Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapy Fellowship

Program Description

The Erlanger and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program provides a world class post-professional clinical educational experience in acute and critical care at the Erlanger Baroness campus. Erlanger Baroness is the flagship hospital of the Erlanger Health System with 491 beds, 7 ICUs, and 1 step-down unit.  Erlanger is an academic teaching hospital that is a leading private non-profit, level I trauma center, comprehensive stroke center, and safety net hospital within the region. In collaboration with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the program’s overall mission is to prepare occupational therapists to meet the diverse and complex needs of patients within our community.

Program Mission

The mission of the Erlanger and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Acute and Critical Care Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program is to foster evidence-informed education that will equip occupational therapists to meet the diverse and complex needs of patients with acute illness through critical thinking, clinical skills development, and ethical practice. Graduates of the fellowship will become compassionate advanced practitioners that exemplify leadership, integrity, and social responsibility. Through the collaboration of the fellow with co-sponsoring organizations and the Chattanooga community, the fellow will participate in advocacy, education, research, and service.

Program Goals

• The program will provide mentoring to foster interpersonal and performance skills for the management of complex and diverse patient populations in acute care occupational therapy practice.
• The program will provide an evidence-informed curriculum emphasizing development of professional reasoning skills, ethical practice, and fostering knowledge of best science in acute care occupational therapy practice.
• The program will facilitate the development of effective communication/collaboration skills with the patient, caregivers, and interdisciplinary team.
• The program mentors, staff, and fellows will engage in patient advocacy, ethical practice, leadership, and service activities to serve the needs of the community and foster a culture that facilitates professional engagement.
• The program will cultivate advanced practitioners in acute care occupational therapy who practice with integrity.

Program Curriculum

• The program will provide a minimum of 200 mentored practice hours, 150 education hours and 1,400 program hours over the course of 52 weeks.

• Modules
  • General Medicine/Surgery: 13 weeks
  • Cardiopulmonary: 13 weeks
  • Neurology: 13 weeks
  • Orthopaedics/Trauma: 13 weeks

Program Eligibility Requirements

• Proof of a Bachelor of Science , Master’s (MOT or MSOT) or Doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy (entry-level OTD or Post-Professional OTD), or academic transcript demonstrating eligibility to graduate from an ACOTE or WFOT occupational therapy academic program. Academic transcript verifying graduation must be submitted prior to hire date.
• Proof of a valid license, or eligiblility for licensure, to practice occupational therapy in Tennessee
• Proof of CPR/BLS certification
• Completed fellowship application submitted to: [email protected]
• Two letters of recommendation from a healthcare professional who can speak to your moral and ethical character. At least one must be from a current or former occupational therapy supervisor, or fieldwork educator if a recent graduate with less than 6 months experience. We strongly suggest that you include individuals who can comment on your academic and clinical abilities. Family member’s letter of recommendation will not be accepted
• A passion for practice in the acute care setting and strong written and oral communication skills as evidenced by a letter of professional interest
• Completion of a background check, drug screening, and PPD through Erlanger’s Human Resources department
• AOTA membership
• Preferred:
  • Completion of a Level II Fieldwork, Doctoral Capstone Experience or practice experience in the focused area of practice is preferred
  • TNOTA membership

Program Application Requirements

Fellowship Application Checklist

Program Dates/Deadlines

• Application
  • Opens January 1
  • Closes May 31
• Interview
  • Interviews are conducted by June. The panel interview will be completed in-person at the Erlanger main campus when feasible, however, a virtual interview will be conducted when in-person interviews are not possible.
• Decision
  • Final candidate selection is determined by a selection committee after evaluating applications and interviews
  • The selected candidate will be contacted by Erlanger Human Resources with an offer by July
  • The program will accept 1 fellow per year
• Program Dates
  • Start: end of July/start of August
  • Duration: 52 weeks

Program Compensation/Fees

• The fellow will receive salaried pay commensurate with years of experience.
• The fellow will be a full-time employee salaried at 32 hours per week of clinical practice. Program participation will also include didactic requirements which at times may exceed a 40 hour work week. There will be additional personal study time required.
• The fellow must be a member of AOTA and will be responsible for any membership fees to maintain active status.

This program is currently seeking candidacy status for accreditation through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). While we are pursuing accreditation, please be advised that if the program does not receive AOTA accreditation by the time you complete your fellowship, you will not receive a certificate of completion from an AOTA-accredited fellowship program.