Today I received a message from an undergrad student who had questions about observation hours. She was confused and a little concerned because she has been volunteering at a clinic, and the only thing she’s been able to do so far is help with cleaning and hasn’t had much time actually shadowing a therapist. She wanted to know if this still counted as part of her observation hours for school, and technically, these hours do still count. If you find yourself in this situation, try politely asking the therapist in charge of volunteers if you would be able to spend more time observing the therapist, especially if you see an interesting case!
So what are observation hours, and how do I obtain them?
Observation hours are exactly what they sound like, a record of hours that you spent shadowing a physical therapist. Most, if not all, PT schools will require that you have some number of hours when you apply. Some schools may require that you have observed in two or more PT settings(acute, sub-acute, outpatient, etc.). Each school will have its own requirement for the number of hours, so check their website to see what they’re looking for. As a general rule, it’s always better to have more and might give you an advantage over another PT school applicant. There are two ways you can obtain your hours – volunteering or working.
If you have the time, either during a gap year or on school breaks, I would recommend applying for a job as a PT Aide. A job like this allows you to really get a feel for the field and gives you a ton of exposure to the work environment. It also allows you to build relationships with PTs which will be extremely helpful when you need to ask for letters of recommendation for school.
On the other hand, if you don’t have time for a job, volunteering is another great way to acquire your hours. Volunteering is nice because you don’t have to make a huge time commitment, and it will enable you to spread out your hours at several different clinics.
Whether you volunteer or work at a clinic, make sure you keep a log of your hours as well as the therapist’s email and phone number! You can easily create and print out a document that contains all of the clinics and therapists you shadowed. I created a sample below so you can get an idea. Be sure to get the therapist’s signature so that you have proof of your hours! Scan this document and save it to your cloud so you don’t lose your records. You will need all of this info when you apply for PT school!
What exactly do you do as a PT Aide or volunteer?
Each clinic will have their own set of rules and policies about what they allow anyone who is not a licensed PT to do. Generally, as a volunteer, you don’t have a lot of freedom to work with patients, and you will mostly just observe treatment sessions. Sometimes if you are volunteering for a longer period of time, the clinic might ask you to fold towels or wipe down the exercise equipment. This is why I prefer to work as a PT Aide. As an Aide, you can sometimes lead patients through their exercise programs or assist therapists while they are treating patients, all while still observing and learning in the process(plus you get paid!). But don’t misunderstand me when I say, you will not be directly treating patients, prescribing exercises, or administering any modality treatments. Also, most clinics want to hire students who are pursuing PT school for the Aide positions, so don’t hesitate because you feel inexperienced!
Overall, the observation hours will help you solidify your decision to apply for PT school and give you an inside look at what it’s like to be a PT. Like they say, always try it before you buy it(PT school is not cheap)!
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