Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program

1. To develop an OT fellow with an advanced skill set for management of acute and critically ill patients, while upholding the AOTA code of ethics
2. To enhance the fellow’s ability to evaluate and treat the critical care patient and communicate progress to an interdisciplinary team
3. To establish, modify and implement an appropriate plan of care to improve patient’s occupational performance, health, wellbeing and quality of life
4. Continue to expand the role of occupational therapy throughout the hospital and the community
5. Enhance knowledge and implement evidence-based practice into Occupational Therapy services provided by Hospital Based Rehabilitation Services

Curriculum:

• 53 weeks/Fellowship year
  • 1 week general TGH orientation
  • 6 weeks introduction to acute care vascular floors
  • 42 weeks education time (includes final exam week)
  • 4 weeks built in for makeup/accrued time off (ATO)

Breakdown of teaching hours during the 48 weeks of education (introduction included) Approximately 28 hours of clinical practice and 12 hours of didactic education and mentored service delivery each week (minimum hours to be spent on both didactic and clinical practice)

• Clinical Practice: 28 hours per week during educational weeks: approximately 1344 hours.
• Coursework Didactic Learning: 4 hours per week during educational weeks: approximately 192 hours.
• Mentored Service Delivery: 8 hours per week during educational weeks: approximately 384 hours.
  • Mentored service delivery will include direct one-on-one meeting with mentor(s), case studies, self-initiated research with mentor review, journal clubs, interdisciplinary rounding, and other educational components to enhance the fellow’s learning.

Total hours for program: 1920 hours scheduled, 200 nonscheduled hours for orientation, make up, and scheduled time off

Outline of Educational Materials:

• Orientation- 1 week
• Intro to acute care/Vascular – 6 weeks
• Medical Surgical* – 11 weeks
• Neurology/Neurosurgery – 9 weeks
• Trauma/Surgical Trauma* – 8 weeks
• Cardiac/Cardiothoracic surgery– 10 weeks
• Specialty/make up – 4 weeks

*Pre-transplant and post-transplant patients will be seen in all these modules (1 week built in at the end for final exam and wrap up coursework)

Hours:

Most on-site fellowship activities occur Monday through Friday between 8AM and 7 PM. The fellow’s work schedule will be flexible and allow for patient care, training, mentoring, study time and preparation. Schedules are coordinated by the fellowship program coordinator and shall not exceed expectation of more than 40 hours/week of direct program participation. There will be additional personal study time required.

Weekend/Holiday Requirements:

The fellow will be responsible for working one weekend every 5th weekend with designated days off in the week prior and the week after their respective weekend. The fellow will also be responsible for working Christmas Day and the 4th of July.

Compensation:

The fellow will be an employee of Tampa General Hospital and will be paid hourly and qualify for the benefits package offered by TGH.

Fees

Tampa General does not provide any stipends for education/living. The Fellow will be required to purchase hunter green scrubs that are embroidered with the TGH logo (information on where to purchase to be provided once the Fellow has accepted position).

Fellowship applicant must be an active member of AOTA; therefore, all AOTA membership fees are the applicant's responsibility.

Professional Liabilty Insurance

As an employee of Tampa General Hospital, the Fellow is covered by the organization’s professional liability policy. This liability coverage extends only to activities required by their participation in the program.

• Must have graduated from an ACOTE accredited Occupational Therapy program and must submit a copy of diploma
• Must be licensed OTR/L, with licensure secured in the state of FL prior to start date, no temporary licenses
• Preferred acute care experience during fieldworks
• Willing to shadow for a day at Tampa General Hospital prior to acceptance (if local)
• Must be BLS certified through American Heart Association
• Current member of AOTA
• CV and cover letter
• Minimum of 3 letters of reference
  • Recommended sources: Clinical instructor, Professor or previous mentor, or Professional relationship

The application must include a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, 3 letters of recommendation, and an online Tampa General Hosptial application.

The letter of intent must include the following and be limited to 1,000 words or less:

• What do you hope to gain from participating in an acute and critical care fellowship program at Tampa General Hospital?
• What experiences have you had that make you a good candidate for this Fellowship program?

Timeline:

• Applications open: February 17th
• Application deadline: March 14th
• Interviews: April/May
• Accepted Fellows notified: June
• Program start date: August

Selection Process:

Applications will be reviewed after the window has closed. All applicants will be notified within 30 days from the close of the application window whether they have been selected to continue with the interview process. Top applicants will be interviewed either in person or via a virtual platform. Applicants will be expected to participate in a case study review during the interview process. Once selected, the applicant will be notified via phone and a formal offer letter will be sent via email.