General Admissions & OTCAS Finding Volunteer Opportunities with a Full Time Job

[tabsabs]

Hi all,

I'm a recent graduate working full-time (8-5 M-F) and am having a lot of trouble finding somewhere to volunteer. Most clinics or school settings have the same business hours as my work, and the 8 hours I was able to get from one shadowing sesh was because my work had a holiday.

I was able to find a therapeutic rec gym that operates on weekends, but they have no OTs on staff. Would it still be worth it to volunteer somewhere related to therapeutic rec/rehabilitation but doesn't have OTs I can observe?

Or, do you guys know of any settings that might operate on weekends or evenings?

Thanks in advance.

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[othopeful92]

Hi all,

I'm a recent graduate working full-time (8-5 M-F) and am having a lot of trouble finding somewhere to volunteer. Most clinics or school settings have the same business hours as my work, and the 8 hours I was able to get from one shadowing sesh was because my work had a holiday.

I was able to find a therapeutic rec gym that operates on weekends, but they have no OTs on staff. Would it still be worth it to volunteer somewhere related to therapeutic rec/rehabilitation but doesn't have OTs I can observe?

Or, do you guys know of any settings that might operate on weekends or evenings?

Thanks in advance.

I volunteered at an outpatient pediatric OT clinic on Saturday's. I think a lot of peds clinics are open on Saturday's. I also did some volunteer hours at a hospital and the OT's worked Saturday's there as well, although they didn't allow volunteers on weekends. That was just their policy though, there might be hospitals willing to let you volunteer on the weekend. Good luck!

 

[OpOT231231]

Hi all,

I'm a recent graduate working full-time (8-5 M-F) and am having a lot of trouble finding somewhere to volunteer. Most clinics or school settings have the same business hours as my work, and the 8 hours I was able to get from one shadowing sesh was because my work had a holiday.

I was able to find a therapeutic rec gym that operates on weekends, but they have no OTs on staff. Would it still be worth it to volunteer somewhere related to therapeutic rec/rehabilitation but doesn't have OTs I can observe?

Or, do you guys know of any settings that might operate on weekends or evenings?

Thanks in advance.

You can find a lot of sensory gyms or private contractors that do home care etc on weekends usually.

Some hospital and rehab centers have inpatients who are seen on weekends. (outpatient is usually on weekdays)

You wouldn't benefit much from the therapeutic rec place unless when you put it in your resume or personal statement or in an interview, you make it vague enough not to mention OT lol. Also, it won't give you the letters of rec or experience you may need to help with personal statements and interviews.

 

[LAtoSDtoOT]

Best bet is going to be a hospital or a SNF. Maybe an ADHC, adult day care and health center if you can find one open on weekends.

 

[kgprospot]

Most if not all schools require that you volunteer under the supervision of a licensed OT, so I would not spend time volunteering if no OT will be present.

I was in the same boat as you. For most of my hours, I shadowed/volunteered on the weekends (50 hrs in peds and 20 hrs in hand therapy). It was hard to find places with weekend hours, but I did it. You'll just have to look all over the place. Email/call lots of place, and follow up if no response. I had found a nursing home that would allow weekend hours too, but I did not pursue that opportunity.

Then, to get hours in other settings without weekend hours, I used vacation days. I used 2 vacation days at a rehab facility and another at a school. I didn't get a ton of hours in these settings, but I was happy I went, and I increased my number of settings from 2 to 4 by sacrificing a few vacation days.

Good luck! I got into OT school my first time applying while balancing a f/t job with being a mom and taking classes and shadowing/volunteering. You can do it!

 

[tabsabs]

Thanks everyone! I'll keep looking, especially in SNFs, sensory gyms, and hospitals. And kgprospot, I didn't even think of using vacation days, but that's a great idea if I really want to shadow somewhere that's only open on weekdays.

Would anyone happen to know if I can volunteer with OTs at a VA Hospital? There's one near where I work but the volunteer information on the website only listed roles like greeting, transportation etc

 

[c2902]

Thanks everyone! I'll keep looking, especially in SNFs, sensory gyms, and hospitals. And kgprospot, I didn't even think of using vacation days, but that's a great idea if I really want to shadow somewhere that's only open on weekdays.

Would anyone happen to know if I can volunteer with OTs at a VA Hospital? There's one near where I work but the volunteer information on the website only listed roles like greeting, transportation etc

What you want are observation hours, NOT just 'volunteering'. For OT school applications, you have to submit a certain number of observation hours with an OT, which is just that - shadowing the OT and asking questions at appropriate times, to learn about the job we do. So my suggestion would be to stop looking under the "volunteer" tab at places and contact the rehab department directly, and ask if they accept student observers. At some places, like large hospital systems, there is a designated coordinator for such inquiries, but at smaller facilities, you just have to call them directly and ask. You may have to call more than once, email if you can, and be (politely) persistent in order to get a response.

Volunteering is a good way to boost your application and get experience in facilities or with certain populations that you will come across as an OT, but it does not have to be with an OT. But as such, it does not qualify as observation hours; think going to assisted living/long term care facilities and doing craft activities with residents; it's not with an OT, but it's good experience with the population. But due to your schedule, it sounds like you don't have a lot of free time to do both, so I would seek straight observation hours through the actual rehab departments.

 

[beestrng]

A lot of SNF have 1 or 2 OTs doing something over the weekend. You gotta cold call these places. I went inner city. Got in same day I asked for an opportunity.

Ask for the rehab director. Don't just ask for whoever is responsible for so and so. A lot of SNFs in my area contract out therapy so the admin/RN will be like nah not today call later.

 

[DMStudiezOT]

Most hospitals I have tried always run during M-F day hours. I live in Baltimore, MD and tried nearly every hospital, but they don't accept observation hours they require volunteering due to liability issues which is why you have to go through a process just to volunteer there. What I did was volunteered at pediatric outpatient facilities with OTs; that way it counted as documented hours under the supervision of an OT. I also agree with people suggesting SNFS because a lot of prn OTs will work a couple hours of the weekend.

 

[gottabeOT]

Although it's important (and required) to get volunteer hours with an actual OT, finding volunteer opportunities in other settings/nontraditional practice areas can be just as valuable. Depending on what your interests are and your geographic area, you can likely find a TON of opportunities that might not initially seem related to occupational therapy. For example, volunteering at local events for people with disabilities or joining a Best Buddies or similar program can help you get exposure to populations OTs frequently work with.

I've also written a blog post about multiple volunteer opportunities that you can pursue that are both supervised by OTs and in other settings. I hope this helps you generate some ideas, and good luck getting your hours! https://gottabeot.wordpress.com/2015/05/19/how-to-get-occupational-therapy-observation-hours/