Q: Will the fellow rotate through all the areas of practice?

A: Yes. The fellow will rotate through all major practice areas and treat a variety of patients from general care to intensive care.

Q: What will a typical week look like?

A: Each week includes clinical hours, designated mentoring, and didactic educational hours.

Q: How will mentoring be addressed?

A: Mentors are assigned by specialty area and will provide structured mentoring for an average of 6-7 hours each week. 

Q: How will didactic coursework be covered?

A: Didactic course work will be covered through independent readings, clinical education content, and lectures. Fellows will be expected to complete some of the didactic course work outside of their work hours.

Q: Will the fellow be required to work on weekends?

A: The fellow will be a part of a non-holiday weekend rotation and be responsible for covering on holiday and accompanying holiday weekend annually.

Q: Are there research opportunities?

A: The fellow will be given an opportunity to complete quality improvement projects, based on their interest.  Opportunities may arise for the fellow to participate in existing research.

Q: Is there is a preference for instate students and/or applicants?

A: UW Health provides an equal opportunity to all acute and critical care occupational therapy fellowship applicants regardless of their place of residence at the time of application.

Q: How many fellows do you accept each year?

A: We currently accept one Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapist Fellow annually.  UW Health offers many career development opportunities.

Q: Is there tuition for the fellowship?

A: No.  There are no fees or tuition.

The UW Health occupational therapy clinics have a long-standing tradition of mentoring students from local, state and national programs.

Program success is based on:

• 100% graduation rate
• 100% employment rate within 3 months graduation
• 100% of our fellows recommend our acute and critical care occupational therapy fellowship to colleagues, peers and fellow occupational therapy students
• 100% of our fellows indicate they are prepared to practice as an occupational therapist in any acute care setting in the United States

The Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapist Fellow will receive:

• An annual stipend, paid on a bi-weekly basis.
• Comprehensive health insurance coverage including basic dental and vision.
• Employee Reimbursement Account: Pre-tax deductions made for reimbursement of approved medical and dependent care expenses.
• Additional benefits include life insurance, tax-sheltered annuity and deferred compensation.
• Paid leave time to include up to 13 personal days (which includes vacation, continuing education and sick time) as well as eight holidays.

The Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapist Fellowship at UW Health is a full-time, 12½-month program.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapist Fellowship Program, you must have:

• Graduated from a ACOTE accredited occupational therapy program
• Completed clinical internships/fieldworks as required by the academic program (preferably in the physical rehabilitation/acute care setting)
• Eligible for occupational therapist licensure in the State of Wisconsin and has obtained license prior to start of program.
• Must apply and obtain NPI number prior to starting the fellowship program
• Must obtain CPR certification

New graduates with a significant interest in acute care occupational therapy are eligible to apply if the meet the above-mentioned criteria.

Licensing

To obtain information on licensing, contact the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services

Application process

• Current resume/CV
• Cover letter detailing reason for application to the fellowship program
• Statement essay of goals and objectives (1,000 words) for fellowship area of interest in acute and critical care occupational therapy along with areas of research interest. Please include:
  • Strengths and/or weaknesses that might influence participation in the program.
  • Two clinical experiences that will contribute to your ability to succeed in the program.
• Three letters of recommendation including one from former professor/mentor and one from previous/current employer
• Submit all required materials to TJ Moodie, Fellowship Coordinator, at tmoodie@uwhealth.org

Application dates

• The application period is open as of October 15, 2023
• The application deadline is April 15
• Interviews will occur in late April
• The expected offering date is May 15

Our mission

The mission of the UW Health Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapist Fellowship is to foster and augment the occupational therapist’s preparation in acute and critical care clinical practice to become leaders, scholars, clinicians, and future educators.  This Fellowship will focus on case-based learning, mentorship, principles of evaluation and intervention, and decision making that is patient-centered and evidence-based. 

The program will prepare the fellow by using:

• Experience in patient care
• Mentoring
• Didactic education, independent study, journal clubs
• Analysis of applicable scientific and occupational therapy literature
• Observation of surgical procedures and the interdisciplinary team
• Presentations to staff and occupational therapy interns

The curriculum is based on the AOTA Fellowship Program Learning Objectives (FPLOs). This curriculum ensures congruency between didactic and clinical components for each practice unit.

Clinical locations

Fellows will rotate between clinical specialty areas at University Hospital and East Madison Hospital, which are both located in Madison, Wis.

University Hospital
This is the primary academic hospital of UW Health and offers quaternary care, including:

• Level I Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center
• Burn Center
• Nationally leading Transplant Program
• Comprehensive Stroke Program
• An NCI-designated Cancer Center

East Madison Hospital
84-bed surgical and medical center, including:

• Orthopedics
• Bariatric surgery
• General surgery
• Hernia repair surgery
• Neuro spine surgery
• Plastic and reconstructive surgery

UW Health is a designated “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” in the 2022 Healthcare Equality Index and both University Hospital and East Madison Hospital have earned the coveted “Leader” designation.  In addition, UW Health has a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Areas of focus

• General care, intermediate care (IMC), and critical care (ICU) levels across all specialty areas except maternity care
• Emergency Department for early access occupational therapy services
• Post-acute care unit (PACU) immediately after surgery
• Operating room (OR) for burn related occupational therapy services

Clinical practice areas

• Orthopedics
• Vascular
• Cardiology and cardiothoracic
• Burn
• Trauma
• Neurology and neurosurgery
• Otolaryngology (ENT) and plastics
• Transplant
• Hematology/Oncology
• Critical care
• Components of General Medicine

Contact information

TJ Moodie
Fellowship Coordinator
(608) 228-8230
tmoodie@uwhealth.org

Recruitment Center
(608) 263-6500
careers@uwhealth.org

The Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapist Fellowship at UW Health is a full-time, 12½-month program that begins in June and continues through the end of July the following year. The program accepts one applicant per year. Preference will be given to experience in acute and critical care. 

About our program

This is a one-on-one mentoring program for occupational therapists who aspire to be leaders in the field of acute and critical care occupational therapy.

You will gain advanced clinical skills, learn collaborative evaluation and participate in didactic learning modules. This fellowship program also encompasses education, leadership and research.

Fellows are compensated as part of a stipend package that includes dental and health insurance.