ILOTA Pre-OT Mentorship Program

The ILOTA Community Outreach Committee is excited to present the ILOTA Pre-OT Mentorship Program. This program has been designed in an effort to increase accessibility of the Occupational Therapy profession for all individuals. 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 2026 program will run from March – August 2026.

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 the application process 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 1, 2026 from 1-4pm
  •   Come prepared with questions about:
            - Completing applications on OTCAS
            - 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 their assigned mentor between March - August 2026 to work toward their goals (meetings can be virtual)

  •   Provide feedback about their experience upon completion of the program

Mentee Applications are currently closed for 2026.

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 (from 3:30-4pm) on Sunday, March 1st, 2026 to complete their initial meeting with their mentee(s)
              - Mentors are welcome to be attend the entire workshop (1-4pm)
  •   Meet monthly with assigned mentee(s) between March - August 2026 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 goals
  •   Provide feedback about their experience 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
  •   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 currently closed for 2026.

Resources for Mentees:

- Interview Prep Session Recording (2025): https://youtu.be/3iaR9oBDW8Q

  Description: A recording of last year's session on successful interview prep tips featuring speakers from various OT/A programs in Illinois. 

- Additional supplementary interview prep resources: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gm6cy-eiBboUR1remFWjkRrOX4D56XSN?usp=share_link

   Description: A collection of documents featuring successful interview tips

- OT/A Student Panel Recording (2025): https://youtu.be/7YaAHeYMnH0

    Description: A recording of last year's session on the student experience in OT/A school featuring various students from OTA, OT Masters and OT Doctorate programs in Illinois

We held our "2026 ILOTA Pre-OT Mentorship Program Workshop" on March 1, 2026. You can view the YouTube video recording, browse the Chat messages, and view the PowerPoint slides here:

Recording and Chat messages from previous workshop on April 7, 2024: