Mental Health Occupational Therapy Fellowship
Mental Health Occupational Therapy Fellowship
The Mental Health Occupational Therapy Fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is an AOTA-approved 53-week clinical fellowship that begins in July.
At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we are passionate about integrating physical health with behavioral health and aspire to serve as champions for the holistic wellbeing of children. Our Behavioral Health (BH) programs provide access to crucial services for children with mental and behavioral health challenges and needs. As integral parts of our BH service lines, our occupational therapists (OTs) provide family-centered care to children with difficulties with motor, social, cognitive, sensory, self-care, and emotional skills. The goals of our OT programs are to support each child by facilitating development, enhancing function, and maximizing independence in daily activities. Our fellowship program provides the opportunity for fellows to develop advanced practice skills in the area of pediatric mental and behavioral health OT in our stigma-breaking programs and state-of-the-art facilities.
Learn More About Occupational Therapy at Nationwide Children'sWhat You Need to Know
Experience
Fellows participate in approximately 6-7 hours of weekly one-on-one mentored patient care with our program staff, 4-8 hours of weekly non-mentored learning opportunities, and 30 hours a week of direct patient care. A portion of the fellowship program includes an immersive mentored teaching experience with The Ohio State University Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program.
The fellowship staff includes OT practitioners who are master clinicians with expertise in evaluating and treating youth with a variety of pediatric mental and behavioral health disorders, including pediatric mood disorders, trauma disorders, neurobehavioral disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, eating disorders, disorders of psychosis, and comorbid chronic pain and behavioral health disorders. Our fellowship staff provide skilled services across the Behavioral Health (BH) continuum of care at Nationwide Children's Hospital, including in inpatient psychiatric programs, crisis stabilization programs, partial hospitalization programs, and outpatient programs. Our fellowship staff also include faculty at The Ohio State University.
Unique educational opportunities accessible to fellows include involvement in various multidisciplinary programs, participating in clinical research, completing leadership projects, and lecturing to other therapists and students as well as to the community. The fellow will have online access to educational materials through The Ohio State University Library and can receive research assistance from our evidence-based practice coordinators and research scientists.
Our fellows are employed full-time by Nationwide Children’s Hospital and receive a benefits package including medical and retirement (403B) plans. The salary is competitive compared to similar programs throughout the nation.
Research
Research education and training are vital to the mission of Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. As a top-ten free-standing pediatric research center and an academic affiliate of The Ohio State University, The Research Institute has an outstanding faculty, dedicated to training and mentoring the next generation of scientists in pediatric research.
Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Advocacy
Advocacy training fosters and encourages interest in child advocacy by early involvement and exposure to its many aspects such as addressing social determinants of health, community collaboration, health finance, health policy and legislative advocacy.
Application and Selection
At the time of application, fellowship applicants must be either:
- A graduate of an accredited OT program with a current Ohio OT license, or
- Currently enrolled in an accredited OT program with the plan to graduate and obtain Ohio licensure prior to the start of the fellowship program.
Applicants must either have:
- Prior work experience as a pediatric and/or mental health OT, or
- A Level II OT fieldwork in the area of pediatrics and/or mental health.
Three professional letters of reference must be submitted at the time of application as well as a personal statement.
Any questions in regard to the fellowship can be sent to Megan McKim, MOT, OTR/L at Megan.McKim@nationwidechildrens.org.
2023:
Applications will be accepted through May 26, 2023. Early application is encouraged, if possible, as rolling interviews will begin in May. There is no fee to apply.
Future Years:
Applications will be accepted from January 15 through February 28 each year with interviews beginning in March. There is no fee to apply.
Faculty
- Megan McKim, MOT, OTR/L
Program Coordinator - Lindsay Davis, MOT, OTR/L
- Madeline Davis-Rowley, OTD, OTR/L
- Rob Griffiths, MOT, OTR/L
- Lauren Justice, MOT, OTR/L, BCP, CLC
- Katherine Mount, MOT, OTR/L
- Emily Riepenhoff, MOT, OTR/L
- Madison Sternberg, OTD, OTR/L
- Kelly Tanner, PhD, OTR/L, BCP
- Lindy Weaver, PhD, MOT, OTR/L (OSU Faculty)
Additional Resources
Contact
Megan McKim, MOT, OTR/L
Clinical Manager & Fellowship Coordinator, Clinical Therapies Behavioral Health
Megan.McKim@NationwideChildrens.org
(614) 722-3677
Kelly Tanner, PhD, OTR/L, BCP
Research Scientist, Clinical Therapies
Kelly.Tanner@NationwideChildrens.org
(614) 722-8697
