Volunteering/Shadowing Opportunities

[aspirer123]

Just wondering how people got started in this volunteering/shadowing process for a physical therapist. Do hospitals require a resume or some sort as well? Thanks.

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[Jollybg]

I would like to know as well.. I know the hospital that my mother works in, has a volunteer dept.

 

[jbizzle]

calling PT clinics/hospitals usually works. Then they say if they are accepting volunteers or not. Then you will have some type of "orientation" (more like reading over HIPAA). Then you go volunteer. It's simple really, but if you're from a small town, I guess it would be hard to find clinics.

 

[TooCool]

If you go the the hospitals' websites they usually have a volunteer section and have some contact info, a #, email address etc and some hospitals have an application you can fill out

Just simply go to the clinic or call them and inquire about volunteering or job shadowing. Since PT schools require this I would assume most are happy to have students job shadow or volunteer

 

[adh28]

I printed up some copies on my resume and walked in to a couple of Physical Therapy outpatient clinics. Most of the therapists I met have been in my shoes before as well so they were totally open to seeing what they could do to help me out. Just be proactive and get yourself out there! It's amazing how helpful many of the people are that I have met along the way!

 

[bhatiaa1]

Resume are not require. Best thing to do is contact a physical therapist directly or contact the coordinator in Rehab/Physical Therapy department. Find the contact information on their website. For the most part, if you explain you're a future PT student, looking to shadow... they would understand. I wouldn't ask less than 10 hours when working a schedule. After you are done completing the hours, have a form to document your hours (this form should have the PT name and license number). In addition, ask for a referral to shadow a different department (ex., By a chance, do you know any PTs I can shadow in inpatient Rehab?). Hope this helps.

 

[bc2]

I did some hours at an outpatient clinic. What I did was cold call places and ask them if they had any opportunities for observation/shadowing. You'll find someone willing to take you in. Shadowing is a part of the whole process that those same PT's you will be calling went through, so they will be willing to help. I'm currently volunteering at a hospital, and as mentioned before, they had all the info I needed on their website. There was an orientation, a 2 step TB skin test, a background check, and then I was good to go.

 

[aspirer123]

My GPA and my resume aren't that impressive, which is why I was wondering whether or not they usually ask for resume when it comes to volunteering/shadowing for a physical therapist. But I'll definitely contact the hospitals nearby my university and go from there. Thanks for the response, everyone.

 

[CJonesrun]

You could also call schools, most have a PT on staff for special needs kids, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities or your local VA. I did most of mine at a private school for developmentally disabled kids and it was amazing! Those kids were so impressive in their hard work and fun. Plus, we used the Wii so it was neat to see that integrated into therapy, or used as a reward.