So you’re interested in becoming a Physical Therapist? Before you do anything else – finish undergrad, research schools or apply to DPT programs – you absolutely must shadow a PT. The path to Physical Therapy is long and costly, so before you decide to jump into this career, shadowing a PT will help you know it’s the right path.
Keep reading for my take on everything you need to know about shadowing. I’ll cover some questions to ask, expectations to have, and ways to make the most of your experience.
What is Shadowing?
Shadowing simply means following a health professional to see what their job is like. When you shadow someone in the medical world, your objective is to observe the environment, ask questions, and assess honestly whether the career is really something to pursue.
Am I Required to Shadow a PT?
In my book, yes, shadowing is a mandatory first step to becoming a PT. Many PT schools require a certain number of shadowing hours included in your application to their DPT program.
But you’ll inevitably come across some DPT programs that do not require any shadowing hours, which I think is a big mistake.
Think about it: You’re about to spend 3 years and thousands of hours and dollars to become a PT. The least you can do is shadow one first.
Even if you think you’re 100% set on the career, do yourself a favor and shadow multiple PTs in different settings to get a feel for it. If you really like the career so much, you won’t mind spending the time to do this vital step.
Where (and Whom) to Shadow
To get the most out of your shadowing experience, I recommend shadowing not one PT, but multiple PTs in multiple settings.
You’ll find over a dozen specialties and a flurry of settings in which to picture your future career. But unlike other areas of medicine, you don’t need to spend multiple years in a residency in order to specialize as a PT.
Specialities
If you choose to specialize, you may end up working as an orthopedic PT or in a neurologically-focused PT clinic. You may also specialize in a particular type of patient group, such as pediatrics or in a sports clinic.
Settings
The most common setting for physical therapy is an outpatient clinic, to which many patients are sent following a hospital discharge. By contrast, a hospital setting or inpatient setting offers physical therapy to current hospital patients.
In the home health setting, you’ll provide PT in the patient’s home, which is a grab bag of environments. Other settings for PT include skilled nursing facilities, schools, gyms, corporations, sports teams and even the military.
Start Local
While it is possible to shadow a PT in all of these settings, you should start with your local outpatient clinic and maybe the rehabilitation department at your local hospital.
These locales will give you a good idea of the most common settings for PTs, and where you’re most likely to begin your career. But if you’re interested in other unique jobs or specialties, reach out to PTs in those fields and ask if you can shadow them. If nothing else, they may be willing to jump on a call or answer a few questions via email.
Shadowing Multiple Professionals
Besides shadowing Physical Therapists, it’s a good idea to shadow professionals in related careers, such as a Sports Medicine Physician, a Physician’s Assistant, or even an Orthopedic Surgeon.
Be sure to also check out a PM&R career, which stands for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Technically a physician, PM&R is a musculoskeletal specialty that focuses on helping patients recover through medical treatment and advanced therapy.
Why should you shadow other professions? Because you just never know. You know you’re interested in physical science and anatomy in some way, but the actual particulars of the PT career might not be quite what you think it is.
You might find that another career in medicine aligns better with your interests, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time, money, and soul-searching if you cast your shadowing net wide the first time.
But even if you’re a PT prospect through and through, this broad shadowing isn’t a waste of time. Rather, it could reinforce your conviction that physical therapy is the right career for you and bolster your commitment to the career later on.
No matter where your career path leads, you owe it to yourself to explore multiple careers, specialties, and settings.
How to Shadow a PT
Okay, now that I’ve convinced you that shadowing is a must, you may be wondering, “How do I even begin to shadow a PT?” Getting started is really simple: Just ask!
You can ask in person, on the phone or by email. Just say something like, “I’m considering Physical Therapy school and wondered if I could shadow a PT in the clinic.” You’re not the first one to ask this, trust me.
The clinic will probably already have a policy about students and will be able to quickly get you scheduled. You may have to complete a form or certain screening tests before you begin shadowing, especially if it’s within a hospital organization. But it’s really as simple as that.
