Local government? 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. Itsphysically demanding, mentally demanding (so much documenting! 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. They found where they belong and stayed there. I agree with what you said above, but Id also like to add that pay cuts and no raises for several years have been rampant in our profession due to Medicare cut backs. You can certainly find a position, whether permanent or travel, but you might have to make the choice to leave a bigger city. 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. It is a little discouraging to see so many people who are unhappy in the OT profession, but I'm guessing for every one unhappy OT there are hundreds of OTs who love it. 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. If you are male and reading this, understand that you will be outnumbered by females regardless of where you decide to worka hospital, a rehabilitation center, a school, or a nursing home. Working a job with intense physical demands as well as high productivity challenges five days a week is really rough. I love what I do as a health proffesional! The post covers the most prevalent situations that occupational therapists may find themselves in, especially as new grads. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. If I could have done it all over again, I would have applied to medical school, as I had the same aptitude and academic grades. I do not feel that my FW or school prepared me at all. One advantage of working in home health is you can be your own boss and set your own schedule. I agree that you should take what you read on the Internet with a grain of salt. Unrealistic productivity demands and some unethical companies and managers can be the biggest factors for burnout, so after graduation, I advise you to do your due diligence on these factors before taking your first job. 11 /15. 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. I hope the kiddies heard us loud and clear on this one. As an occupational therapist, you have the opportunity to help people get their lives back when they cannot do it on their own. I just got my license in July and started my very first OT job this past September. 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. Need some words of encouragement or advice. She was told my grandson might need to be taken off all his meds. These tasks (also known as "occupations") may take place at home, in a nursing home, or a community. Benefits: Medical, Dental . Think about the skills and knowledge youve obtained (not to mention a graduate degree), where else can you put them to use? Is it possible for the field to phase out? 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 This generally takes 2 years of full-time study. I am an OT student, is anyone else in this thread one? Buy Hate Being Sexy But I'm Funny Occupational Therapist Therapy T-Shirt: Shop top fashion brands T-Shirts at Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY and Returns possible on eligible purchases Amazon.com: Hate Being Sexy But I'm Funny Occupational Therapist Therapy T-Shirt : Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry Thanks for the article. I would love the opportunity to get good and confident in highly skilled areas such as making splints, or treating burns, and lymphedema. Use no tear soap. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. While skilled nursing positions might pay well (as an example), if your heart isnt into it you definitely wont be happy. I am looking to talk to some OTs that have run into problems such as unnecessary treatment or documenting hours to make money for the company. OT came to me like an epiphany and for the past two years I thought I was preparing for my dream career. Reducing my hours to part-time job, allowed me to keep working, while also taking care of myself. Some people are never satisfied no matter what. 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. They get rid of them. I believe in you, OP. Why. I heard so many bad things about SNFs from Indeed. It's useful to hear about the things that OTs don't like. Im about to start OT school. Step 3: Advance Your Education. 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. Hi Carolyn thank you your comment was helpful! Most OT settings, from pediatrics to adult rehab settings, require a considerable amount of physical exertion. This sounds right up my alley! Loved every minute. 4. I wouldn't base an opinion in rankings. This can range from working with patients who require very little physical assist to patients that are dependent. If you work in pediatrics, you will also be doing a lot of physical movement with crawling, kneeling, jumping, chasing, and handling, oftentimes on the floor or mat. Are You a Burned Out OT? Maybe in business roles, like HR? To be a licensed speech-language pathologist, you need to complete an undergraduate degree, a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, pass a Praxis exam, complete 400 hours of supervised clinical hours, and complete a 9-month (paid) clinical fellowship. Look at places like state hospitals or the VA for different jobs. Not Being Able to Watch. We had to hire an advocate and the school did offer to place him in a program that was not suited for children with Autism, not to mention that children in this program often do not transition out. Occupational therapy is not always the sunshine and rainbows that you read about in the countless news articles touting its frequent rating in the top 10 happiest and least stressful jobs. These cookies do not store any personal information. So while you do get to provide meaningful treatments and help people achieve their goals, you do have to deal with the struggle of meeting your productivity on a daily basis. My first job was on the MH ward of a mens prison. There are pros and cons to everything. If you have a disability, they will . If youre passionate about becoming an occupational therapist, you wont regret it! and we come out thinking every job will be fantastic. Teacher2PT, thanks for your advice and best of luck to you too! Im doing travel right now and its hot. But there are certain things about OT that concern me. That way my total compensation isnt lower as a result of working a few less hours. But, I do want to share some of the realities of occupational therapy for you to consider so youre well prepared. You have so much learning and growing to do, and without other therapists around, your learning experiences will be very limited. As a new grad OT as a month, I feel you 100%. This will also increase tuition considerably, without any foreseen comparable pay raises for either OTRs or COTAs with these pricier degrees. So, without further ado, here are 10 things I hate about occupational therapy: 1. what rehab occupational therapists do. Abstract. In my area (I live in a major city), I haven't seen any non-school based or agency OT positions available. Some of my PRN coworkers even go to three settings (outpatient, acute and inpatient rehab) depending on the hospitals needs. Your student loan amount has no impact on your decision to be an OT? Or do a lot of on-line con Ed. This PDF from AOTA is a great educational handout you can also give to patients and medical professionals when youre in this predicament. I am feeling major burnout and depression from my current work situation. Moving around all day, versus sitting for long periods of time, has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death. Learn how your comment data is processed. Occupational therapists can evaluate patients to determine which forms of therapy they might need, create treatment plans for patients and help patients perform activities and exercises in therapy. Being an occupational therapist can be stressful. Every career has its ups and downs. Thinking about ditching the profession altogether. become an ot/ota. Follow your heart and always remember ones experience isnt everyones bad experience. He did great the first year with initial struggles. 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. With that said, I'm sure every forum dedicated to any profession has plenty of negativity as well. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. Your input will help me one cope and 2 fight for change. What would be most helpful for you? Make a new food more appetizing by pairing it with something you enjoy. Nobody else is trained quite this way and that's why we are valuable. The therapist and client form a therapeutic relationship. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Every job has its ups and downs, whether its occupational therapy or a completely unrelated field. I met one that had been doing it for 30 years. This post was originally published on May 24, 2018 and updated on January 26, 2022. Average salary (a year) 27,055 Starter to 47,672 Experienced. My goal is to leave the profession, and find a way to promote inclusion and diversity in organizations. Any particular reason why you want to ditch and what you might go into? I BEYOND agree with you. While juggling multiple PRN jobs might seem difficult, if your hospital has multiple areas, you can usually cross-train and stay within the same system. As a school and hospital OT, I found that the lack of resources and sheer amount of paperwork and red tape interfered with my ability to actually spend time with patients and make a difference. I don't think a doctorate degree is any more advantageous in terms of clinical practice because everyone is entry level coming out. Just do what you can because it feels like the system is set up to counteract what is right. I cant speak for occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs. Ditto with home health. Unfortunately, there are for-profit therapy companies out there hiring new grads to unknowingly commit ethical violations in order to make the companies more money. 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. 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. Thank you all! before jumping in to a job situation that might be worse than your current job. An older person obviously can have many capabilities, but if a person is lifting and moving from age 25 to age 65, there is likely to be a toll on the body. I worked in a school and realized that it's definitely not for me. Due to the demand for therapy, full-time, part-time and contract positions are often available. Its okay to leave. There is a raging debate about the OTD within our field. You can make it work for you if this is what you really want. I will definitely say that some settings are more challenging than others, but this feeling is common in any job. I'd have a huge moral issue with that, and I do not want to feel uncomfortable in my job.
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