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 open and due by midnight on Sunday, February 22, 2026: https://forms.gle/bk6ggnFXQANgoUEc6

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 open and due by midnight Sunday, February 22, 2026:  https://forms.gle/5EH8Wicr47E8MPaS7

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