Direct Patient Care Opportunities in NYC?

[lavitae]

Hi all,

I'm preparing for the OT program I am applying for and they require direct patient care volunteer/observation hours. Can anyone recommend me any places in New York City that allows volunteers to actually interact with patients? I've contacted a whole bunch of places (especially hospitals) but they mainly allow volunteers to perform clerical work. I also have contacted children based OT sensory gyms and am waiting for their responses.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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[hopefulOT11]

I'm not sure about NYC specifically, but have you tried asking about "shadowing" OT's instead of "volunteering?" I know I ran into that problem while I was trying to get hours, some places don't allow volunteers to interact with patients, but they allow students who are shadowing to help with care. Just a suggestion you could try.

 

[lavitae]

I have tried using the term "shadowing" but they would respond in the same manner :/ My program prefers direct care volunteering hours, though, to ensure hands on experience.

 

[mango429]

I stumbled upon a hands-on experience in a pediatric setting last summer. Send me a PM and I'll be happy to share the details with you.