Continuing Observation hours

Started by Louisiana2018
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
L

Louisiana2018

Full Member
7+ Year Member
I recently (within the last two months) decided to switch from medical school to physical therapy school. I graduate college in May and then plan to start my observation hours in mid-May. As I am not working, I am free to observe all day. When I apply to physical therapy school with this next cycle, do all my hours have to be completed or can I continue and have then done after I submit my application?
 
When you log into PTCAS,
Go to Supporting Information > Observation hours > Add Observation Hours
It should allow you to input hours you already have and hours that are planned/in progress.
For instance, I had 200 completed hours and 700 in progress/planned hours when I submitted my application.
 
You can update your observation hours after you submit your application, but some schools will only accept what you have done before submission so I'd check with each school first.
 
Louisiana2018 said:
I recently (within the last two months) decided to switch from medical school to physical therapy school. I graduate college in May and then plan to start my observation hours in mid-May. As I am not working, I am free to observe all day. When I apply to physical therapy school with this next cycle, do all my hours have to be completed or can I continue and have then done after I submit my application?
Click to expand...
I was in a similar situation as I decided towards the end of college about PT. Right after graduation, I started working as a tech full time and completed the required hours for the programs I was considering in a matter of weeks. I made sure to show on my application that while I had only completed a small amount of hours, additional hours were planned. I also moved and am working as a tech elsewhere now and I updated my application after it had been submitted; schools took those hours into account as well. One thing I wish I would have been able to do is get hours in additional settings beyond outpatient because a few programs I was interested in required inpatient hours. Because I was working full time, I did not have time to shadow in a hospital so that's something to keep in mind when looking at your programs and planning your summer! 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.