A key component of your occupational therapy school application is gaining a variety extracurricular experiences inside and outside of the field, as well as getting involved in your community. This experience is gained through shadowing, health care volunteering and/or patient care experiences, and community engagement. Explore the ways to get experience in and out of the field before you attend occupational therapy school on this page.
Volunteering
Competitive applicants will have both health care related volunteering and general community engagement volunteering in their application. They both serve different purposes. Health care volunteering allows you to learn about the health care system as a whole and what it means to be a part of that system. General volunteering shows your dedication and involvement in your community, as health care professionals ultimately serve the community they work in.
Check out some of the opportunities below for recommendations to get started. This isn't an exhaustive list, and we encourage you to do your own research in your local community.
Healthcare Volunteering Opportunities
- AGE of Central Texas
- Austin Child Guidance Center
- Austin’s Communication Station
- Austin State Supported Living Center
- Use Contact Us page to inquire about volunteering opportunities.
- Cadence Therapy
- Caraday Healthcare Nursing & Rehabilitation - Austin Locations
- Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas (DSACT)
- Easterseals Rehabilitation Center
- Handicap Equestrian Learning Program (HELP)
- KidTherapy
- KidWorks Therapy Services
- Use Contact Us page to inquire about volunteering opportunities.
- Little Tesoros Therapy Services
- OT Connection - Pediatric Therapy Services
- Ride-On Center for Kids (R.O.C.K)
- Ascension Texas Foundations - Various Austin metropolitan area volunteer sites, including but not limited to Dell Children's Medical Center, Dell Seton Medical Center, and Ascension Seton Medical Center. Requires a 6-month commitment.
- St. David's Medical Center
- St. David's North Austin Medical Center
- St. David's South Austin Medical Center
- People's Community Clinic
- CommUnity Care Services
Community Volunteering Resources
Austin Volunteering Opportunities
This is not an exhaustive list of opportunities in Austin. Please do additional research if there is a community or cause that you would like to support through your volunteering efforts.
- Volunteer Match - Volunteer Opportunity search function, filterable by location
- Do512 - Volunteering in Austin
- Austin Partners in Education
- Central Texas Food Bank
- Habitat for Humanity (Austin)
- Inside Books Project