General Admissions & OTCAS What counts as observation hours?

[coldness]

Hello. I am trying to apply for CSDH and other california schools this coming cycle. The problem, however, is that it seems really hard to get the requisite amount of observation hours under an OT.

I was wondering whether my volunteering services under a rehab center that has hand therapists and a lot of physical therapists would count as time spent observing. I have roughly 100 hours at this rehab center, but it mainly involved cleaning dirty linen and wiping down equipment. I did help the OTs with this as well, however, and I did manage to catch glimpses of the OT performing their duties.

I will of course continue to try to get actual OT hours, in order to get the LOR from one, which I of course wouldn't have been able to do at the rehab center, with at least 40 hours worth of time, but can I supplement the 80 hour requirements of CSDH for instance, with the time I had at the rehab center?

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[lcs2074]

As long as the hand therapists were OTs, then yes it should count! There's no reason you can't ask a hand therapist (who is an OTRL as well, and most are) for a letter of rec.

If you have any doubts or worries about it you can always talk to admissions at the schools you are interested in as well. Talking to them also let's them get to know you a bit and shows you care, which can help you stand out from the crowd of applicants as well. Good luck!

 

[lcs2074]

Also I believe schools generally care less about the amount of hours than about there being a variety of ages/settings, so even though the 100 hrs probably count still try to get a few hours in other places!

 

[coldness]

What I am worried about is that the place had mainly physical therapists where I was around, and a small section for hand therapists, and that I wasn't really assigned to anyone or anything. I was there mainly for wiping down gym equipment and replacing linen and lining the bed with linen.

I didn't get to know the OTs at all. So, I was wondering whether that would still count for hours towards OT (the requisite 80 for CSDH). I have found another place that seems promising, so what I wanted to make sure was if i could only do a small amount, say 20-30 hours at this new place, but directly under an OT and manage to get a LOR from him/her, that I would be able to include the 100 hours from the other place, given the conditions above, in order to meet the requisite amount of observation.

 

[lcs2074]

What I am worried about is that the place had mainly physical therapists where I was around, and a small section for hand therapists, and that I wasn't really assigned to anyone or anything. I was there mainly for wiping down gym equipment and replacing linen and lining the bed with linen.

I didn't get to know the OTs at all. So, I was wondering whether that would still count for hours towards OT (the requisite 80 for CSDH). I have found another place that seems promising, so what I wanted to make sure was if i could only do a small amount, say 20-30 hours at this new place, but directly under an OT and manage to get a LOR from him/her, that I would be able to include the 100 hours from the other place, given the conditions above, in order to meet the requisite amount of observation.

Well as I said, the best place to get the answer to your question is by contacting the admissions counselor of the school directly. Personally, I can tell you I had a large variety of volunteerwork that often included similar tasks, and it counted for mine. I also made a point to get to know the OTs and ask them questions though, and spend some time observing as well. Best of luck.

 

[c2902]

The advice to call the admissions office is good, and definitely do that. At the same time, if you weren't really observing the OTs do anything, maybe it might be good to get some other observation hours at other facilities, even if those facilities can only give you a few. Some places get bombarded by requests and can only give a certain amount; one location I went to could give up to 10, another could give two full days (16 hours), and another up to 40. My fourth site was open-ended since I knew the OT and it was a small clinic, but I didn't do all of my hours with her because I wanted variety, which admissions committees like to see. I already had a couple hundred hours of actual volunteer work with kids with special needs, and my official "observation" hours were actual observation; I shadowed the OTs every step of the way, and although I could not actually touch the clients or help with therapy, I was asked to fetch linens and other supplies, push a chair behind someone, hold doors, hold down sheets while the OT and PT or nurse did a transfer, etc, but all of that was directly related to what the OT was doing. And in a couple of instances, I got to play with some kids (played Connect Four with a child with a TBI, for example, while the OT helped them focus on the goals for the activity). At no point was I sent off to do tasks away from the OTs for long periods of time. All that to say if you are looking to get real up-close-and-personal observation time, tell them that you need observation hours for school applications, not that you want to "volunteer". Volunteering, as wonderful as it is, is really free labor for many organizations. This is not to say that it's not beneficial for the individual as well as the organization; it is, and everyone should volunteer if they can. My time spent volunteering with kids with special needs is extremely hands-on and I have learned a ton, but if they need help in the kitchen, or sweeping or doing some laundry, I'm down for that too and will ask for tasks if there is down-time. But that's what I'm there for, and I am happy to do whatever they need me to do. As a career observer, you are there to see what it's like to do the job of the person you are shadowing, and most places know this and will treat you accordingly. This is not to say that observation means that you are "above" doing things like getting supplies, just that the expectation is also for you to watch and learn and ask questions. To add, ask questions, especially if they are thoughtful; the OTs I shadowed loved that I showed actual interest in the field.