i hate being an occupational therapisti hate being an occupational therapist
I think it is fine to feel like a bad practitioner the first couple years. This is will improve your odds of getting into a program. There are a lot of policy questions here: why isn't the government regulating these schools so that they can't charge 100k+ for a degree which will earn you 50k as an entry level practitioner? Because of this, any time that you arent treating (or even when you are treating) youre doing a lot of paperwork. I volunteered extensively in multiple settings and worked as an aide for a year before I even made my decision. Just saying. It's always best to work with a therapist you connect with. All of this is very true! 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. Reading about the ethical concerns on this forum (I've forgotten which forum or post, maybe it was this one), causes great concern for me. I still love working in rehab and acute care over eight years later. You might find yourself doing the same type of treatment day in and day out, and this will definitely lead to boredom. The new school assistant principal informed the OT that there was not enough staff or funding to support the additional help my grandson needed. 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 category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Personally, I would not had any issue going into an OTD program because I'm interested in academia. I BEYOND agree with you. I would be perfectly happy working as a OT for a while in various settings and then going into academia and teach people how to become OT's and there is always ways to move up through a university setting. I met one that had been doing it for 30 years. There are pros and cons to everything. If not, it should have an impact. One of the joys of OT is that there are so many areas to work in. If this is the case, dont stop looking for a position in your favorite setting. JavaScript is disabled. And let me tell you, I worked 2 weeks there and I questioned my whole life, my career choice, if I can do it, just everything. I would love to go part time but my work load wouldn't change. This article has been incredibly helpful. 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. Yikes. You must log in or register to reply here. However, OT graduate programs typically have academic prerequisites, including various college-level basic . I hope this post helps give you some clarity of why you might be feeling burned out as an OT or COTA, and provides you with some actionable solutions to take to increase your satisfaction as an occupational therapy practitioner. 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! what rehab occupational therapists do. It's also why we have a student loan crisis, how will you pay that off later down the road? I am feeling major burnout and depression from my current work situation. Almost every OT setting has productivity requirements, with some settings having less strict standards than others. That seems to be the one thing i have noticed i dont like about OT there is not alot of upward mobility. 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. He did great the first year with initial struggles. and we come out thinking every job will be fantastic. Travel therapists LOVE taking time off between each three month contract to relax and recharge. While it isnt for everyone, working contracts that are essentially paid fieldworks with long breaks between is awesome. This parent informed me that the special ed director called her in to an unofficial meeting at the school board office and upon arrival the superintendent was also present. These settings will typically have considerably less physical demands. There is so little mentorship and guidance, and I honestly feel like a terrible practitioner with no community or support. Others work in schools, nursing homes, and home health services. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. Maybe look at a change of role, maybe an emerging role. 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. 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? Look at places like state hospitals or the VA for different jobs. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I love what I do as a health proffesional! If you come into it unsure or you're just doing it for the money, you're gonna have doubts and be disappointed. A Master's degree takes two to three years to finish, and a doctoral degree about 3.5. Ditto with home health. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. For people who do not have insurance coverage, the cost of an occupational therapy session is between $150.00 and $200.00 for the initial evaluation, and between $40.00 and $200.00 for each therapy session. Are you or someone youre close to interested in becoming an occupational therapist? What would be most helpful for you? Something what helps me is to think about what Ive done right during the day. Plus I am fascinated with the human body and how the brain works! As a new grad OT as a month, I feel you 100%. Therapy should be treated as the helping profession that it is, and not a factory with demands so high many therapists dont even have time to eat or use the bathroom. 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. Education staff can contact the School Advice Line: 0300 421 6976 on Tuesdays 1.30pm-4pm (term time only). Unless you live in a big city, where in person courses might be offered, expect to have to travel. Use Your Comfort Zone. 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. 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. The therapeutic relationship can be difficult if there is a personality clash. If this is your first time posting, please read the sub rules. We have next to zero phd faculty members and my program is in the top 20 in the country, how that happened is beyond me. Some may also have a doctorate. The is NO accountability, no ethics, and certainly no remorse over the illegal activity. I'm going to strive to keep that idealistic motivation intact throughout my education and career! Leave your reasons down below. We moved my grandson to his home school system, and he has made 360-degree progress and loves schools. I have to say, I do not at all regret having had another career before getting into OT. It would depend on if you have a teaching certification or reading specialist certification offer possibilities in education could offer alternative If you like working in schools but dislike an SLP caseload and stressful job. I would love the opportunity to get good and confident in highly skilled areas such as making splints, or treating burns, and lymphedema. Let me know what you guys think about this. For example, you may need to be able to drive and go to the grocery store. The disparity in financial compensation is just awful, honestly. Being an OT is definitely not equal to being a glorified CNA. Learn how your comment data is processed. I worked in SNFs for over a dozen years, and the productivity expectations were ridiculous, in addition to blatant fraud. ), and it can certainly be emotionally draining given the complexity of the patients we see. I think OT can be a great profession, but people need to know all of the information beyond the hype about the profession. Maybe you need to think about how to leverage that skillset outside of traditional healthcare? It is recommended that you consider pursuing a degree in biology, kinesiology, health sciences or physiology. I agree that you should take what you read on the Internet with a grain of salt. Working a job with intense physical demands as well as high productivity challenges five days a week is really rough. And my school didn't prepare me for so many things. I still plan on going into OT, I just want to be prepared for everything, even the negatives. I am working through my BA at the age of 34. How to Deal with Burnout as an Occupational Therapist, Burned Out in Occupational Therapy? 5. To become an occupational therapist, you'll need a degree in occupational therapy, which usually takes three years full time or up to six years part time. Some can leave you feeling frustrated or even downright miserable. You may not know what floats your boat. 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. They get rid of them. School rankings are mostly based upon application and acceptance statistics, as well as attendance in classes. 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. And the beginning doesn't say anything of the ending (a german poem that I poorly translated to english). Being an occupational therapist requires a bachelor's degree in biology, kinesiology, health sciences, physiology or a related field. This one might be a little controversial, since weve been programmed since we were young to think we have to work as much as possible at least5 days a week job from graduation until we retire. Hi Carolyn thank you your comment was helpful! Hearing about running into problems with ethics to make more money for your boss, yet risking losing your job, is a huge issue for me. doing what you love. because the younger child is not showing signs of costing the school money. 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. 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. 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