I appreciate this post. Nice! If youre making a sudden jump to a non-traditional role, be aware that you might have a gap in pay while you return to school, job hunt, etc. Got more questions for us? Hi Karen! Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. Sometimes its accompanied by a picture and short bio. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. If you type in inpatient care coordinator in to indeed.com you may find positions across the country looking for OTs. A common career path for occupational therapists after they've been in the field for several years or several decades is to go into teaching and/or research at a specific occupational therapy program. 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. If youre not familiar with this concept, it can be described as a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving according to Psych Central. Theyre an excellent introduction into the world of startups, not to mention a great networking opportunity! But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. Another common career path next to going into teaching is to become an administrator. I have volunteered and shadowed, finished my pre-req.s, etc. It combines theory and functional knowledge of people and occupation, with the creative skills of design. Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. Martin. However, being an occupational therapist, we are able to effectively decipher other therapists notes and determine the necessity of the treatments being billed. Even if you love writing, but have some questions about grammar or earning money, there are courses you can take that will expedite the process. There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. Whether its going to work, the grocery store, doctors appointment, or a family members house, the most common way to get everywhere is by car. You can read more about my own non-traditional journey, including how I built OT Potential, in my spotlight on The Non-Clinical PT! These are weekend events where youll team up with engineering and business professionals, as well as other clinicians, to tackle big problems in healthcare. Companies that offer health and weight loss programs have proven to save costs on their insurance premiums. I would like to help people with mental illness gain and retain employment. If so how/ where shall I begin..? Thanks for the great article . What OT topics are you most interested in? As an ergonomic specialist, youllspend time identifying environmental risks, coming up with creative strategies to reduce those risks, educating others on the importance of ergonomics, and drafting comprehensive plans for businesses to follow. The world of education is filled with opportunities for OTs. Here, youll get the chance to work one-on-one with individuals, many times veterans, who need help getting back to work. Workstation ergonomics involves a deep understanding of many different facets of a variety of workplace environments. Best of luck to you. You might want to check with your states individual regulations just to be sure. This route may also fall into the category of Business Owner/Entrepreneur as you can certainly start your own Home Modifications business. It can be a strange feeling to start to self-identify as something other than an OT. Ive noticed a number of people with years of experience in OT on here.im looking to switch my major and getting a Masters in OT.can I please get a few inputs on that field. Being an administrator, particularly at a hospital, means that you are a manager for therapists over a specific department. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. For example, some cases are more about chart reviews and writing your expert opinion based on what youve read. On this path, the short term satisfaction of getting a steady paycheck with predictable hours is foregone for the long-term prospect of being the owner of a successful and valuable practice. Im also now seeing occupational therapists starting their own chronic pain clinics (which I think is great; I go to a chronic pain OT myself and love her practice). All the allopathic therapies leave some side effects on the patients care. Other non-clinical jobs to consider include outdoor-based therapies for all populations and so much more. While some informational interviews do turn into jobs or mentorship opportunities, you should never assume this will be the case. Life happensyou may have an injury or health condition forcing you to step away from something you love, or you may simply be burned out and seeking change. I am a COTA/L in NC with over 22 years of experience mainly in pediatrics. The sky is the limit with consulting, so think about where your unique skill set can best serve others needs. If youre a writer, designer, usability expert or anything else, once you have your basic skills established, a great place to start is by picking up freelance work. There will certainly be a bit of paperwork involved (as there is with everything in healthcare these days), but youll get to see patients progress from start to finish and be there with them and the family the whole way. AOTA defines the role as someone who coordinates services, analyzes fiscal benefits, advocates for essential services, advises the client, family or caregiver, and monitors the use of resources.. I am a single mother of 3 and financially cant afford to go back to school or take time off work. It is possible. Educator. for MSOT admission. There is a really great Facebook group called Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals that has many COTAs in the group that have successfully switched gears into other ventures. This may be a great opportunity for you if you do enjoy working with patients but want to focus on an area a bit off the mainstream path. Working in mental health as an occupational therapist is similar tobeing a mental health counselor. If youre interested in working with home modifications, be sure to also check out AOTAs Home Modifications page. If youre interested in technology and the advancing future applications, this may be something to think about pursuing long-term as well. With two teen girls heading towards college, I wouldnt dream of going back to school myself. If you are not OK with this, you can opt-out if you wish. Required fields are marked *. 