Nellie Said:

Do Occupational Therapist work in Schools?

We Answered:

Yes

Karl Said:

occupational therapist?

We Answered:

Best thing(s) about OT:
1. relatively stress-free job
2. OT school is pretty easy (and I went to the so-called #1 program in the country and did quite well)
3. I don't believe that finding an OT position will ever be a problem
4. Money is not bad even for starting therapists. Of course, a lot of this depends on what setting you wish to work in.

Private hospitals and Pediatric clinics pay the least:
approx $40-50k/yr

L.A. County jobs (hospitals and other orgs)
approx $70k/yr

SNF (Skilled nursing facilities)
These positions really depend on how business savvy you are, but there is a lot of negotiation room.

When I was a new grad I was able to negotiate to get paid in the mid $80k in the metro So Cal area, but I've heard about a lot of naive classmates who've taken as little as $50k/yr. So you need to learn to advocate for yourself!

Worst thing(s) about OT:
1. nobody has heard of your profession
2. if someone has heard of your profession, they look down on you and/or don't really understand the importance of what you do.
3. there's a wage ceiling that most OTs hit pretty quickly (even if you work your butt off and/or own your own clinic, it's extremely rare to see a salary that exceeds $150,000 grand)...so, if you want to make a lot of money, stick with being a PA.

The best thing about being an OT is the freedom of creativity in treatment options. You can take just about anything and use it ti facilitate some kind of function. The worst thing is the possibility of injury on the job.

Lifting is a learned skill and art - you need to be properly trained and practice, practice, practice.Cleaning diapers is not necessarily part of the job - BUT it is part of toilet training sometimes, and you cannot always rely on someone else to do it for you. If you were the patient, you would want someone to help you get clean as soon as possible, wouldn't you?

1. I would shadow at a SNF(skilled nursing facility), Outpatient clinic (and u could drop in inpatient..but it's a lot like a snf) in a hospital(private and/or county), and a pediatric clinic(if u enjoy working with kids) or school OT. I presented these options b/c they are ur most likely choices for jobs after OT school.
2. I can't say that I've felt OT's awareness to be growing, but logically as the baby boomers become older and require our therapy and autism rates continue to rise...I would assume that it should. The problem is OT is kinda pidgeon-holed into set fields...but, that's pretty much all jobs I suppose.
3. In hospital settings, I would say that in-patient (acute rehab) is often the most solo...(and lonely), while outpatient is generally considered the best mix of autonomy and supervision/guidance...I personally like outpatient rehab the most (even though I currently work SNF--i need the $$$)
4. I also have a problem with authority and generally that's also why I prefer outpatient...inpatient often interacts w/ everybody on the medical team( nurses, doctors, etc) and they're always walking in on ur sessions and interrupting. Outpatient generally has more of an interdisciplinary/team feeling where mutual support is more the norm (but this depends on the hospital)...lotsa drama queens in hospitals...so beware.

David Said:

What does it take to become an occupational therapist?

We Answered:

Step 1In order to apply to a graduate program in occupational therapy, first you need to earn a bachelor degree.If you are still in college, you may start to take science courses, like chemistry, biology, anatomy, psychology.English and speech courses can be very helpful, because as a occupational therapist you will work with people and you need to have excellent communicational skills.Try to maintain a high GPA as almost all occupational therapy programs require an at least 3.0 general GPA and 3.5 GPA in science courses.

Step 2While still in college or after that try to volunteer or even work in a healthcare environment.During this time, try to obtain at least two recommendation letters, because you will need them in the application process.Occupational therapy programs give priority to people with degrees or experience in the healthcare field in the admission process ,so the best combination would be to have a degree in healthcare (for example nursing) and some work experience when you apply.

Step 3Once admitted in the program, keep in mind that the academic schedule can be quite intensive, and you might not be able to work fulltime in order to keep up.Occupational therapy programs can be completed in 2 and a half years to 3 years full time (75-80 credits).In addition to classroom work, students must complete an equivalent of 24 weeks of supervised experience working with clients.

Step 4Once you finished your masters or doctoral degree and your supervised work, there is one more step before you can actually work as a occupational therapist: certification.To be certified, you need to take and pass the NBCOT exam.After passing this exam you will be given the designation Registered Occupational Therapist and you can put the initials OTR after your name.

Debbie Said:

Anyone know if I can switch my MOS to 65A (Occupational Therapist) while in school to become an OT?

We Answered:

talk to your recruiter.

Robin Said:

is there any good schools for aspiring occupational therapist?

We Answered:

I think a may help you.
check here

Sherry Said:

How many years does it take to become an occupational therapist?

We Answered:

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/Def…

Here in the UK it takes 3 years at uni if you do it full time, 4 years if you do it part-time. The course fees are funded by the NHS & you receive a small bursary for living expenses which can be topped up with a student loan if required.