Observation, shadowing, and volunteer hours for admissions
There is no single national observation-hour number for OT, PT, or SLP admissions. Official pages say it depends on the program. APTA lists observation hours among program statistics in the PTCAS directory, BLS says some OT programs require volunteer or work experience, and ASHA says shadowing is not a requirement for applying to SLP graduate school.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
Physical therapy
APTA’s Becoming a Physical Therapist page, checked November 10, 2026, states: “You should also consider average cumulative GPA, GRE score, required physical therapy observation hours, and prerequisite courses. All statistics can be found in the PTCAS directory.” Use the PTCAS program directory.
Occupational therapy
BLS’s occupational therapists page states: “Some programs also require applicants to have volunteered or worked in an occupational therapy setting.” ACOTE and AOTA public pages did not publish an observation-hour figure on November 10, 2026.
Speech-language pathology
ASHA’s Planning Your Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders page states: “Unlike some other health professions, shadowing a professional is not a requirement for applying to graduate school.” It continues: “Shadowing may help you determine whether you want to pursue a career in the professions, but you should check with the individual graduate program about how they weigh shadowing in the application process.” Program-level details are in ASHA’s EdFind.
The 25 hours of guided clinical observation in ASHA’s certification standards are part of the education program, not an admissions requirement; see fieldwork and clinical education.
This page gives no required-hour number because the official pages do not publish one.