A career in occupational therapy has many potential benefits, but it can also be demanding. Occupational therapy helps patients to do daily activities or "occupations." Those activities include cooking, bathing, shopping, eating, getting dressed, and caring for loved ones. Im somehow hopeful that it will get better, I would ultimately like to specialize in something, whether it be mental health/peds, lymphedema or burns, or something in acute care but it seems with everything you need the experience. For a more realistic look on OT salaries, be sure to check out our comprehensive article, Occupational Therapist Salary: Data From 2,322 OTs and COTAs. I have contracted to local schools with very low rates. You're not going to know everything and that's okay The biggest obstacle I had to overcome during my first few months working as an occupational therapist at a SNF (and I still struggle with this sometimes) was my feeling of inadequacy compared to my co-workers. Being accepted into an OT program is hard and very competitive. I do not feel that my FW or school prepared me at all. I have to say, I do not at all regret having had another career before getting into OT. Are you or someone youre close to interested in becoming an occupational therapist? The post covers the most prevalent situations that occupational therapists may find themselves in, especially as new grads. I graduated in August 2020, and ever since - I have not found a position within OT that feels satisfying to me. Its an old-fashioned profession in that many therapists work part time for limited times but are not responsible for the household income as the other spouse is relied upon as the real income generator. Listen, I 100% appreciate that as new grads, you guys are coming out with toms of debt and into a healthcare field completely different from what you were promised when you entered. Additional job details. OT came to me like an epiphany and for the past two years I thought I was preparing for my dream career. I have to say, do listen to the people from indeed. Or inpatient rehab. I never would have anticipated how sick I would get during my pregnancy. I work for the government now. If youre open to other types of settings after graduation, this wont be a huge downside. Due to the demand for therapy, full-time, part-time and contract positions are often available. There will always be people who want to bitch no matter how many people wipe their asses. Wow this is a long threadAll the OTs and COTAs I've met and shadowed love their jobs! You'll . No, we actually dont work on getting people jobs. Cast a wide net when you are looking for jobs. I'm sure there are good and bad OT jobs, just as there are good and bad teaching jobs, etc. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. A CNA is there to dress, help with toileting, etc. Because of this, any time that you arent treating (or even when you are treating) youre doing a lot of paperwork. Ive never been so finished. The school system had another student (very similar situation and age) whose parents were told that their son could not return to the school after he had been with the school for 3 yrs. B) Depending on your setting, you may be the only OT in the department. The NBCOT Certification Exam handbook. You may not know what floats your boat. Local government? No particular college major is mandatory for admission to OT school, Tyminski says. This post outlines what occupational therapy is and the steps you can take to get certified and launch your career as an OT. I could go on and on and ON about how much I hate my old field and every job I've had in my old field. I wish there were more OT forums out there. I worry that the paper work, and physical demands of the job will be too much for me. Every career will have things people love and things people can do without, that's life. Please feel free to email me at sarah@myotspot.com if youd like to discuss this further. Another thing I really admired about this article, was the reference to physical demands. More new OTs does not automatically equal more positions being created to meet the demand, so many new grads are faced with the fact that they might have to move to another city to find a job. My first job was on the MH ward of a mens prison. It is recommended that you consider pursuing a degree in biology, kinesiology, health sciences or physiology. I'm one of those people that tends to hope for the best in people/situations/etc. This way you get the variety of two different settings part time instead of only one setting full time. It's always best to work with a therapist you connect with. As an occupational therapist, you'll need to: take a 'whole person' approach to each patient's physical and mental wellbeing by considering all their needs - physical, social, psychological and environmental assess, plan, implement and evaluate treatment plans in hospital and community settings Among other unethical issues I have had. I personally use MedBridge Continuing Education for ideas since its all online and provides unlimited courses for the year. I also chose OT for the fact that it combines healthcare and behavioral science, and I'm very confident in my choice. Nobody else is trained quite this way and that's why we are valuable. That's an exhausting list of things to do to get a job. The job flexibility and variety of job options combined with knowing you are truly making a difference in peoples lives makes it a great career choice as long as youre prepared and you know the potential drawbacks you might encounter. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. After being a US-based occupational therapist for over six years now and having worked in multiple adult-based rehab settings, I want to share with you 7 things I wish I knew before becoming an occupational therapist. Permanent + 1. I applied for a few rehab positions, but did not get an interviews. One of my first articles, 5 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Make Extra Money After OT School shows you other ways to make money to give yourself that extra day or two off a week. Gain work experience. doing what you love. If youre thinking about becoming a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) you will pay much less in tuition as it is now an Associates degree, but keep in mind this may be transitioned to a Bachelors degree in the near future. And if you do decide to go back to school for something else later on, you'll still be able to make decent money doing home health on the weekends or per diem work as an OT. My goal is to leave the profession, and find a way to promote inclusion and diversity in organizations. Nobody really knows what you do or they just say: "Oh you are just like a PT!" What would be most helpful for you? In this paper, I reflect upon two aspects of the human as an occupational being: 1) the biological need for occupation, and 2) tempo and temporality as a way of beginning to generate a blueprint for global health. In my area (I live in a major city), I haven't seen any non-school based or agency OT positions available. 