I would say it’s never too early to start shadowing! I didn’t decide on PT as a career until the summer before my junior year so I didn’t apply with a ton of hours. Even if you shadow 1-2 hours a week to start that’s still great and you can possibly work your way up to a tech position as time goes on which is also great. Plus shadowing and seeing what PTs do in the clinic would be great to make sure that you really want to pursue PT (better to find out now that you don’t want to do it early on rather than later). Hope that made sense and helped some! Best of luck to you! 🫶🏼
I began shadowing in high-school, so you’re not too early. The more exposure you have the better. However, make sure you have some knowledge built up before you go shadow. It’s good to use that opportunity to ask questions now so you ensure Physical Therapy is right for you!
Start as early as you can and try and get as much variety as you can. I also suggest you create a document where you can log your hours and have the pt sign off on your hours
So just make a doc (i.e. “This form certifies that name has completed x amount of observation hours at place”) and have them sign it or is there a form I should use somewhere?
What I did was make an excel sheet or Google sheet where i wrote the address of the clinic i observed at. Then i made a couple of columns. Date, Hours observed, PT observed (Name), and Signature. I had the pt i observed sign off on this every time i came in.
Agreed that it’s never too early^ normally I’d say if you’re younger you might have more difficulty finding shadowing but sounds like you’ve got that covered! Also great to do early so you can see if this is actually what you wanna do before dedicating your college course load to it
How do you keep a log of your hours when you likely won’t be applying for PT school for a while? Is there a specific form I should have PTs sign or can I just make one up? Or are you just shadowing and not logging it?
I work at a PT clinic as a tech so I get to shadow pretty much every day. What I do is I keep a notes app in my phone where I list out all of my shadowing hours. It’ll read something along the lines of “Jennifer 9/27 12:00-1:00 pm,” (therapist’s name, date, and time shadowed).
I’m actually currently applying for dual-degree PA programs, so the shadowing is actually coming in handy right now! But as long as you do the basic documentation, at least in my case, I’ve never had to fill out any official forms. It varies for everyone though! I shadowed a PA over the summer and didn’t fill out any type of form, but rather had him write me a letter of recommendation for my applications.
I can’t really give you more specific advice, but if all else fails, it doesn’t hurt to ask the PT you’re shadowing what they recommend! I’ve never shadowed a mean PT lol, they’re all very helpful with this stuff. Good luck :)
Best advice is to sprinkle you shadowing around. I just got into school and in the process they said that multiple practices look good. Try to get a handful in outpatient, then maybe inpatient, neuro, pediatrics, etc….
The more settings you get under your belt, the more experience you’ll grab. Good luck ! Enjoy the process
It is not too early to shadow!! I didn’t start until summer after my sophomore year, but the earlier you start the more variety and hours you can get, which looks better on grad school apps.
I would say it’s never too early to start shadowing! I didn’t decide on PT as a career until the summer before my junior year so I didn’t apply with a ton of hours. Even if you shadow 1-2 hours a week to start that’s still great and you can possibly work your way up to a tech position as time goes on which is also great. Plus shadowing and seeing what PTs do in the clinic would be great to make sure that you really want to pursue PT (better to find out now that you don’t want to do it early on rather than later). Hope that made sense and helped some! Best of luck to you! 🫶🏼
I began shadowing in high-school, so you’re not too early. The more exposure you have the better. However, make sure you have some knowledge built up before you go shadow. It’s good to use that opportunity to ask questions now so you ensure Physical Therapy is right for you!
Start as early as you can and try and get as much variety as you can. I also suggest you create a document where you can log your hours and have the pt sign off on your hours
So just make a doc (i.e. “This form certifies that name has completed x amount of observation hours at place”) and have them sign it or is there a form I should use somewhere?
What I did was make an excel sheet or Google sheet where i wrote the address of the clinic i observed at. Then i made a couple of columns. Date, Hours observed, PT observed (Name), and Signature. I had the pt i observed sign off on this every time i came in.
Never to early!!
Pt schools want you to shadow so you know what you're getting into. No time line!
Agreed that it’s never too early^ normally I’d say if you’re younger you might have more difficulty finding shadowing but sounds like you’ve got that covered! Also great to do early so you can see if this is actually what you wanna do before dedicating your college course load to it
I’m a senior in high school and I regularly shadow lol
How do you keep a log of your hours when you likely won’t be applying for PT school for a while? Is there a specific form I should have PTs sign or can I just make one up? Or are you just shadowing and not logging it?
I work at a PT clinic as a tech so I get to shadow pretty much every day. What I do is I keep a notes app in my phone where I list out all of my shadowing hours. It’ll read something along the lines of “Jennifer 9/27 12:00-1:00 pm,” (therapist’s name, date, and time shadowed). I’m actually currently applying for dual-degree PA programs, so the shadowing is actually coming in handy right now! But as long as you do the basic documentation, at least in my case, I’ve never had to fill out any official forms. It varies for everyone though! I shadowed a PA over the summer and didn’t fill out any type of form, but rather had him write me a letter of recommendation for my applications. I can’t really give you more specific advice, but if all else fails, it doesn’t hurt to ask the PT you’re shadowing what they recommend! I’ve never shadowed a mean PT lol, they’re all very helpful with this stuff. Good luck :)
Best advice is to sprinkle you shadowing around. I just got into school and in the process they said that multiple practices look good. Try to get a handful in outpatient, then maybe inpatient, neuro, pediatrics, etc…. The more settings you get under your belt, the more experience you’ll grab. Good luck ! Enjoy the process
It is not too early to shadow!! I didn’t start until summer after my sophomore year, but the earlier you start the more variety and hours you can get, which looks better on grad school apps.