Wesley Said:

How do occupational therapy assistants feel about their career?

We Answered:

i LOVE my job. I graduated from OTA school in october and have been working at a nursing home since the beginning of the year. its so great to be able to go to sleep at night and know you spent your day helping others. If there is anything else i might be able to answer for ya, just let me know sarahe703@yahoo.com

Good luck with everything!

Denise Said:

Details about occupational therapy career?

We Answered:

OTs can work in a variety of settings including outpatient clinics, hospitals (in acute care, sub-acute care, ICU, NICU, PICU), rehab hospitals, schools, nursing homes, home health, mental health settings, and wellness type clinics. I think that covers them all. In each setting there is a large variety of things to do. Check out www.aota.org -
As for needles and blood - you will not have to worry about that. I have come in contact with urine, feces, and blood, but it is a rare thing and generally you have an idea when you may come in contact with these substances and I have always been wearing gloves. As an OT, you work with toileting and bathing - so there is a chance during those activities you may come in contact with those things.

Good luck!

Sharon Said:

Occupational Therapy career?

We Answered:

pros:
good pay, steady hours, don't have to work "on call", lots of jobs available, its in the health care field so chances are it will be around for a long time, you can work for schools, hospitals, clinics, home care, or the government and your job cant get shipped overseas. Plus it never gets old because you have different patients every day who will need different interventions.

Cons:
Occupational therapy is not a very well known field, so people CONSTANTLY ask what it is and what you do, etc. that part is annoying..
You may not get as much credibility as say a PT or an RN because people dont know about the profession as much and can be ignorant.

other than that I'd say its a very good field to pursue that will offer lots of job prospects in the future and good pay along with it!

Lydia Said:

Occupational Therapy Career or Social Worker?

We Answered:

Hi! I'm an occupational therapist. It probably depends on the area where you live, but in Alberta, I have found that jobs are consistently posted for OTs but not often for social workers. It is far easier for OTs to get jobs immediately after graduation.

Social workers tend to have more opportunity to work in private practice than OTs - unless you're interested in worker's compensation or are really ambitious and creative - so this is something to consider if you want to pursue private work.

In Alberta, occupational therapists start at about $29 per hour. Social workers start at about $25. This is for unionized jobs. Those working in private practice probably earn more.

When considering occupational therapy, it is important to note that this profession is less understood and less recognized than social work. I have found OT to be an interesting and rewarding career, but I frequently need to explain what it is I do. This can be a bad thing (it can get frustrating when your job is frequently misunderstood) or a good thing (you can define your role as it fits with each specific situation).

There are a number of jobs such as mental health therapist, outreach worker, school guidance counselor, etc that are open to a variety of professions. OTs are well qualified for such jobs, but preference is given to social workers. Keep in mind that if you are looking for a job that doesn't have a title of "social worker" or "occupational therapist," training as a social worker will more easily get you the job (though it will not necessarily make you more qualified).

I'm biased toward occupational therapy because I like the variety of roles available to me in this profession, but I think that either career would be interesting and rewarding.

If you have any more questions about occupational therapy, please contact me via my website below.

Good luck with your decision!

Candi

Bobby Said:

Which is an easier career occupational therapy or physical therapy?

We Answered:

They are both graduate degrees, but PT requires a little bit higher level of math and science while OT requires a little more of the softer sciences such as psychology.

Irene Said:

I want to persue a career in Occupational Therapy with Pediatrics, Where would I start?

We Answered:

At the jc level you want to take the same courses that the pre-nursing students do or even pre-med if your jc has such courses. You wouldn't get to specilize in Peds until you are in OT school and then only if you have a big childrens hospital nearby that you could train at. Otherwise you will have to wait until you graduate and just look for peds jobs.

Felicia Said:

What should I do for career? occupational or massage therapy?

We Answered:

It is really a person decision, but my advice? Stick with OT. I have two more months in my program and then clinicals and I am done. YAY! Why do you find it worthless? What population do you work with? I would find massage therapy monotonous and boring, but with OT you can do anything and it DOES help people if it is done correctly. Maybe you would be interested in hand therapy or something more technical???