ILOTA Pre-OT Mentorship Program

The ILOTA Community Outreach Committee is excited to introduce the ILOTA Pre-OT Mentorship Program. This program has been designed in an effort to advocate for the equity, inclusion, and diversity of the Occupational Therapy profession. We aim to support the AOTA Vision 2025 by providing prospective OT/OTA students with informational resources and first-hand experience relative to OT.

The 2025 program will run from March – August 2025.

Information for potential MENTEES:
Participation in the program will begin with a virtual 3-hour workshop where students will be introduced to occupational therapy and applying for OT/OTA programs. Mentees will be matched with a current OT/OTA student and/or practitioner who will guide mentees through their pre-OT journey. Mentees will be expected to:

• Attend 3-hour virtual workshop via Zoom on Sunday, March 2nd, 2025 1:00-4:00pm CST
• Come prepared with questions about:

            - Completing applications on OTCAS
            - GRE prep
            - Acquiring prerequisite credits/courses
            - Seeking volunteer/observation hours
            - Academic, financial, and social-emotional aspects of pursuing an OT/OTA degree

• Develop personal goals for their development in the program
• Meet monthly with assigned mentor between March - August 2025 to work toward their goals (meetings can be virtual)
• Provide feedback to the ILOTA Community Outreach Committee upon completion of the program

Mentee Applications are due by February 28, 2025: https://forms.gle/azhCB7mvZJB4NRGh8

Information for potential MENTORS:
Mentors may be licensed occupational therapy practitioners or current OT and OTA students. Mentors must commit to the following:

• Attend the end of the 3-hour kickoff workshop (approximately 3:30-4:00pm) to meet mentee(s) on Sunday, March 2nd, 2025

              - Mentors are welcome to be attend the workshop in its entirety (1:00-4:00pm)

• Meet monthly with assigned Mentee(s) between March - August 2025 to work toward mentee goals (meetings can be virtual)
• Informally document one-on-one and/or group mentee sessions to better implement improvements for future sessions
• Review available resources to best support mentee with their goals
• Provide feedback to the ILOTA Community Outreach Committee upon completion of the program
• Be a member of ILOTA

Potential activities and information Mentors can expect to support mentees with may include:

• Completing applications on OTCAS and OTACAS
• GRE prep
• Acquiring prerequisite credits/courses
• Advice on volunteer/observation hours
• Understanding the academic, financial, and social-emotional aspects of pursuing a OT/A degree

Mentor Applications are due by Noon on February 28, 2025: https://forms.gle/BkNhiErLfmzsB3xw9

• YouTube Video
• Chat Messages

            - OT Workshop PowerPoint Presentation