How does one get experience in PT?

[yuenchun]

I'm going into my 3rd year of undergrad and I have physiotherapy as my plan A. The problem is that I've been having trouble with gaining any exposure to the field, especially with most physiotherapy clinics seeking actual PT assistants with diplomas rather than students.

For those who had prior experience before applying/getting into PT, what should I do? Should I just contact clinics and ask them if I can shadow/volunteer? Or should I look for hospital volunteer programs and request to volunteer in their orthopedics unit and/or rehab clinics?

Thanks in advance to anyone that helps out. :)

[ilovesummer]

Calling up clinics and asking to volunteer works, as does signing up to be a hospital volunteer. The only thing is that at hospitals, usually there is a waitlist to get a position, so the earlier you look into it, the better.

Best of luck!

[yuenchun]

Thanks for replying!

Also, I was wondering if you (or anyone else) could shed some light on how to obtain specific reference letters from profs or something? I know most students looking to work towards a Master's, PhD, or medicine usually get these from research projects and such. So do most pre-PT students also do the same? Just volunteer in labs and/or do research projects to familiarize yourself with profs? Or has anyone just straight-up asked their lecturer, assuming they know you, for one?

[ilovesummer]

Yup all of those work. If you can't do a 4th yr thesis/research project, you could always try going to the office hours of one of your professors, and getting to know them that way.