Some may also have a doctorate. Back home in the Philippines, occupational therapy is deemed to be a profession in demand . You will need to earn your master's degree to become an occupational therapist. Honestly I am not feeling confidet in my knowledge, I'm always pretending I know everything I do but it's just a fassade. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Use no tear soap. 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. 5 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Make Extra Money After OT School, Manage stress, avoid burnout, and stay inspired. I don't believe I ever said that schools are businesses; I think they shouldn't be. If OT ends up being slightly less stressful and frustrating than my job as a special ed teacher in a public school system, then I'll be ecstatic. With productivity targets at 85% or above, providing quality patient care becomes difficult to accomplish. Just saying. Hi Carolyn thank you your comment was helpful! This article has been incredibly helpful. If given the tools it is amazing what kind of healing a person's body and mind can accomplish. Because of the over-saturation previously mentioned, your ideal setting might not have any openings when youre done with OT school and boards. This way you get the variety of two different settings part time instead of only one setting full time. You have your toolbox, and know what interventions work for you. Why???!!!! You may not know what floats your boat. I love what I do as a health proffesional! Best decision I ever made." This is harder than it sounds due to the increasing paperwork demands that companies and insurers require. Wow this is a long threadAll the OTs and COTAs I've met and shadowed love their jobs! How occupational therapy can help you. In postgraduate studies, it's possible to gain a Masters degree in one to two years. Cast a wide net when you are looking for jobs. A CNA is there to dress, help with toileting, etc. Is it possible for the field to phase out? Your training as an OT was about learning to identify and solve problems in holistic ways most others cant. It's easier that way because he's more willing to cooperate. =). I still love working in rehab and acute care over eight years later. Keep applying, and dont give up! This was one of the schools where I contracted OT services. Learn how your comment data is processed. Top new foods with well-liked sauces or seasonings to help them seem less strange and unusual . Were there any profs you connected with? I've been busting my butt to get into graduate school and now I'm wondering if I should choose something else. The Indeed forum is extremely discouraging and I cannot stand to go there anymore. No, we actually dont work on getting people jobs. If youre in an unethical environment, that may be reason enough to make a big change. Cohorts typically have 20-40 students per program, and schools are getting 300-500+ applicants each cycle. I heard so many bad things about SNFs from Indeed. I thought I would *hate* acute care but I absolutely LOVE it now that Ive given it a shot. One of the most rewarding things I did when I was in the clinic was teach the "Back School Clinic" for small groups. Through her work, she's found that many doctors aren't always aware of the skills they have. If you're a creative problem solver who enjoys helping people to get the most out of life, becoming an occupational therapist will give you real fulfilment, day in and day out. If youre a new grad in this situation, I recommend taking the time to find a mentor or a new position where there are other OTs around to help guide you. There is absolutely no way youll be able to just figure it out, or teach yourself. It is recommended that you consider pursuing a degree in biology, kinesiology, health sciences or physiology. After earning a bachelor's degree, you need to get a master's degree in occupational therapy, which takes two to three years depending on the program you choose. In addition, I recommend applying to as many schools as you can reasonably afford to (preferably at least 3 or more). Absolutely not! I welcome all replies. Please note that we are not able to give specific treatment advice or exercises to do at home. Now in the middle of applications I'm not so certain. I absolutely agree with all of your points (I especially love the versatility of OT and its varied settings!). 35,411 - 43,517 a year. While it isnt for everyone, working contracts that are essentially paid fieldworks with long breaks between is awesome. The beauty of OT is that there are so many different venues and settings that you can go into so that if you were unhappy in one setting you can go to another one. The ACOTE decision to move degrees is in abeyance as of September 2018: https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Accreditation/acote-doctoral-mandate-2027.aspx. 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. Nobody else is trained quite this way and that's why we are valuable. One advantage of working in home health is you can be your own boss and set your own schedule. As with any relationship, there needs to be a good bond between the two parties. However, OT graduate programs typically have academic prerequisites, including various college-level basic . Occupational therapy assistants work under the guidance of an occupational therapist, who conducts the client evaluation and assessment, then comes up with treatment goals and a big-picture plan for accomplishing them. 