Fieldwork and clinical education in OT, PT, and SLP programs
Supervised clinical work is part of every accredited OT, OTA, PT, PTA, and SLP program. BLS says OT programs require supervised fieldwork and OTA students complete several months of fieldwork. APTA says clinical education is about 23% of the DPT curriculum and 25% of the PTA curriculum. ASHA requires at least 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience for the CCC-SLP.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
Occupational therapy (OT and OTA)
BLS’s occupational therapists page, checked November 10, 2026, states: “Additionally, these programs require a specified number of hours of supervised fieldwork during which prospective occupational therapists gain clinical experience.” It also states: “To sit for the exam, candidates must have earned a degree from an accredited occupational therapy program that includes fieldwork.” BLS’s assistants and aides page states: “In addition to taking coursework, occupational therapy assistants must complete several months of fieldwork to gain hands-on work experience.”
ACOTE’s students and public page did not describe Level I or Level II fieldwork on November 10, 2026. ACOTE’s 2023 Standards, including its Level I and Level II fieldwork educator requirements, are quoted on becoming a clinical instructor. This page gives no ACOTE or AOTA fieldwork hour total. Ask the program for its fieldwork plan.
Physical therapy (PT and PTA)
APTA’s Becoming a Physical Therapist page states: “Approximately 77% of the DPT curriculum is classroom (didactic) and lab study and the remaining 23% is dedicated to clinical education.” It also states: “Physical therapy students spend on average 22 weeks in their final clinical experience.” These APTA figures are averages, not requirements for any one program.
APTA’s Becoming a Physical Therapist Assistant page states: “Approximately 75% of the PTA curriculum is classroom (didactic) and lab study and the remaining 25% is dedicated to clinical education.” It also states: “PTA students spend on average 16 weeks in full-time clinical education experiences.” These are APTA averages, not requirements for any one program.
BLS’s assistants and aides page, in its Education and Training section, states: “Assistants also gain hands-on experience during supervised clinical work.”
Speech-language pathology
ASHA’s 2020 SLP certification standards state: “The applicant must complete a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of speech-language pathology. Twenty-five hours must be spent in guided clinical observation, and 375 hours must be spent in direct client/patient contact.” They also state: “A minimum of 250 hours of supervised clinical practicum within the graduate program must be acquired through on-site and in-person direct contact hours.” And: “At the discretion of the graduate program, up to 50 hours of on-site and in-person direct contact hours obtained at the undergraduate level may be counted toward the 400-hour supervised clinical practicum requirement.”
ASHA’s 2027 SLP certification standards show “Effective Date: August 1, 2027” and state: “The applicant must complete a minimum of 400 clock hours of supervised clinical practicum in the practice of speech-language pathology that meets the requirements outlined in the implementation language.”
Graduate practicum comes before the Clinical Fellowship, which is a separate, post-graduation requirement.