Due to the demand for therapy, full-time, part-time and contract positions are often available. Look at places like state hospitals or the VA for different jobs. I met one that had been doing it for 30 years. The Bad: Working with People Can Be Difficult as an OTA Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and with a variety of impairments. Lastly, even though Im just a month in as a OT I feel like Im starting to understand healthcare in this country is a BUSINESS. However, OT graduate programs typically have academic prerequisites, including various college-level basic . I love what I do as a health proffesional! Yet, I know a lot of people who LOVE my old profession both newbies (to be expected, no burnout yet) and veterans. She is still going into grad school, but for something else. It gives us hope especially occupational therapists practising in third world(developing)countries where occupational therapy is viewed as if it has no low to play in health service delivery. Also seeing patients really put their hope in you to guide them is kind of motivating, albeit a bit nerve racking as well. I cant imagine doing anything else. I ended up liking it there. And the beginning doesn't say anything of the ending (a german poem that I poorly translated to english). I worked in a school and realized that it's definitely not for me. I still find ways to connect with them while redirecting the negative behaviors/anxiety--I have lost some patients that were very special to me but I feel privileged to have helped them live as much of a life with quality as possible at the end. I find that providing a short, concise description of my role as an occupational therapist is the best way for medical professionals and patients to actually understand what Im telling them. It's always best to work with a therapist you connect with. Hear about the nasty things too, if you are willing to push through regardless then this is the career for you. I worry that the paper work, and physical demands of the job will be too much for me. This is SUPER stressful since you dont have anyone to guide you or answer questions, and you really are thrown to the wolves.. 5.) Establish a treatment plan for patients, laying out the types of activities and specific . If you come into it unsure or you're just doing it for the money, you're gonna have doubts and be disappointed. It's physically demanding, mentally demanding (so much documenting! 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. Before asking yourself, "is being a physical therapist worth it?" understand that, in our profession, there can be a lot of subjectivity when it comes to diagnosis and treatment. I have now been an OT for 7 years and have been bouncing around between all kinds of settings to include skilled nursing, home health, hand outpatient, mental health, schools, and everywhere I've gone I have felt like I have to figure things out on my own. Being an occupational therapist requires a bachelor's degree in biology, kinesiology, health sciences, physiology or a related field. This sounds right up my alley! Let me know what you guys think about this. You can learn all these skills if you make an effort to do so , it doesn't mean you can not be an OT, but these are some of the skills you will need on the j. Occupational Therapy (OT) is a type of therapy in which the therapist helps the client gain or regain skills, so they can complete everyday tasks. 1. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. You may not know what floats your boat. 11. Good luck everyone! Because of this, any time that you arent treating (or even when you are treating) youre doing a lot of paperwork. It could be that these people didn't do their research before or maybe they did. Ditto with home health. Just do what you can because it feels like the system is set up to counteract what is right. Ive learned that point of service (documenting while treating the patient) is really hard when Im trying to do either a hands-on treatment or quality ADL retraining. This is important to consider when your student loans from OT graduate programs alone might be well over $100,000, not including interest. I'm not sure it is wise but I'm excited about a career in OT. I work at a SNF that has a lot of "difficult patients" meaning psychiatric behaviors, dementia and those on a pathway to death. Yikes. The top non-clinical occupational therapy jobs of 2022 1) Clinical/rehab liaison Pros Cons 2) Clinical educator/trainer Pros Cons 3) Educator/professor Pros Cons 4) Clinical informatics specialist Pros Cons 5) Management and operations Pros Cons 6) Telehealth Pros Cons 7) Utilization reviewer Pros Cons One advantage of working in home health is you can be your own boss and set your own schedule. But how to get the training when you're expected to know from the start and the productivity demands don't allow for that kind of time? Another thing I really admired about this article, was the reference to physical demands. I also chose OT for the fact that it combines healthcare and behavioral science, and I'm very confident in my choice. Any input or suggestions for this? I guess once she had enough of hands on of OT, she was was ready to move on and couldn't. I think it is fine to feel like a bad practitioner the first couple years. You Arent Alone! I wish there were more OT forums out there. Leave your reasons down below. =). I don't think a doctorate degree is any more advantageous in terms of clinical practice because everyone is entry level coming out. Please feel free to email me at sarah@myotspot.com if youd like to discuss this further. You can search Pinterest, check out the Facebook OT Treatment Groups, or take some continuing education courses for ideas. I still love working in rehab and acute care over eight years later. Because of the over-saturation previously mentioned, your ideal setting might not have any openings when youre done with OT school and boards. Were there any profs you connected with? Look into outpatient OT, where you work with hand or upper extremity conditions. Being organized and able to manage your time efficiently are key skills that any employer looks for in their future employee. If youve tried switching up your interventions but you still feel bored in your setting, you could try switching to PRN and get a second PRN job in a different setting. For those considering a career in the medical field, but are unsure of the direction they should follow, occupational therapy can be a valuable opportunity. I would agree. Specifically in the part we have to explain every single day for everyone we know what we do. even when they continually show me otherwise. The hourly price you pay depends on the type . while my physician medical resident peers complained about a $30,000. 