School of Occupational Therapy

Faculty of Health

For Preceptors

Fieldworker awards

 MR-Head-shot

A passion for people

Meet Mike Rogez, Dalhousie's MScOT 2011 graduate, is the recipient of this year's Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence.

 

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As a preceptor, you are a licensed OT who supervises, mentors, and assesses students during their fieldwork placements, bridging academic knowledge with real-world practice in settings like hospitals, clinics, or community agencies to develop their professional skills, reasoning, and identity as future OTs. You provide hands-on guidance and feedback, and you create learning opportunities that foster clinical competence and professional growth. 

Key roles of a preceptor

  • Supervision & Mentorship: Guides students in their clinical reasoning, models effective practice, and helps them integrate theory with practice.
  • Assessment: Evaluates student performance and learning, providing constructive feedback.
  • Professional Role Model: Socializes students into the profession, helping them understand the OT philosophy and ethical responsibilities.
  • Resource Provider: Shares clinical experiences, directs students to relevant literature, and fosters critical thinking.
  • Experience Designer: Assigns tasks that are appropriately challenging to build confidence and competence, adapting to the student's learning needs. 
  • Skill Development: Facilitates the growth of technical skills, clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and professional behaviors.

Offer a Fieldwork Placement

Placement dates for 2026

Jan 2 to Feb 27 Fieldwork III - Level 2 Fieldwork (8 weeks)   
Mar 4 to Apr 30 Fieldwork IV - Level 3 Fieldwork (8 weeks)
May 4 to June 29 Fieldwork II - Level 1 (8 weeks)

Explanation of Levels and examples of suggested placement activities

Placement level descriptions and suggested activities. (From the University of British Columbia).

Why become a fieldwork educator?

  • Give back to the profession and academic programs.
  • Stay current with new research and practices.
  • Develop your own supervisory and advanced clinical reasoning skills.
  • Help shape future OTs and expand the profession's reach. 
  • It takes a community - FWEs are crucial for transforming a student into a competent, confident, and self-directed occupational therapy practitioner.

What students are saying about their placement experience

  • My preceptor was great, she is a great teacher, she provided me with the perfect level of challenge, and she is really dedicated to her work which I found inspiring.
  • My preceptor has made this experience positive as she cared a lot about my learning and consistently made a huge effort to ensure I had the best learning experience possible.
  • My preceptor has taught me invaluable knowledge within these past 8 weeks. She has been an amazing mentor as she has displayed patience through having a student and has challenged my clinical reasoning skills which has allowed to grow significantly as an OT student.
  • I had very supportive preceptors who taught me valuable skills. I was able to grow in my confidence, skills and gain independence throughout the placement.
  • This was a great placement! I appreciate all the learning moments with each of my preceptors and I enjoyed working with them. THANKS GUYS :) 
  • The whole team made this experience so enjoyable and everyone welcomed me with open arms, especially my preceptor who I learned a great deal from. Her constant support pushed me to where I'm at today and I can't thank her enough for all she did in helping me prepare for my future as an OT.

Placement offers outside Atlantic Canada?

International Fieldwork placements are presently on hold.

To offer a placement for fieldwork sites, please contact the Fieldwork Team via email at otfwork@dal.ca.

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Everything you'll need for a placement

Preceptor orientation & training resources

Practice Education

Fieldwork education evaluation and feedback forms

Competency Based Fieldwork Evaluation for Occupational Therapists (CBFE-OT) form, or another appropriate fieldwork evaluation tool, for preceptor and student to complete at mid-term and final.

Student Evaluation of Preceptor and Site form for student to complete at mid-term and final

Helpful hints for completing the CBFE-OT or another appropriate fieldwork evaluation tool.

Additional guidance on CBFE scoring

Note: One copy of CBFE-OT is completed and signed, front and back, by the preceptor and the student. The second copy of the CBFE-OT is completed by the student and signed, front and back, by the preceptor and the student (there should be a total 6 signatures on each). The Student Evaluation of Preceptor and Site form also needs to be signed by the preceptor and the student.

Please email both copies of the CBFE-OT and the Student Evaluation of the Preceptor and Site form electronically on the final day of placement otfwork@dal.ca and cc’d cia.tweel@dal.ca.

Reporting an Accident/Incident

Please fill out Dalhousie's Accident/Incident Form and email to the OT Fieldwork Coordinator (otfwork@dal.ca).

Fieldwork Manual

Fieldwork Manual with fieldwork policies and procedures.

Additional fieldwork educator resources and training.

Preceptor Education Program

Preceptor Education Program

Additional practice education resources

Additional practice education resources.

Additional fieldwork education resources

Additional fieldwork education resources

Fieldwork educator recognition

Fieldwork educator awards

CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of 2025 - Dalhousie University - Mike Rogez

CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of 2026 to be announced later this year.

NBAOT Exceptional Preceptor Award

Every year the NBAOT recognizes a preceptor (or preceptors) who facilitate exceptional learning experiences in occupational therapy clinical fieldwork. This year's students nominated award will be announced and presented at the June AGM.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I become a preceptor?

We require clinicians to have completed one year of practice before becoming a preceptor. If you are interested in offering a placement, please contact the Fieldwork Coordinator. 

Preceptor training materials

Can I share a student with another therapist?

Yes, but we try to limit the number of preceptors to three or fewer to help facilitate a smooth experience for all parties.

I'd like to take a student but I work irregular hours. Can students complete their placements on weekends and evenings?

Most commonly, a service may need to offer a small percentage of service, e.g., during rotating evenings and weekends. This can often be accommodated if communicated in advance. We can make students aware of the scheduling they can expect on placement.

Still have questions? Please contact: otfwork@dal.ca.