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 next cohort will begin in early 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
  •   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 to work toward their goals (meetings can be virtual)

  •   Provide feedback to the ILOTA Community Outreach Committee upon completion of the program

The link for Mentee Applications will become available in late 2025/early 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 to complete their initial meeting with their mentee(s)
              - Mentors are welcome to be attend the workshop in its entirety
  •   Meet monthly with assigned mentee(s) 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 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
  •   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 will become available in late 2025/early 2026.

Resources for Mentees:
We held our "2024 ILOTA Pre-OT Mentorship Program Workshop" on April 7, 2024. You can view the YouTube video and browse the Chat messages here: Recording, chat, and PowerPoint from “Introduction to OT Workshop” on September 12, 2022
            - YouTube Recording
            - Chat Messages from Zoom Meeting

            - OT Workshop PowerPoint Presentation