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. You can't only know about the good, beautiful things about OT. stipend for their residency work. Remote in Norwich NR7. Something what helps me is to think about what Ive done right during the day. Needless to say, working in a setting like this is sure to cause you major burnout, and if youre in a setting like this, you should advocate for appropriate therapy, and if that doesnt make a difference, switch to another company. Spending several hours in there, however, changed my mind entirely. I love the theory of OT and what it stands for but if the world does not understand the value of it, will it be one of the first occupations to go? Occupational therapy encompasses a wide array of treatments aimed at improving physical impairments, self-care difficulties, functional cognition (ability to pay bills, sort medications, maintain a schedule, etc.) what rehab occupational therapists do. I know it's a "HOT" field and whatever but I know a lot of people that are in it for the money and they will have sad sad lives. It's physically demanding, mentally demanding (so much documenting! 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. It does pay well but you do toilet transfers, see body fluids from wounds and deal with people who are tired and/or cranky. To rub salt in the wound, many Occupational Therapy Masters programs (MOT degrees) are transitioning to solely Doctorate (OTD) degrees, which bumps up the price of tuition considerably compared to OT Masters programs. I agree that you should take what you read on the Internet with a grain of salt. School rankings are mostly based upon application and acceptance statistics, as well as attendance in classes. Thats vocational rehab! Your therapist might be an ultimate sweetheart. Until recently, I was only focusing on and hearing the good things I about OT and I sort of glamorized it in a way. I wish I had that option, but I'll probably be stuck babysitting on the side for $10/hour! I have a 7 yr. old grandson who has Autism, ADHD, and sensory dysfunction. Ive found that, at work especially, Im also having to explain that no, Im not the physical therapist, and what we do is similar but different, and I go into the reasons why. As you decide what you are going to do with your life there's always going to be someone to change your dreams and there's also that person who will have something negative to say. I can tell you from experience that youll be glad you did. You must log in or register to reply here. And lastly, I want you to be aware of the physical demands of being an occupational therapy practitioner. I have contracted to local schools with very low rates. It was really not a good fit for me, though I knew what I was getting myself into by the time I pursued the masters. You really shouldnt believe what people have to say about becoming an OT. The therapeutic relationship can be difficult if there is a personality clash. Or narrow your search. Itsphysically demanding, mentally demanding (so much documenting! I would also add that just because you dont think youll like a setting doesnt mean you wont! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Most of my years have been school based. I doubt there is a job that is full of sunshine and butterflies 24/7 out there. To become an OT, you will need to complete certain education and licensure requirements. Not many positions were available during what seemed like to be peak COVID. Every job has its ups and downs, whether its occupational therapy or a completely unrelated field. Are you or someone youre close to interested in becoming an occupational therapist? He might be the only reason you get up in the morning. Personally, I would not had any issue going into an OTD program because I'm interested in academia. If you dont think you can handle the physical requirements that many OT settings demand but still are passionate about becoming an occupational therapist, you can look into outpatient settings like driving rehab, hand therapy, orworking in mental health. Becoming an Occupational Therapist Occupational therapy is highly rewarding work that is growing in demand as the healthcare landscape continues to evolve. 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. With rehab-based occupational therapists and COTAs, a big focus is transfer training. If you have earned a bachelor's degree in a related field, like biology or physiology before continuing education to a master's degree, then you can directly apply for a master's degree at many schools. Hear about the nasty things too, if you are willing to push through regardless then this is the career for you. If you dont mind me asking, what kind of OT dream job did you land? Doubt there is a job that is growing in demand as the healthcare landscape continues to evolve is the for! Providing quality patient care becomes difficult to accomplish, I would also add that just you... 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