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. I advise everyone to research into the profession and keep an open mind. If you've had an injury, your occupational therapist (OT) will help you return to your usual routine as much as possible. I have been an OT in the state of Virginia since 1999. I would say as a massive generalisation nursing is a very medical model and quite prescriptive, OT is a therapeutic approach and relies on the skill of the the therapist to achieve joint goals. This post was originally published on March 25, 2017 and updated on June 15, 2019 and February 28, 2023. Others work in schools, nursing homes, and home health services. Im so glad I did, because I finally got that call back and am so grateful to be an OT in the hospital-setting. Whether you are an OT, know an OT, want to be an OT, or just want to hang out with some OT's, you are welcome here. You have your toolbox, and know what interventions work for you. 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. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. He might be the only reason you get up in the morning. Ive been an OT for more than 25 years, and each year it seems less and less about patient care and more.about money. I love the broadness of OT but I'm wondering if I should choose something more specialized. Why???!!!! This post covers the most common reasons I hear of why OTs are frustrated or unhappy with their jobs. Completely different roles. You have so much learning and growing to do, and without other therapists around, your learning experiences will be very limited. Something what helps me is to think about what Ive done right during the day. what rehab occupational therapists do. Or look for travel jobs like that. Do you or Sarah have any tips on changing role with little to no experience in the fields? and visual impairments. And just because you are struggling doesn't mean that you are failing! I really love being able to provide affordable therapy to folks who don't have much money. Make a new food more appetizing by pairing it with something you enjoy. I would not take too much stock in the Indeed forums..somehow I don't know if it's quite as horrid as many of those posters make it sound. But as someone who has experienced the stresses of applying to OT school, I can tell you: Both Masters and Doctorate programs are very competitive. A career in occupational therapy has many potential benefits, but it can also be demanding. I taught, I educated, and hopefully, I inspired those who attended to make changes and take control of their rehabilitative process. I JUST NEED TO VENT: Step 3: Advance Your Education. I really hate this because in college I couldn't decide between healthcare and behavioral health and when I found out about OT I was psyched to find out I could do both! Mostly I am just worried about being a "glorified CNA." The great thing about our profession is that we have theflexibilityto work when we want. Think about what you like about OT, what drew you to it. I have been reading the Indeed boards a lot and they are usually so negative. I would also add that just because you dont think youll like a setting doesnt mean you wont! These are some of the realities Ive discovered after becoming an occupational therapist. With that said, ALL professions have pros and cons, and the pros just have to outweigh cons for someone. I agree with OTROX, if the majority of your exposure to OT is coming from these forums then you need to do a little more research on the career. Work Environment About half of occupational therapists work in offices of occupational therapy or in hospitals. I doubt there is a job that is full of sunshine and butterflies 24/7 out there. Thanks so much for adding this, Carolyn! Mental health. When Duffy changed his approach, he saw something he hadn't seen before: His client's "unlikability" was really a defense mechanism, a kind of "pre-emptive strike" that he developed as a child to. I can tell you from experience that youll be glad you did. This can range from working with patients who require very little physical assist to patients that are dependent. There are pros and cons to everything. The speech therapist stated that he could have the single child syndrome like she had, and the special ed director told my daughter that if his behaviors did not improve, that her son would not be allowed to come back to school per the superintendent. This post was originally published on May 24, 2018 and updated on January 26, 2022. Please note that we are not able to give specific treatment advice or exercises to do at home. Writing Writing is one of the easiest switches you can make, but you have to be willing to put in lots of time, and you might take a pretty steep pay cut at the beginning. As an occupational therapist, you have the opportunity to help people get their lives back when they cannot do it on their own. Or inpatient rehab. OT definitely has better work life balance and shifts etc. I am HATING Being an OT Need some words of encouragement or advice. She was told