How to Shadow an Occupational Therapist Before Choosing an OT Career
If you have an interest in occupational therapy, shadowing an occupational therapist can help you better understand what the profession looks like before committing to occupational therapy education. Whether you’re interested in becoming an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant, observing patient care, asking questions, and learning about different practice settings can help you decide whether the career aligns with your interests. While job shadowing opportunities vary by employer and location, there are several ways to gain exposure to the profession before applying to an occupational therapy program.
Why Consider Job Shadowing Before Choosing an Occupational Therapy Career?
Choosing a healthcare career is a significant decision. Before investing time and money in prerequisite coursework, applications, or an occupational therapy program, it can be helpful to better understand what occupational therapists actually do each day.
Job shadowing allows you to observe occupational therapy firsthand. Although your role as an observer is limited, watching occupational therapists interact with patients and collaborate with healthcare teams can provide valuable insight into the profession. Shadowing can also help you determine whether occupational therapy matches your interests, communication style, and long-term career goals.
What Does Job Shadowing an Occupational Therapist Look Like?
Job shadowing usually involves observing an occupational therapist during normal work activities. Depending on the setting and the organization’s policies, you may observe:
- Patient evaluations
- Therapy sessions
- Adaptive equipment recommendations
- Documentation
- Team meetings
- Communication with patients and caregivers
Because patient privacy is essential, observers may have limited access in some settings. Every facility establishes its own policies regarding observation opportunities.
Where Can You Shadow an Occupational Therapist?
Observation opportunities vary by community and employer. Organizations that may offer shadowing or observation experiences include:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient rehabilitation clinics
- Pediatric therapy clinics
- Skilled nursing facilities
- Schools
- Community rehabilitation programs
Some organizations may require advanced applications, proof of immunizations, confidentiality agreements, or background checks before allowing observers. Others may not offer formal shadowing opportunities at all. Be sure to check with your local organizations on their shadowing and observation policies.
What Can You Learn During an Occupational Therapy Shadowing Experience?
Although every experience is different, shadowing can help you better understand:
- How occupational therapists evaluate patients
- How treatment plans are developed
- How therapists communicate with patients and families
- The variety of patient populations served
- The role of documentation in occupational therapy
- Collaboration with healthcare teams
- Different occupational therapy practice settings
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of what a typical workday looks like.
What Questions Should You Ask?
If you’re able to shadow an occupational therapist, asking thoughtful questions can help you make the most of the experience.
Some questions you can ask include:
- What do you enjoy most about occupational therapy?
- What challenges do you encounter?
- What patient populations do you work with?
- How did you know occupational therapy was the right fit for you?
- What advice would you give someone exploring this career?
- How did your education prepare you for practice?
- What qualities make someone successful in occupational therapy?
Remember that while it can be helpful to prepare questions ahead of time, it’s often most valuable to engage with what you see and hear during your shadowing experience. If you have a question about something you see, ask. At the same time, be sure to pay close attention throughout your observation experience. Listening carefully often provides just as much value as asking questions.
What If You Can’t Find a Shadowing Opportunity?
Not every healthcare organization offers job shadowing. If observation opportunities aren’t available near you, you can still learn about the profession by:
- Speaking with occupational therapists
- Attending career fairs
- Watching educational webinars from professional organizations
- Watching patient care videos online (virtual observation)
- Exploring occupational therapy program information
- Reading career resources
- Volunteering in healthcare settings when appropriate
Like shadowing, these experiences can also help you better understand occupational therapy before choosing an educational pathway.
How Can Shadowing Help You Decide Between OTA and OT?
Shadowing can also help you understand the different responsibilities of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants. While occupational therapists evaluate patients, establish goals, and develop treatment plans, occupational therapy assistants help implement those plans under occupational therapist supervision.
Observing both roles can help you decide which educational pathway best aligns with your interests, career goals, and preferred level of responsibility.
How Can Occupational Therapy Education Prepare You for Practice?
If you decide occupational therapy is the right career for you, the next step is choosing an educational pathway. Stanbridge University offers both an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program.
The Occupational Therapy Assistant program consists of 112.5 quarter credit hours and is designed to be completed in approximately 22-23 months, depending on individual progression. It is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).¹²
The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program consists of 117 quarter credit hours and is designed to be completed in approximately 26-27 months, depending on cohort scheduling and individual progression. It is also accredited by ACOTE.¹³
Both programs combine classroom instruction, laboratory experiences, simulation, and supervised fieldwork to prepare students for occupational therapy practice. To learn more about the MSOT program, explore here.
Is Occupational Therapy the Right Career for You?
Job shadowing offers one of the best opportunities to see occupational therapy in action before beginning your education.
Although every observation experience is different, spending time with occupational therapists can help you better understand the profession, ask informed questions, and determine whether occupational therapy aligns with your interests and career goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can begin by contacting hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, schools, or outpatient therapy providers in your area to ask whether they offer observation or job shadowing opportunities. Requirements vary by organization and may include confidentiality agreements, health documentation, or background checks.
Some occupational therapy programs may require or recommend observation hours as part of the admissions process, while others do not. You should always review the admission requirements for the specific program you’re interested in, because policies vary between institutions.
Shadowing can help you understand how occupational therapists evaluate patients, develop treatment plans, collaborate with healthcare teams, document care, and work with different patient populations across a variety of practice settings.
Yes. Depending on the facility and its policies, you may have opportunities to observe occupational therapy assistants as they help implement treatment plans under the supervision of an occupational therapist.
If shadowing isn’t available, you can still learn about occupational therapy by attending career fairs, speaking with occupational therapists, exploring professional organizations, volunteering in healthcare settings when appropriate, and researching accredited occupational therapy programs.
If you’re interested in occupational therapy education, you can explore Stanbridge University’s Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) programs to learn more about admissions requirements, curriculum, accreditation, and fieldwork experiences.
Footnotes
¹ Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), https://acoteonline.org/
² Stanbridge University Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, https://www.stanbridge.edu/program/ota
³ Stanbridge University Master of Science in Occupational Therapy, https://www.stanbridge.edu/program/msot