If you’re either wanting to apply to PT school or are seriously considering doing so, you are likely aware that one of the requirements for any PT school within the US, Canada, Australia or most other countries is to have completed a specific number of therapist-verified observational hours within a clinic or even multiple clinics.

Some schools aren’t picky as to which types of clinic settings these hours are fulfilled at, but other schools require a mix of different settings. An example of this would be schools or institutions that mandate that an applicant to have completed a certain number of volunteer hours within an out-patient setting (an orthopedics-based setting, a privately owned clinic, etc.) AND a certain number of volunteer hours within an in-patient setting (such as a hospital, skilled nursing facility, etc.)

The quick takeaway from this article

Finding and securing locations to complete your observational hours can be rather straight-forward and easy to do at times, while at other times it can be quite tricky. Here are some key points discussed within this article:

• Some applicants may already have their hours completed before even considering PT school, but this article focuses on the individual who is starting right at the beginning: Needing to find clinics and no previous hours logged.
• Finding and securing hours will vary greatly in ease or difficulty based on how many professional contacts that the PT applicant does or doesn’t have.
• It can take some time finding a clinic that meets you needs and is willing to bring you on for volunteer hours, so make sure to start the whole search process WELL in advance of your school’s application deadlines.
• Start by reaching out to primary contacts, then secondary contacts, if need be.
• If you have to reach out to places with no personal connection, be as specific as possible as to what YOU need and how you can help them in the process.
• PT applicants often have the most difficult time with securing in-patient-based-setting volunteer hours, but don’t give up, you can make this happen.

Learning what to expect and how to get the most out of your hours

Securing your volunteer hours is one thing, but knowing what to expect and how to make the most of them is another. Be sure to check out my post on Volunteer Clinical Hour Requirements: What PT Applicants Need to Know, which I’ve written in regards to helping PT applicants know what to expect, along with how to maximize what they get out of each experience and how to leverage those hours for a stronger application.

Assuming that you’ve researched and know the specific requirements you need to meet for each PT school you’re looking to apply to (if you don’t, read the linked article in the preceding paragraph), the next step will be to find a way to complete all those required hours.

For some students, it can take some time to locate clinical environments that suit their needs and are willing to accommodate them for their required hours

As we move through the rest of this article, be aware that it can take some time to find clinical environments that will met your need and take you in for volunteer hours if you don’t have any direct or in-direct contacts to reach out to. You need to keep this in mind so that you can start this whole process as early as possible.

Start this process early because the last thing you want is to have your school application rejected because you failed to collect all of your hours before the deadlines for submitting all your required documents (which includes verification of your completed hours).Even if you don’t plan on applying to PT school for another one or two years, beginning the hunt and starting your observation hours today can be a wise move.

Starting right at the beginning: The need to find clinics and completing your hours within them

Some PT applicants may have been working or volunteering in clinics for quite some time before considering applying to PT school, so it’s entirely possible that all their required hours will actually already have been met beforehand. But for the sake of this article, I will be assuming that you are an applicant with zero observational hours and who needs to go about both finding clinics or facilities to complete those hours along with completing the hours required.

Step 1: Reaching out to primary contacts

Now that you know the specific requirements you need to meet, your first step is to ask yourself if you either know any direct personal or professional contacts that you could reach out to that can help fulfill your specific criteria (volunteering in an inpatient setting or an outpatient setting). Reaching out to individuals that you directly know and have some form of relationship with is likely the quickest way to get yourself plugged into a facility.

If you know a practicing PT in any capacity, asking them if they take PT applicants for volunteering hours is the way to go. If they don’t take applicants for volunteer hours, or maybe can’t accommodate you at the current time, the next question to ask them is if they know of any facilities that would be able to take you. If they do, having this individual either reach out that facility or provide a written recommendation could serve to be a quick way to get your foot in the door somewhere else.

Reaching out to secondary contacts

If you don’t have any direct contacts that you can reach out to, the next step would be to consider reaching out to someone who does know a practicing PT or someone involved with a PT facility/clinic.

If, say one of your parents or best friend has some form of relationship with such an individual, asking your parent or friend to put you in touch with them is what you’ll need to do. A secondary contact can still serve you well, as the PT is rather familiar with your parent, friend, etc. This gives you some leverage for contacting them and having them help you out. They are informed that you’re a family member of someone they know or a friend of theirs, and as a result they will likely be more inclined to assist you than if they had no connection to you at all.

Once you’re able to contact your parent’s or friend’s PT, do as I recommended above with a primary contact: Ask if they have any ability to allow you to shadow them to gain observational hours, and if they don’t, ask if they could put you in touch with a PT or clinic who could. When you do this, it helps to be as specific as possible regarding a few key things (keep reading below to find out what they are).

When you don’t have any primary or secondary contacts or none of them can help you

If you don’t have any primary or secondary contacts, or if none of them are able to help you out, the next resort is to do some research (either online, or asking others, both, etc.) as to facilities that exist within your area based on your needs.

