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PT Aide vs. Volunteer vs. Observer
Started by MJHUSKERS
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As an observer you would only be watching what is going on in the clinic, and probably have the opportunity to talk to some PTs about their career and what is going on in the clinic in general. It's a good place to start if you are just considering PT as an option, but you could get better use out of your time as a volunteer or aide.
As a volunteer, you would most likely have the clearance needed to interact with patients and participate in their treatment (tossing the ball, etc). You may also have to do things like fold towels or file charts now and then, but that should not be the majority of your time. The benefit of volunteering over observing is that you get more interaction and your presence is beneficial (no one there wants to fold towels🙄)
The obvious benefit of being aide is that you are getting paid for the time you spend at the clinic. There can be downsides too though. Not all clinics utilize their "aides" in the same ways. At one clinic I've been at, the aides spend the vast majority of their day as the receptionist and only spend time in the gym if there is more than one of them there and the gym is really busy. Other clinics or inpatient settings have no aides at all, and the only way to get experience in those places is to volunteer.
As for experience as an aide being "so much more valuable" compared to volunteering, I don't know that I agree. It's more valuable financially, yes, of course. As an aide you would probably end up with a lot of accumulated hours too, but that's not something you couldn't do as a volunteer. It would just be a bigger sacrifice of your time because you're not being paid. In the eyes of a PT adcom though, I don't know how much difference it would make.
Callmecrazy had a good response.
I will just add this:
If you are an Aide and are getting paid, that means the company and PTs you are working for see you as a valuable asset to their business and are willing to pay you for your time/services. It is in my opinion that this looks better to the adcomm than if you just volunteered somewhere for 3 years. Everyone will take a volunteer, its free labor.
I will just add this:
If you are an Aide and are getting paid, that means the company and PTs you are working for see you as a valuable asset to their business and are willing to pay you for your time/services. It is in my opinion that this looks better to the adcomm than if you just volunteered somewhere for 3 years. Everyone will take a volunteer, its free labor.
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Ok, here is current option I have available to me at a local hospital:
Position: Aide, Physical Therapy Gym
Position summary:
1. HOUSEKEEPING: a. Change linen (sheets only) on mats after each patient use. b. Disinfect mats and all hand-held equipment at least once during shift. c. Return equipment to storage areas immediately after use. d. Monitor linen supply and disposal. e. Keep gym area 'picked up'
It doesn't sound like this position is going to teach me anything...
Position: Aide, Physical Therapy Gym
Position summary:
1. HOUSEKEEPING: a. Change linen (sheets only) on mats after each patient use. b. Disinfect mats and all hand-held equipment at least once during shift. c. Return equipment to storage areas immediately after use. d. Monitor linen supply and disposal. e. Keep gym area 'picked up'
It doesn't sound like this position is going to teach me anything...
That was exactly what I did as a volunteer at a hospital. I think you are more likely to get hands on experience if you look for a position at a PT outpatient clinic. Sometimes they call this type of work Exercise Technician so you could search for a job under that description as well.
When I was volunteering and being utilized in that way I did not feel like I was learning much at all. When A position as an Aide, who did the same job as me, came available I did not take it. I only continued volunteering at a hospital because many schools required observation time from diverse settings, so it was not enough to work at an outpatient practice alone.
When I was volunteering and being utilized in that way I did not feel like I was learning much at all. When A position as an Aide, who did the same job as me, came available I did not take it. I only continued volunteering at a hospital because many schools required observation time from diverse settings, so it was not enough to work at an outpatient practice alone.
Those tasks should only require minutes to complete; that leaves a lot of other time to utilize. I've seen a lot of aides and volunteers take this time to chit-chat with the receptionists, stare out the window, etc. On the flip side, you could take that time to shadow and assist the PTs. You can learn a lot in any setting as long as you are proactive about it, and you can easily let good learning opportunities slip by if you're not. Introduce yourself to the PT, ask for more things to do, and ask questions.
