General Admissions & OTCAS Observation hours

[cwilly1226]

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Hi,
I have a question with observations hours. Im applying this coming cycle with 70 OT observations hours and over 300+ PT hours. However with my OT hours I only did it at one place. It included hand, normal outpatient, and working sensory motor skills with autism/ disabled patients at special schools. Would that satisfy the different settings requirement for graduate school?

Thanks!

 

[Nonameiwant]

Hi,
I have a question with observations hours. Im applying this coming cycle with 70 OT observations hours and over 300+ PT hours. However with my OT hours I only did it at one place. It included hand, normal outpatient, and working sensory motor skills with autism/ disabled patients at special schools. Would that satisfy the different settings requirement for graduate school?

Thanks!

It varies with each school. I know some of the places I'm applying to want at least 2 locations. For example one school ask for minimum of 50 hrs completed at 2 locations, with at least 8hrs at the second.

It probably wouldn't hurt to find another place to observe a few times just to have the other location listed.

 

[MusicalOT14]

Most schools want 2-3 locations with some wanting at least 10 hours per location. If you can make it work I would suggest finding a few different places. It will allow you to observe all areas of OT and you may find something you never thought of and it may steer your career choices down the road. I suggest taking the school with the most rigorous OT observation hours policy and at least slightly exceeding it. Going to multiple places shows your dedication and willingness to explore and learn (traits that will only benefit you on your application). Some schools focus intensely on obs. hours others simply check off that you completed the required amount and move on. But you never know which school is looking for what so better to be safe than sorry. Plus more hours may help when it comes to writing your personal statement and doing interviews. I have recently started a blog with helpful hints, advice and OT news. It is new, but my goal is to provide as much help as possible to those who applying for OT school. If you want to check it out you can find it here: https://rn2ot.wordpress.com/ . I wish you the best of luck and if you have any more questions don't hesitate! 🙂