11 /15. Very encouraging information! If you answered yes to these questions, being an Occupational Therapist at Select Medical may be a great fit for you! Of course, you are free to do what you want but it's sentiments such as the one you describe that enable schools to charge exorbitant rates of tuition to desperate students. There are pros and cons to everything. There is a big difference between the two. Depending on the regulations where you live, this. Mostly I am just worried about being a "glorified CNA." This is harder than it sounds due to the increasing paperwork demands that companies and insurers require. As an occupational therapist, you have the opportunity to help people get their lives back when they cannot do it on their own. Crystal Smith, Occupational Therapist - Contact: csmith@skusd.k12.ca.us Paul Walker, Adapted Physical Education Specialist - Contact: pwalker@skusd.k12.ca.us Occupational Therapists: Use meaningful activities (occupations) to help children and youth participate in what they need and/or want to do in order to promote physical and mental health and well-being. Education staff can contact the School Advice Line: 0300 421 6976 on Tuesdays 1.30pm-4pm (term time only). Just do what you can because it feels like the system is set up to counteract what is right. Thats part of being a novice. what rehab occupational therapists do. Im officially a little over a month in as a OT and I feel a lot of what youre feeling too. Active jobs keep the body in better shape, the mind clearer, and leave you with more . Some may also have a doctorate. I might have to see 80 students in. I stood up in front of a group every so often and I discussed how to prevent back injuries. If you cannot handle this, you may want to consider another career. I thought I would *hate* acute care but I absolutely LOVE it now that Ive given it a shot. 2. Is it possible for the field to phase out? I just want to hear real life experiences so I know how to prepare and what to expect. Carrie Madigan, an occupational therapist who worked for Kindred at Home in Omaha, Nebraska, said she was laid off in November as the company the largest U.S. home health provider cut. while my physician medical resident peers complained about a $30,000. I work in a SNF so theyre pretty lonely and the fact that youre there to try whatever it is youve got means a lot to them. Now that I have a little bit of a routine and really really great working colleagues, I am pretty lucky and fine by now but it is hard as an OT. For Valentines Day, my grandson told his aunt that he needed to buy his new teachers a box of chocolates each because at his new school, they like him. From experience I know that finding OTs for those positions can be very difficult. Why. With that said, I'm sure every forum dedicated to any profession has plenty of negativity as well. You can't only know about the good, beautiful things about OT. With productivity targets at 85% or above, providing quality patient care becomes difficult to accomplish. I dont mind educating the general population on what we do at all, but I imagine after doing this for your entire career it could get tiring. 4. A job just has to fit you and satisfy you enough to put up with the bullsh*t. In every field there will always be some who absolutely hate it, some who absolutely love it, and most who fall in between. Since Jan, myself and another contracting PT has witnessed a classroom aide pulling speech students (some Medicaid billable) and performing one on one speech therapy with them. Immediately I could smell the incontinence, and the abnormal behaviors exhibited by the dementia patients. Abstract. MOT4ME, you've offered some helpful advice on these forums but this particular comment was very condescending and unnecessary. I don't feel like the person 3 years ago that wanted to be an OT. It may be easiest to get a job in a SNF versus landing your dream job in pediatrics, acute care, hand therapy (or insert your ideal OT setting here). I'm not sure it is wise but I'm excited about a career in OT. Mental health. So, without further ado, here are 10 things I hate about occupational therapy: 1. I welcome all replies. 5 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Make Extra Money After OT School, Manage stress, avoid burnout, and stay inspired. Im going on my 4th year in schools and constantly feel lost. When I learned this, I quickly transitioned to positions where transferring adult patients was not a requirement. Upon arrival, it was the entire IEP team. The profession can be very physically demanding, which I did not know upon my entrance into school. Because more people are wanting to become occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, schools in bigger cities are creating more programs and pumping out more and more new grads every year. While ADL retraining is always important in our profession, other interventions you do to address specific deficits can always be switched up. What type of sites/jobs would be the best fit? I've also chatted with many OTs. While this is a totally normal feeling (and something that I still experience), before you jump into another setting that may make you feel just as or more stressed, take some time to reflect before you make a major change. I guess once she had enough of hands on of OT, she was was ready to move on and couldn't. Found a position within OT that feels satisfying to me like an epiphany and for past. Which I did not get an interviews OT school, Manage stress, avoid burnout, and physical demands the. 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