Whether you’re interested in learning more about the field of occupational therapy or just enjoy being around children and families, OTCES offers a variety of volunteer experiences to meet your needs. 

The volunteer experience at JMU’s Occupational Therapy Clinical Education Services (OTCES) provides a range of opportunities that may include clerical and organizational duties, participating in special events, creative tasks, child and family interactions, and more.  The volunteer’s roles and responsibilities will change based on the needs of the clinic and/or therapists, however we also try to consider what your interests and strengths are.  In order to get to know you better and determine the best fit for all parties, we generally have all volunteers start by helping with general administrative responsibilities at the clinic which may include answering phones, greeting families when they arrive, organizing/cleaning equipment and supplies, etc.  Sometimes there are opportunities for working on tasks that will be used in direct or group sessions, video-taping sessions, or participating in these sessions, however this may not always be the case. 

In addition to getting required volunteer hours, volunteering at the clinic provides you with a great opportunity to network with other pre-OT students, currently enrolled OT students, OT faculty, OTCES staff and students/faculty from other departments or programs (i.e. Psychology, Communication Science Disorders-Speech).

This volunteer experience also provides you with an opportunity to develop and expand the professional dispositions necessary for participation in a professional education program, such as an MOT program, and future employment in the occupational therapy profession. 

As a volunteer you can contribute to the mission and vision of OTCES to provide high quality services to the community while gaining insight into pediatric occupational therapy and becoming more familiar with the operations of a facility that provides these services.

Please be advised of the following volunteer application deadlines:

If you are interested in volunteering at OTCES, please fill out this survey. The volunteer coordinator will contact you about follow up paperwork and work with you to schedule an interview.