observation hour questions

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MJ000

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How many hours would you typically observe at a single clinic? What sort of things should I be observing? (especially if I am interested in the Baylor program?) Do people usually do a few hours a week spread over a longer period of time, or do most of their hours within a short period of time?

How many different places should I plan to observe? I currently only have one set up.

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Thanks so much! I am trying to get in with a military facility now. Hoping that won't be too hard since my spouse is in the military :)
 
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How many hours would you typically observe at a single clinic? What sort of things should I be observing? (especially if I am interested in the Baylor program?) Do people usually do a few hours a week spread over a longer period of time, or do most of their hours within a short period of time?

How many different places should I plan to observe? I currently only have one set up.

I did 100+ hours from May to July that consisted of: 30 ortho outpatient, 25 neuro outpatient, 50 aquatic and 25 (ICU/cancer) inpatient. I would do ~4hrs one day in outpatient, another day ~4 hrs aquatic and another day ~4hrs inpatient. So usually 12 hrs a week if possible.

I observed dry needling, stroke rehab, cancer rehab, post op protocols, traction, many aspects of inpatient PT, and a variety of other things in this short time frame.


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Cold call (read as: email) PT's! Most of them are really cool and understanding. Honestly, I would just send out a really long block style email explaining my situation and go from there. Nobody ever said no to me.

Definitely try to get a few different settings, and get close to 100 hours total at least; 20-30 at each setting was suggested to me. Some people on here have thousands of hours, which is incredible to me. Unless you have a job in a PT office, I'm pretty sure that is impossible. And you don't NEED that many. Most schools require a minimum of 40-100 hours total. More is always better, but don't freak out comparing yourself to other people.
 
...I would definitely suggest getting hours in an inpatient and outpatient setting. But you can also find opportunities in skilled nursing facilities/nursing homes, home health, school settings, etc....

SNF is an inpatient setting. Home health and school are outpatient settings. Just to clarify this funny post.
 
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thanks for the feedback. So, I've emailed 4-5 clinics (4 in sports medicine and one pediatric) and haven't gotten anywhere so far. I'm wondering what I am doing wrong since every one else on this forum seems to have no trouble getting observation hours. Any other advice?
 
Do you live near a base/post? If so connect with the Red Cross there to volunteer in their clinics.
 
You could also call. I know some people get nervous about calling, but I had better results with calling clinics directly.

If you are interested in volunteering at a hospital, they usually have an actual application process - their websites usually have a volunteer page, and you can contact the volunteer administrator directly to see what the process looks like. I called several different hospitals, and asked if they had a waiting list in their PT department or not, and then applied at one of the ones with current openings. For the rehab center I volunteer at now, I had to submit an application, with 2 people writing references for me. After that, I had a short interview and had to submit proof of current vaccinations and pass a 2 part TB test. Pretty lengthy, but you are also not dependent on a clinic maybe emailing you back or not as their time allows.
 
I emailed 10-15 without getting a response, so it really isn't that easy for everyone. If you can get into a hospital and shadow there, you can ask several therapists about others in different settings. Just get one foot in the door somehow!
 
HI all- Thanks for the input. I'm working on getting in with a military facility now. I've still had no luck with an outpatient clinic, which I find odd. Are there certain places that look better than others (in terms of applying). I, of course, want to get as many varied experiences as possible but am still concerned with getting good observations (at least good in the eyes of an admissions board).
Thanks!
 
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