Kelsey Swope 2023
Kelsey
Swope
Academic Fieldwork Coordinator SOTA Advisor / Professional Specialist Faculty
Bernardine Hall / O'Pake Science Center
114G

Biography

Kelsey began as an adjunct professor and assisting with fieldwork coordination part time for Alvernia in 2021 and is thrilled to be joining the Alvernia OT department full time as the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013 with her master’s in occupational therapy, Kelsey quickly realized her passion for treating the older adult population along with teaching and training. As a professional, she continued to seek out the teaching and training opportunities by becoming a fieldwork supervisor, followed by mentoring new graduates, and ended with a leadership position overseeing all OT new graduates and mentors throughout her practice and placing students from many universities throughout the nation as a clinical fieldwork coordinator. Since becoming a registered and licensed occupational therapist, she has taken the time to specialize in certain areas pertaining to Geriatrics including driving rehabilitation, Parkinson’s with an LSVT Certification, and has achieved her Board Certification in Gerontology.


Through this certification, awarded by the American Occupational Therapy Association, she was able to thoroughly reflect upon her practice, clinical knowledge, reasoning, and skills. By developing the mindset of continuous improvement, Kelsey has focused her learned knowledge to formally and informally complete research to better her execution as an occupational therapist. She has presented at various state and national levels including POTA, MOTA, APTA, and AOTA conferences and her works have been published in the AOTA OT Practice magazine and a US News & World Report article. She looks forward to helping students discover their own passions within the field by creating an inclusive classroom environment for all students to feel comfortable asking questions, stepping outside of their comfort zone, and exploring the curriculum in their own unique learning styles.