Observation hours

[MJHUSKERS]

Hi guys,

I have been working pretty hard setting up "observation hours" for the summer and so far I have a 1 week internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for 40 hours.

I had other hospitals suggest becoming a volunteer through their volunteer department and then volunteering in PT department. That way I would be able to be more active with patients compared to just observing.

My question is, what did you guys do? Just simple observation hours watching how the PT's worked or did you become a volunteer with in the PT department?

Thanks

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[CaliDPT]

Hi guys,

I have been working pretty hard setting up "observation hours" for the summer and so far I have a 1 week internship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester for 40 hours.

I had other hospitals suggest becoming a volunteer through their volunteer department and then volunteering in PT department. That way I would be able to be more active with patients compared to just observing.

My question is, what did you guys do? Just simple observation hours watching how the PT's worked or did you become a volunteer with in the PT department?

Thanks

Hey there. I worked in an outpatient clinic for 3.5 years. I volunteered at another outpatient clinic to get a feel for the differences between clinics (approx. 20 hrs). For my inpatient setting, I volunteered under the supervision of a physical therapist at a local hospital in their transitional care unit (approx. 55 hours). Hope this helps!

 

[pttrac]

Volunteer/Work Hours: 350 hrs. outpatient orthopedic (paid), 150 hrs. for inpatient at two facilities, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, CA and Casa Colina in Pomona, CA.

 

[Shugo]

I both volunteered at a the acute and sub-acute PT departments in a hospital, and observed several therapists in a couple outpatient settings. Far and away the experience that benefited me the most in gaining PT related experiences was working as a PT aide/exercise tech at a outpatient PT clinic. You may have reasons for not looking for employment within the field but if it is a possibility I would recommend exploring it.

 

[MJHUSKERS]

So there is a big difference between volunteering and observing? Schools require observation hours...so I technically don't need volunteer hours if I do all my observation hours correct?

 

[callmecrazy]

So there is a big difference between volunteering and observing? Schools require observation hours...so I technically don't need volunteer hours if I do all my observation hours correct?

If you are a volunteer, you will actually be doing things. If you just observe, you are doing just that. Schools require time spent in a PT setting and generally don't specify volunteering or observing, as long as you are getting the experience and hours. It is definitely to your benefit though if you can be in a hands-on situation instead of just watching, for obvious reasons.

 

[Akiramay]

I observed 40 hours at 2 different outpatient centers and 60 hours with a home health PT for a total of 100 observation hours. I got to do some hands-on work with patients, such as stretching someone, throwing a ball back and forth with a patient, aiding patients in walking, and lifting a paralyzed woman so she could sit up. So if you're observing long enough, you might actually get to help out! That was definitely the best part of it all. Most schools just want observation hours, not volunteer hours, so hands-on work is an extra bonus for you!