Academic Fieldwork Coordinator/Faculty Position in Occupational Therapy

National Louis University•Chicago, IL

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

National Louis University (NLU) is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and mission-driven occupational therapist to serve as the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for its developing Occupational Therapy program at the Chicago campus. The program will begin with a master’s degree pathway and may evaluate future degree options in response to workforce needs, accreditation expectations, and institutional priorities. As NLU expands its healthcare professions portfolio, occupational therapy is a priority area in addressing healthcare disparities, strengthening workforce development, and preparing graduates to serve diverse individuals, families, and communities. Occupational therapy practitioners play a vital role in supporting health, participation, independence, adaptation, and quality of life across the lifespan.

Requirements

Minimum of a doctorate awarded by an institution accredited by a USDE-recognized institutional accrediting agency.
Degree awarded in Occupational Therapy from an ACOTE-accredited program.
Certification as an Occupational Therapist from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, with current license or eligibility to be licensed in Illinois.
Minimum of two years of documented clinical practice experience as an occupational therapist.
Demonstrated academic and experiential qualifications necessary to support the objectives of the occupational therapy program and the mission of the institution.
Documented current expertise in assigned areas of teaching responsibility, fieldwork coordination, student advisement, and occupational therapy education.
Evidence of effective communication, collaboration, organization, and leadership skills necessary to develop and sustain fieldwork partnerships and support student success.
Knowledge of curriculum design, accreditation standards, student learning assessment, fieldwork education, and occupational therapy education.
Knowledge of student well-being resources, academic support systems, and strategies that promote student success, professional growth, and progression through the program.
Demonstrated effectiveness in teaching, mentoring, supervision, advising, and evaluation of student learning.
Demonstrated ability to apply principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in teaching, advising, fieldwork education, partnership development, and professional collaboration.
Strong organizational, communication, collaboration, documentation, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to develop, maintain, and sustain partnerships across healthcare, education, community-based, and emerging occupational therapy practice settings.
Experience working effectively with diverse student populations, community partners, and practice settings.
Strong commitment to community engagement, service, and the preparation of occupational therapy practitioners who are responsive to the needs of diverse individuals, families, and communities.
Demonstrated commitment to fostering student success, inclusive learning environments, professional engagement, and mission-driven service.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience as an Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, fieldwork educator, clinical educator, capstone coordinator, or occupational therapy faculty member.
Documented training or experience related to the roles and responsibilities of fieldwork education.
Experience with ACOTE accreditation processes, curriculum development, program assessment, and continuous improvement.
Experience developing fieldwork sites, clinical education partnerships, affiliation agreements, and community-based learning opportunities.
Experience supporting students in graduate-level health professions education, including advisement, professional development, and progression toward practice readiness.
Familiarity with fieldwork management platforms, learning management systems, electronic documentation systems, and data management tools.
Active membership in state and national occupational therapy professional organizations, including the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Responsibilities

Lead the development, implementation, coordination, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the occupational therapy fieldwork education program, ensuring fieldwork experiences align with the profession’s scope, values, ethics, and practice standards and remain compliant with ACOTE standards, state regulations, institutional requirements, and program goals.
Coordinate Level I and Level II fieldwork experiences in alignment with the curriculum design, program objectives, institutional mission, student learning outcomes, and ACOTE accreditation standards, including Section C.1.0.
Ensure fieldwork education is intentionally sequenced, integrated, assessed, and aligned across the curriculum in collaboration with the Program Director and faculty.
Develop, implement, maintain, and evaluate fieldwork policies, procedures, manuals, forms, communication systems, documentation processes, and assessment methods.
Develop and manage fieldwork partnerships and affiliation agreements with a diverse network of healthcare, educational, community, and emerging practice organizations to ensure high-quality fieldwork experiences that reflect contemporary occupational therapy practice and community needs.
Provide orientation, resources, consultation, and ongoing support to fieldwork educators regarding curriculum design, student learning outcomes, evaluation tools, supervision expectations, and professional standards.
Represent the occupational therapy program in fieldwork consortia, professional networks, and community partnership meetings, as appropriate.
Use student performance data, fieldwork educator feedback, site evaluations, student feedback, and program outcomes to inform fieldwork quality, student support, and continuous program improvement.
Contribute to the program’s self-study, accreditation reports, compliance documentation, and other institutional or regulatory reporting processes.
Facilitate courses by delivering engaging instruction in the appropriate content delivery methods, including in-person, hybrid, and/or distance learning formats consistent with program needs and institutional expectations.
Understand and use the university-provided learning management system and digital tools to facilitate student learning.
Utilize student assessment data to evaluate learning outcomes, inform instructional decisions, and support continuous improvement of teaching effectiveness and student success.
Prepare students for fieldwork through orientation, advising, documentation review, professional behavior expectations, readiness assessment, and ongoing communication.
Monitor student progress during fieldwork and provide support, consultation, feedback, and problem-solving in collaboration with students, faculty, advisors, fieldwork educators, and the Program Director.
Demonstrate knowledge of university and program resources that support student well-being, academic success, professional growth, and progression through the program.
Promote effective supervision, inclusive learning environments, timely feedback, collaborative problem-solving, and high-quality student learning experiences.
Contribute to curricular planning related to fieldwork preparation, professional behaviors, clinical reasoning, documentation, ethics, professional development, and practice readiness.
Empower students to develop competency by sharing passion for the subject and skills being taught by applying principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Participate in faculty meetings, curriculum development, program assessment, accreditation activities, course director/manager, and university service initiatives.
Collaborate with the Program Director, faculty, staff, and university partners to support student success, curricular coherence, program development, and continuous improvement.
Contribute to a collegial, inclusive, student-centered, and mission-driven academic environment that reflects the values of the Occupational Therapy Program and National Louis University.
Engage in ongoing professional development to maintain current expertise in teaching, fieldwork coordination, student advisement, accreditation expectations, and occupational therapy education.
Serve as a faculty advisor and mentor students/class with individual student advising duties.