Be as specific as possible when contacting each clinic or facility. This helps establish credibility and shows you are a serious applicant

If you’re essentially reaching out to clinics cold (i.e. not knowing anyone working there), then you can better your chances of getting in with them for your required hours if you are very specific with what you tell them.

Many applicants make the mistake of being vague and asking something along the lines of “I was wondering if your clinic takes volunteers or allows potential students to shadow other therapists?”

While this is a step in the right direction, being specific as to what exactly it is you’re after, what you need and how their clinic/facility can help you out will make you appear way more creditable. It will also help you come across as professional and committed to what it is that you’re after.

When reaching out cold to any potential clinic or facility, giving specifics will lend way more credibility with them than being vague or non-specific. Let the individual whom you’re speaking to know exactly what it is you’re after – the institution you’re applying to and the specific requirements they mandate, that you’re actively working on creating the strongest application possible and believe that the quality of volunteer hours with them will be of great benefit for that pursuit. And of course, if you’re doing this in person, make sure you’re dressed in professional attire, even if it’s just a quick inquiry.

But, you can’t just stop there. There’s one other thing you need to mention:

State what you can do for the the clinic, not just what they can do for you!

This can sometimes be an intimidating feeling for applicants to ask (especially to a clinic or facility that you have no connection to at all), since the applicant may not feel that they have any sort of skills or training to offer. While understandable, there are a few dozen ways in which you could help the clinic and/or its staff members out.

PT’s oftentimes need help with keeping up with daily operations within the facility. While you can’t exactly run the ultrasound machine or even apply heat packs to patients, you CAN do all the little things that can slow therapists down throughout the day, such as stocking towels, organizing equipment, cleaning the facility, and so on.

So, putting it all together, it may look/sound something like:

Good afternoon, I am a Physical Therapy applicant for the University of X, who mandates that I complete X number of hours within an inpatient (or outpatient) environment such as yours. I am committed to fostering the strongest application that I can, and believe that I could really benefit from your clinic while also greatly assisting your therapists in the process. In addition to collecting hours, I would be thrilled to assist with helping in daily operations however may be appropriate.

It doesn’t have to be worded exactly like that by any means, but hopefully it serves a point as to how you present yourself in a much more mature and dedicated manner than if you simply asked if they had any hours for you without providing specifics to show that you know what you’re after.

Even if you’re desperate for the facility to take you since they may be your only option, I would still mention that you’re coming to them because you believe that they are the ones who stand out to you within the field. Yes, you’re “buttering their bread” a bit, so to speak, but when done tactfully it certainly won’t hurt.

Difficulty with finding inpatient facilities for observational hours

Most of the time it won’t be too difficult to find an outpatient facility within your city or town that will let you complete your volunteer hours. This is largely due to a greater abundance of outpatient PT facilities or clinics in relation to inpatient facilities. In addition to this, inpatient facilities more often deal with vulnerable populations than most outpatient facilities do, which is another reason as to why inpatient facilities may be a bit more strict on who they allow in the facility for observation.

Note: This is exactly one of the reasons as to why you want to be as specific as possible when dealing with personnel you inquire with.

It’s also very important to know exactly what each school you’re applying to considers to be “inpatient”. Some schools may only consider a hospital-based environment to qualify for your inpatient hours while other school may consider a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or sub-acute facility to be acceptable for collecting your inpatient hours.

The last thing you want is to think you’ve collected your inpatient hours only to find out that the school you’re applying to won’t consider those hours to be valid.

If need be, ask any outpatient PT’s or other healthcare professionals that you know if they know anyone within an acute (i.e. inpatient) facility that they could put you in touch with. Sometimes you just need to have some sort of connection who can put you in touch with the right individual and vouch for your character and your commitment to becoming a PT student.

Bottom line: Know what your potential school considers to be “inpatient” and know that you may need to ask around for a way to get your foot in the door if need be.

Remember, this is your dream that you’re going after, so you can’t afford to sit back and hope that someone may get back to you or reach out to you. It may take some concentrated effort when it comes to finding someone who can help you get your foot in the door.

Be pleasant but persistent! Do what it takes to secure your hours, because if you don’t, someone else will! PT school is all about being hungry, so this may just serve as a preliminary test to see just how bad you want it.

Closing remarks

Once you get your placements sorted out, it’s time to grind hard and have some fun soaking it all in! It can take some planning and effort to find a placement or multiple placements that meet your needs, but it’s well worth it!

Having to reach out to others (primary contacts, secondary contacts or others whom you don’t know) serves as a great opportunity to build your professional skills in regards to planning, communication, professionalism and execution. Therefore, keep in mind that even the process of finding places to complete your volunteer hours will serve to begin to strengthen some of the skills you will need in order to be a successful student in PT school as well as a successful practitioner within the clinic once you begin your career.

Do your research to know EXACTLY what your schools require and what they consider to be acceptable clinics.

Hard work works. Keep that in mind if you are struggling to find places to get your hours logged. The opportunities are out there. Do what you have to do in order to find them, and know that once you do, you’ll learn some amazing things soaking it all in as you spend time within the clinic or facility.

Grind hard. You got this.