Occupational Therapist in NYC to shadow?

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Hello everyone, I want to shadow an OT in a different setting than my current one (geriatric center). I have called about 40 different places in NYC and all I got was - you need to be doing your fieldwork to shadow here/we don't accept volunteers/I am not interested in being shadowed/We have no availability... Worst of all, the very schools that asks for shadow experience to apply to their OT master are not being helpful at all and are giving me the same standard answers or are not returning my calls (One of the reasons I will not apply to NYU).

If any of you have shadowed a specific OT in the city and don't mind sharing their name and info (after clearing with them of course), I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks

Originally Posted by OTdream

Hello everyone, I want to shadow an OT in a different setting than my current one (geriatric center). I have called about 40 different places in NYC and all I got was - you need to be doing your fieldwork to shadow here/we don't accept volunteers/I am not interested in being shadowed/We have no availability... Worst of all, the very schools that asks for shadow experience to apply to their OT master are not being helpful at all and are giving me the same standard answers or are not returning my calls (One of the reasons I will not apply to NYU).

If any of you have shadowed a specific OT in the city and don't mind sharing their name and info (after clearing with them of course), I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks

One of my friends shadowed at the Hospital for Special Surgery. I think she tried the volunteer dept and got to shadow there. However, I tried calling, left a voicemail and never heard back. Looking back, I would try calling the OT dept and ask if you can shadow for just a day- key word being just a day. I guess I would try that same tactic for every other facility.

It'll be hard to be able to shadow for more than a day because of liability issues.

Originally Posted by gialuan

One of my friends shadowed at the Hospital for Special Surgery. I think she tried the volunteer dept and got to shadow there. However, I tried calling, left a voicemail and never heard back. Looking back, I would try calling the OT dept and ask if you can shadow for just a day- key word being just a day. I guess I would try that same tactic for every other facility.

It'll be hard to be able to shadow for more than a day because of liability issues.

It sounds like a good idea. So they know I wont be in the way for anything major. Who would have known that observing someone would be so hard!? Ha

Originally Posted by OTdream

It sounds like a good idea. So they know I wont be in the way for anything major. Who would have known that observing someone would be so hard!? Ha

Haha, I know, right? Good luck finding places to shadow! Like you, I only had experience in geriatrics. I didn't have much guidance on getting shadowing experience, but it worked out in the end