Documenting Observation Hours

[atlbraves42]

The schools that I am planning on applying to in a couple of years require PTCAS forms. On the form, PTCAS requires electronic signatures from the PTs you have observed under. I am currently observing at a local clinic and documenting my hours on a microsoft word log sheet because I can not fill out a PTCAS until I actually apply to grad school. My concern is, am I going to have to contact the PT I am currently shadowing 2 years later (I am going to be a Junior in the fall)? It seems like a hassle to contact someone about something I did 2 years before. What if I lose contact with them or they move? Just very confused on how PT observation hours that have happened years prior to the actually application process is documented correctly.

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[Jaug15]

I was in the same boat as you...i started working as a pt aide when i was a junior in college. I acquired numerous hours at many different clinics since then. When I applied I just asked the most recent PT i was working with or volunteered with to fill out my form.. All pt schools really care about is not how many hours you have but rather the diversity of settings. If i were you I wouldn't worry about documenting hours right now just focus on learning as much as you can and look to volunteer in different settings...when the time comes around to apply, document the most recent hours since having a job as a pt aide or rehab aide is a good idea

 

[atlbraves42]

Alright thanks for the info! Did you just not include the hours that you put in earlier? I was planning on putting in around 30 some hours this summer and then another 30 or so next year in order to get the required amount of hours. I really dont want to lose the hours that I have put in this summer just because I wanted to get a head start...

 

[Jaug15]

I included them but it was kind of a hassle to hunt down all the pts i worked and volunteered with since a majority of the clinics were outpatients sports settings so i would suggest getting a solid experience in as many different settings as possible

 

[Jaug15]

also try to def get a job as a pt aide whether its for the summer or during breaks since your still in undergrad but working in a clinic opposed to just getting hours here and there can result in strong Letters of Recommendation which are def. important

 

[ammonihah99]

Great topic, I have been wondering about this too, and as far as letters of recommendation are concerned, aren't they entered some way electronically as well? I just finished freshman year, but I'm volunteering now, so how would I get a LOR now? I don't want to have to hunt down the PTs and get them to do it online three years after I worked with them.

It seems like PTCAS should allow us to register early so we can complete the application little by little rather than cram it all in at once.

 

[Jaug15]

ya i agree on that one...the fact is tho that if you kno that all your doing in that clinic is volunteering for a few hours and thats it and its gonna be at least 3 years til you apply than I wouldnt ask that pt for a LOR. Rather find a place where you could work as an aide so you can get paid and obtain hours at the same time, and the longer you work there and get to know the PT, the better your LOR will be....just my idea

 

[johncronejr]

Something you can look at is paper forms for observation hours. My school had these available to print out. You could not your hours, setting, PT's name/license number, clinic name, etc.... and then have the PT sign the form. PTCAS was still accepting these just this last application cycle. Do that and you won't have to worry about losing contact with any of the PT's.

 

[deleted407021]

Sorry to necrobump this thread, but my girlfriend is applying to PT schools in GA. She needs to verify her shadowing hours, but there doesn't seem to be an official form for the PT to sign floating around anywhere.

Will any kind of document with the hours and the PT's signature suffice? Does she scan it into PTCAS? What all needs to be on the completed form for it to be legitimate?

Thank y'all very much!

 

[elchino]

Not exactly sure about schools in Georgia, but if they're on PTCAS, the observation verification could be done electronically. Read "Electronic PT Signatures" for more information as well as the Paper PT Signature. http://www.ptcas.org/PTHours/

 

[deleted407021]

Thanks @elchino ! Much appreciated.

 

[katelly]

Two things have been helpful for me- one is a sheet that the PTA program at my community college uses to verify hours. I have used this sheet for PTs that don't have their own system. I mention that I am taking good notes on my hours, but may need them to verify in the future. Then you can show them the notes you took on your hours when it comes time for them to verify.
The other thing- several of the settings that I have been going to are all under one hospital, so I have dealt with the same PT to organize a bunch of different settings and hours. She keeps a note book of all the students that come through. Days that I work in her office I write notes in it. Yesterday she told me that if I sent her an email of the hours I did with other PTs in this hospital system, she would print it out and put it in the notebook. That way she would have a hard copy if I needed the hours verified in a couple of years. This may be the case at a big institution that you observe at.
Maybe you can search for a generic form online, one that you could fill out and have them sign. This way in a year or so they can see that they signed off on it originally. Just explain the application system, most of them seem to be somewhat familiar.