1109 12th Street Ste 3 She has since moved on to academia, but her business helped companiescome up with strategies to coach individuals on setting up their life and environment in a way that is conducive to healthy living. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. Glad I found you at the perfect time in my career. I LOVE being able to work with them one-on-one and in small groups. Hi Sarah! Meredith has a huge list of non-clinical career spotlights on her site. If youre lucky enough to live near any of the 10 ADA centers in the U.S., you can also offer to volunteer. Do you see COTAs being valuable in such a position? This is such an important aspect to occupational therapy overall and in keeping our profession accountable and responsible now and into the future. Even if you dont move up in your existing company, you can list what youve done on your resume and start applying for lead roles at other facilities. Can you give me any advice on where to look for employment in this area? Nice article! If you enjoy working with new people all the time, you might really enjoy a job in home modification (also known as home safety). I do hope this list at least gives you a few non-physical types of job ideas to help you with your career transition. For more information about careers in medical sales, check out this post on Monster.com:Pharma, Biotech, Medical-Device Sales: Which Is for You? Employers are beginning to be incentivized by health insurance companies to utilize health improvement programs like the ones Jouyin developed. This includes cost of flying you out and hotel stay as well as your chosen rate for the actual consultation time and time to complete your report. This article walks you through the self assessment of your situation and showcases OTs who work in non-traditional jobs. Usability is what we know as OTs! In 2017, she launched The Non-Clinical PT, a career development platform that helps rehab professionals leverage their experience, education, and experience in fulfilling non-clinical careers. Given the number of paths you can take within education, theres really no one set path to get there. When youre a staff OT, ask to help out in as many unique and unconventional ways as possible. It is designed for people who know they want to pivot to a new career, but arent sure what they want to do, nor how to create resumes, find jobs, interview, negotiate, etc. Looking more towards the future, this is an easy field to get excited about, especially when you see things like this in the news:Prosthetic Limbs, Controlled by Thought. If you develop a skill set that solves a specific problem that people are havingand a problem that you enjoy solvingyou will become extremely marketable. Sarah Lyon, OTR/L Sarah wasnt looking to leave patient care, but about five years into her career,realized that she could potentially help more patients by serving occupational therapists through her website, OT Potential. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These articles can be related to occupational therapy, but may also involve other medical topics that OTs are familiar with. Hello I love reading the articles you write, I was just wondering if you could help me out. May I reach out to possibly feature you on The Non-Clinical PT?? Find your favorites, then watch their career pages to see if one of the positions might be for you! Whether it involves admissions and/or discharges, having experience as an OT can make working as a case manager a perfect fit. Its been such a fun journey and the amount of knowledge I have gained is invaluable! I graduated last year and have been looking non stop for a position Ive applied to countless places and some respond back while others do not and I have had only 1 live interview and 4 phone call interviews. Getting back to driving under these circumstances is not always straightforward and requires the intervention of an OT specialist. If they work as a cash business, not getting paid through insurance. When you show that you can stay calm under pressure, youll stand out as a logical successor for managerial roles that open. Organize lunches and in-services. If you were a career changer, any previous leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too! If tapping people to ask for their time gives you the heebie jeebies, dont worry! She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. So is there any jobs right now I could look at or apply to to get my foot in the door without having to go back to school or getting another liscence? OT has so much potential and I encourage all practitioners out there to follow their passion and use their skills to enable the potential of any population in any setting who needs increased holistic health:). To hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be related occupational... My pre-req.s, etc leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too, i don t want to be an occupational therapist anymore no. 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Also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website youre enough... This will be the new kid at a hospital, means that you are not OK with this you...

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