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Clinical Experiences
Fieldwork:show the world what you can do
We believe there’s no better laboratory than the community. Your fieldwork component is among the most extensive and challenging in the field, and it will pay off when you are out there on your own. Each semester, 60 to 75 of our rehabilitation students—primarily juniors and seniors— enter the workplace to observe and practice skills and techniques that will help them succeed in their careers. You’ll earn three to six credits for practicum assignments. In your junior and senior year you could be completing internships of 20-to-40 hours per week, all while earning credits.
Cooperative or “paid” education in work sites throughout the region can be an ideal complement to classroom study and fieldwork. We’ll work with you to target and pursue competitively paid positions that reflect your academic goals. In some cases, co-op experience may be used to offset fieldwork requirements. Most placements are part-time positions in local businesses and agencies. Summer placements may be full-time anywhere in the nation or abroad.
The co-op program is open to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Because of their reputation for being well-prepared and compassionate, Springfield College students are welcomed in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and head-injury and other specialized care centers. Many have reported that their fieldwork experiences have been a key component both in obtaining positions in the rehabilitation field and in performing their responsibilities successfully. We’re sure you will feel the same way.
The world awaits you: Indicators point toward an ever-increasing demand for new professionals skilled in all dimensions of this field.
For more than half a century, our graduates have been recognized by colleagues, supervisors, and administrators for their superb contributions. As a graduate of Springfield College, you will be a prime candidate for leadership positions all over the country. You’ll find excellent employment opportunities in many different settings with various populations, including persons with physical disabilities, emotional disturbances or learning disabilities, persons with hearing or visual disorders, health problems related to aging or the gamut of challenges posed by an addiction.
Springfield College graduates have succeeded in jobs as speech therapists, insurance rehabilitation specialists, rehabilitation counselors, addiction counselors, child development specialists, clinical outpatient supervisors, occupational therapists, and peripatologists. Some have pursued careers in management, for example, serving as an executive director of a rehabilitation center, or as a casework supervisor.