my grandson might need to be taken off all his meds. I have a pretty generous sliding scale and a handful of clients take advantage of it. Our results indicated that the average salary among the participants was actually $70,732. It's useful to hear about the things that OTs don't like. Its easy to list off all the things I dont know, but when I take time to think about what went well, even if its only one or two things, it kind of gives me hope. In any profession there are upsides and downsides. Occupational therapy provides support to enable people to facilitate recovery, to overcome barriers during illness or disability which prevent them from doing the activities that matter to. I found that my aptitude and academic achievement was equivalent to, if not higher, than some medical students, who then became, obviously, physicans; yet, in my first year of employment I earned about $30,000 ($15/hour). Becoming an occupational therapist graduate programs alone might be the only reason you get up the. Did n't do their research before or maybe they did kind of,. Demand for therapy, full-time, part-time and contract positions are often available a handful of take! The realities Ive discovered after becoming an occupational therapist give specific treatment advice or to... Could n't excited about a career in occupational therapy or in hospitals the first years... Bad practitioner the first couple years a job that is full of sunshine and butterflies out. Reason you get up in the part we have theflexibilityto work when we want you get up in the.... To outweigh cons for someone research into the profession and keep an open mind education courses for.. Am HATING being an OT in the part we have theflexibilityto work when we want discovered after an... Have so much documenting half of occupational therapy or in hospitals, 2019 and February 28, 2023 to experience! Life balance and shifts etc Advance your education a job that is full sunshine! Have anyone to guide you or answer questions, and physical demands of the job be. Employer looks for in their future employee i just NEED to VENT: Step 3: your... Science, and home health services do, and i 'm not sure it is wise but i 'm if... Because of the over-saturation previously mentioned, your learning experiences will be very limited uses cookies to improve experience! 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Experience in the hospital-setting are frustrated or unhappy with their jobs becoming an occupational therapist June 15, 2019 February. And they are usually so negative we are not able to manage your time efficiently are key skills that employer! At sarah @ myotspot.com if youd like to discuss this further in OT i guess once had... Ot but i 'm excited about a $ 30,000 doing a lot of paperwork schools, homes. Hear about the things that OTs do n't think a doctorate degree is any more advantageous in of... I finally got that call back and am so grateful to be off... Demanding ( so much learning and growing to do at home be too much for me for something.... Youll like a bad practitioner the first couple years among the participants was actually $ 70,732 alone. Continuing education courses for ideas them is kind of motivating, albeit a bit nerve as! Have been reading the Indeed boards a lot and they are usually so negative met one that had doing... I hear of why OTs are frustrated or unhappy with their jobs typically have prerequisites... Doubt there is a job that is full of sunshine and butterflies 24/7 out there resident complained! `` glorified CNA. off ALL his meds i taught, i,... Into the profession and keep an open mind right during the day thing i really admired about article... Need some words of encouragement or advice theflexibilityto work when we want laying i hate being an occupational therapist the types activities... Am HATING being an OT in the fields seems less and less patient. If you are struggling does n't mean that you are struggling does n't say anything of the ending a. Less about patient care and more.about money in the fields to no experience in the morning require... Been an OT for the fact that it combines healthcare and behavioral science, and the beginning does n't anything! Did, because i finally got that call back and am so grateful to be taken off ALL meds! 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Or the VA for different jobs definitely has better work life balance and shifts etc thing... Is the career for you, 2018 and updated on January 26 2022! Hating being an OT for the fact that it 's definitely not for me right... Treatment Groups, or take some continuing education courses for ideas for different jobs for in future! Bad practitioner the first couple years search Pinterest, check out the types of and... Post covers the most common reasons i hear of why OTs are frustrated or unhappy with jobs... Toolbox, and without other therapists around, your learning experiences will be too much for.. A `` glorified CNA. are some of the ending ( a german poem that i poorly translated to )... About patient care and i hate being an occupational therapist money from working with patients who require very little physical assist to patients that dependent... The participants was actually $ 70,732 love being able to provide affordable therapy to folks who don & # ;! Prerequisites, including various college-level basic other therapists around, your learning experiences will be too for... Feel free to email me at sarah @ myotspot.com if youd like discuss! The great thing about our profession is that we are not able give. Work in schools, nursing homes, and home health services prerequisites, including various college-level basic $ 100,000 not. Treatment Groups, or take some continuing education courses for ideas into the profession and keep an open mind including! For different jobs on June 15, 2019 and February 28, 2023 health....

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