Keys to Shadowing Successfully
Once you are approved to shadow a PT, make sure you arrive prepared. By prepared, I mean you should show up early, alert and inquisitive. Remember, the objectives to shadowing a PT are to 1) observe and 2) ask questions.
Observe:
Maybe this seems obvious, but your ability to observe will determine the quality of your shadowing experience. Most of the time with shadowing, you’ll be present, standing near the PT and patient to observe the treatment. You aren’t expected to lead any treatments or exercises but you are expected to pay attention.
That means you should not be on your phone and not be daydreaming. Be in the moment and take notes on a small notebook.
When I was shadowing, I made notes of the different patients we treated each day, from knee replacement patients to pediatric cases and high school athletes with ACL repairs.
Later on I was glad I had made notes of the different cases I experienced, because some PT school applications will ask you to list experiences with different patient groups or the hours spent in various settings.
Ask Questions:
When you start to shadow, asking the right questions at the right time will be a really important part of your education.
But be sensitive with your question-asking. The PT you shadow may be really busy that day and have very little time to chat.
Instead, they may ask you your goals and experiences with PT while they’re in the middle of a patient’s treatment. Try to give an informative but concise answer to these kinds of questions, always being observant of the situation to make sure you’re not over talking or taking over a patient’s treatment with your life story.
And when you ask the questions, make sure you’re not derailing the patient’s treatment or making the session all about you. Be aware of your environment and how many questions you’re asking. Write down the therapist’s answers in your notebook, because you may be able to look them up after the session, especially if they’re questions about injuries or surgeries.
Questions to Ask the PT You Shadow
If you have the opportunity to talk with the PT one-on-one, ask them questions like this:
- What advice do you have for someone interested in pursuing physical therapy as a career?
- If you could do it again, would you pick PT or another field in medicine, or something altogether different? Why so?
Or something related to the session you observed:
- I noticed you worked on [X] during the last treatment today; is this a common approach for that type of injury or surgery?
In summary, prepare a variety of questions to gain insight on the career, learn about the treatment provided that day, and also demonstrate your interest in the field.
Good Shadowing = Good Recommendations
Another benefit of shadowing is the potential for letters of recommendation from the therapists you shadow. By asking good questions, paying attention, acting with professionalism and being courteous to those in the clinic, you should have no problems requesting a letter of recommendation.
When I shadowed, I followed a PT for a couple of hours after work every Friday for 6 months. I learned a lot each week, and the PT felt very comfortable writing a letter of recommendation because he knew I was willing to work hard to complete PT school.
Most PTs will offer to write a letter of recommendation because they know it’s generally a requirement for your applications. But you should always ask if they could write a supportive letter of recommendation.
If the PT hesitates or tries to avoid committing to writing the letter, it’s probably because they don’t feel comfortable recommending you for PT school. That usually doesn’t happen that often, but if you get that vibe from multiple PTs, take it as a sign that you should consider a different career. At the very least, shadow at a few other places to make sure PT is really what you want to pursue.
Shadowing a PT: Quick Tips
Finally, here are a few quick tips to remember when shadowing:
- It’s ok to ask the front desk if there’s a dress code for the clinic. But usually PTs wear slacks (no jeans) with a polo or dress shirt. Think business casual.
- Wear comfortable shoes because you’ll probably be standing for most of the day.
- If you’re shadowing all day, bring a lunch with you. The PT may be able to sit down with you for lunch, but they may also have patients or notes to write depending on their schedule.
- When you’re finished shadowing at a clinic, be sure to leave a good impression by writing a thank-you card for the therapist.
Other Resources for Becoming a PT
If your goal is to become a PT, shadowing is just the beginning. I’ve created a comprehensive guide for starting a PT career, from finding the right (affordable!) schools, to acing an interview and studying well. Check out the guide here, as well as other resources on the blog.
