The Occupational Therapy Department at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers exciting and challenging internships for prospective Occupational Therapy Level I and Level II interns; and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistance Level II interns.

We support the efforts of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to prepare interns for successful and rewarding careers working with children and adolescents with varying diagnostic profiles and cultural backgrounds to reach their full functional potential. The internship program at CHOP provides a high-quality, hands on didactic and clinical fieldwork needed to create a well-rounded, fully competent occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.

Program highlights

• CHOP is a healthcare network that offers occupational therapy services to children in acute care, inpatient rehab, day hospital and outpatient settings. Our outpatient services are offered in West Philadelphia, the greater Philadelphia area satellite locations (Brandywine Valley, Bucks County, Exton and King of Prussia) and our New Jersey satellite locations (Atlantic County, Virtua and Princeton at Plainsboro).
• Occupational therapy services at CHOP are provided to children with a variety of medical and developmental diagnoses, including the following: traumatic brain injuries, trauma, oncology, amplified pain, burns, feeding, autism, facial palsy, Trisomy 21, lymphedema, etc.
• Occupational therapists at CHOP often times have advanced training in various specialty areas.
• Occupational therapy services at CHOP utilize an array of therapeutic modalities, including the following: kinesteotaping, splinting, serial casting, neuromuscular stimulation, aquatic therapy, virtual reality devices, robotic device, assistive technology, etc.

Prerequisites for internship

• All prospective interns must be enrolled in an education program which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). The internship is arranged by the academic fieldwork coordinator from your college or university.
• Level II applicants are only considered with a prior acute medical placement for their first Level II Fieldwork experience.
• All interns should demonstrate the following skills: self-directed learning with high levels of flexibility, effective communication skills, and consistent implementation of feedback in a timely manner.

How to apply

To learn more about our internship programs or make an internship reservation, please email OTInternships@email.chop.edu. 

Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Level II (second placement)
Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Level I 
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant Fieldwork Level II