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 2024 program will run April - September 2024.

NEW! 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: 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, April 7, 2024 from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm 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 April - September 2024 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 March 23, 2024: https://forms.gle/7hLYYYuGYaeXvkmH6

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, April 7, 2024
              - Mentors are welcome to be attend the workshop in its entirety (1:00-4:00pm)
  • Meet monthly with assigned Mentee(s) between April - September 2024 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
  • 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 March 23, 2024: https://forms.gle/DNZb4ERS7ZkpdAwU9

Resources for Mentees:
  • Recording, chat, and PowerPoint from “Introduction to OT Workshop” on September 12, 2022
            - YouTube Recording
            - Chat Messages from Zoom Meeting

            - OT Workshop PowerPoint Presentation