Trainee experience

The Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, is a full-time 54-week program. As a fellow, you will experience more than 1,500 hours of clinical practice and over 350 hours of individual mentored time from highly trained, board-certified and specialty-certified occupational therapists.

As a fellow, you will spend the majority of your time in the outpatient complex.

Requirements for fellowship completion include attending and presenting at journal clubs and educational Grand Rounds, as well as completing a final research project.

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences is committed to developing and maintaining the best education programs. The curriculum and other aspects of this program are assessed constantly and changed as necessary to ensure the highest quality training.

Schedule and hours

As a fellow, you will work 44 to 50 hours a week. Schedules may vary from week to week and include:

• Mentored clinical time
• Didactics
• Research
• Learning and development opportunities, such as teaching, surgical observation and journal clubs

Independent learning and assignments may occur outside of this time frame.

Department and faculty

The Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship is coordinated and taught by the clinical, scientific and technical staffs of Mayo Clinic. Faculty members are chosen for their commitment to teaching, as well as their clinical practice and research. Many are board-certified specialists or specialty certified by the American Occupational Therapy Association. You have direct access to these individuals throughout your training, giving you the opportunity to learn directly from these experienced occupational therapists.

Maggie J. Malecha, C.H.T., O.T.

Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship Assistant Program Director and Program Coordinator

Maggie Malecha is an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist with 8 years of clinical experience at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She completed her level II fieldwork experience and was in the first graduating cohort of the Hand Therapy Occupational Therapy Fellowship at Mayo Clinic.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College and obtained her Masters in Occupational Therapy from the College of St. Scholastica. She holds a certification as a Certified Hand Therapist. Prior to working as a hand therapist, she coordinated and ran multiple youth programs and taught group fitness classes at the YMCA. Maggie presented virtually at ASHT during the poster sessions, on which orthoses limit forearm rotation the greatest.

Stephanie N. Kannas, C.H.T., O.T., O.T.D.

Occupational Therapy Program Director

Stephanie Kannas is a nationally recognized occupational therapist and certified hand therapist with over 24 years of clinical experience at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She currently serves as the Program Director of the Occupational Therapy Fellowship Program, and Hand Therapist while also holding an academic appointment as Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Her leadership and expertise have shaped advanced clinical education for occupational therapists completing Fellowships at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences.

As Program Director of Mayo Clinic’s Occupational Therapy Fellowship Programs, Stephanie oversees specialized training tracks in acute and critical care, hand therapy, and neurorehabilitation. She mentors fellows and clinicians, fostering advanced clinical reasoning and research integration into practice.

Stephanie earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Catherine in 2000 and completed her Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in 2016. She holds certifications as a Certified Hand Therapist and a Certified Lymphedema Therapist.

She is actively involved in professional leadership, serving on the AO North America Hand Education Committee and multiple committees for the American Society of Hand Surgery.  She is a past Affiliate Member At Large for the American Society of Hand Surgery, in addition to her membership in the American Society of Hand Therapists and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Her clinical expertise and dedication to education have made her a respected voice in hand therapy, frequently sharing her knowledge through international conferences, national conferences, webinars, and podcasts.

Visiting professors and lecturers

A hallmark of higher education excellence is the breadth and depth of information and experience provided to you by faculty and visiting experts. Each year, many prominent professors visit Mayo Clinic to lecture in their areas of medical and scientific expertise.

As a fellow at Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, you are encouraged to learn from these valuable resources by attending all relevant conferences, lectures and seminars prepared for students, interns, residents, fellows and consulting staff.

Facilities

Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, includes an extensive outpatient complex, Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, and substantial research and education facilities. This Mayo Clinic site is among the largest, most advanced medical centers in the world.

As a fellow, you will spend the majority of your time at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus.

Evaluation

The Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship uses these evaluative tools:

• Written examination
• Demonstration of skills
• Self-assessment exercises
• Faculty reviews

Mayo Clinic's system of evaluation provides fellows and faculty with a comprehensive look at individual performance. This allows faculty and administrative staff to direct fellows who are experiencing academic difficulty to the appropriate support resources, including tutoring programs and counseling opportunities in student services through the Mayo Clinic School of Health Science.

Graduation and certification

Upon successful completion of the Occupational Therapy Hand Fellowship, you receive a certificate of completion from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences.

You will also have 1,500 hours of clinical experience that will count toward the 4,000 required hours to take the Hand Therapy Certification Examination from the Hand Therapy Certification Commission or work towards the Board Certification in Physical Rehabilitation through the American Occupational Therapy Association.