12-week placements that you’ll arrange with the academic fieldwork coordinator. These in-depth experiences will focus on delivering occupational therapy services to patients and will be guided by experienced OT clinicians in the field.

Fieldwork Educators

Experienced OT clinicians spend countless hours supervising students in the field of occupational therapy. Level I students spend two weeks shadowing clinicians and performing minor tasks. Clinicians supervise Level II students for 12 weeks and provide valuable feedback to students preparing for entry-level positions.

Becoming a Fieldwork Educator

Interested clinicians with a minimum of one-year experience in the field should contact academic fieldwork coordinator Dr. Michele Bennett, assistant professor of occupational therapy.

Forms for Clinical Fieldwork Educators

• Fieldwork Data Form: This form is completed by the site annually and provides valuable information to students about the site prior to their arrival for Level Is and IIs.

Level I Forms

• Level I Student Report of Fieldwork Experience - Traditional: This form is completed by the student and shared with the clinical educator at the culmination of the Level I experience.
• Level I Student Report of Fieldwork Experience Level I - Emerging Area of Practice: This form is completed by the student and shared with the site supervisor at the culmination of the Level I experience.
• Level I Supervisor Evaluation of Student - Traditional: This form is completed by the clinical educator and shared with the student at the culmination of the Level I experience to evaluate the student's performance.
• Level I Supervisor Evaluation of Student - Emerging Area of Practice: This form is completed by the site supervisor and shared with the student at the culmination of the Level I experience to evaluate the student's performance.
• Level I Traditional Collaborative Objectives: This form is a basic list of Level I objectives that parallel our curriculum themes with space to add site specific objectives. This is reviewed with the student on the first day and signed.
• Level I Emerging Area of Practice Collaborative Objectives (Sample): This form is a sample for Level I objectives for an emerging area of practice site. Objectives are reached in collaboration between our program and the site, and parallel our curriculum themes. This is reviewed with the student on the first day and signed.
• Level I Sample Outline: A sample outline of the Level I experience.

Level II Forms

• Level II Student Evaluation of Fieldwork Experience: This form is completed by the student and shared with the clinical educator at the culmination of the Level II experience.
• Level II Fieldwork Performance Evaluation: This form is completed by the clinical educator and shared with the student at the halfway point and again at the end of the Level II experience to evaluate the student's performance.
• Level II Collaborative Objectives:This form is a basic list of Level I objectives that parallel our curriculum themes with space to add site specific objectives. This is reviewed with the student on the first day and signed.
• Level II Sample Outline: A sample outline of the Level II experience.

Continuing Education Credits for Fieldwork Educators

Keuka College's Division of Occupational Therapy is proud to offer a professional continuing education opportunity to fieldwork educators. To earn continuing education credits, please view the fieldwork educator’s informational video below. Once you have completed viewing the video, click on the link provided for the exam. Questions may be directed to Michele Bennett, assistant professor of occupational therapy, at (315) 279-5720 or mbennett1@keuka.edu.

Examination for Continuing Education Credit and Certificate of Completion