Also, note any experience you have with running insurance or auditing charts. 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. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address Hi Shawnee, Im so glad you enjoyed the article! I have 32 yrs experience as an OTR, mainly inpatient rehab, and acute care. If you are not OK with this, you can opt-out if you wish. Take a look at all the interesting ways you can leverage that OT degree, if youre ever ready to try something new! Its not necessary, but its helps you feel committed psychologically when you feel youve truly exhausted all options in clinical care before trying something new. Thank you! If youre ready to start your own practice, WebPT has put together a great resource about starting a therapy clinic from scratch. There are tons of software and tech companies that need help with usability. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. 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. For me (Sarah), my hobby of writing an OT blog became a career when I switched my mindset. Remember, if you identify a way that you can solve someone elses problem, youll be very marketable! They spend their days creating seating, positioning, and mobility solutions for people with disabilities, and tend to spend quite a bit of their days working with wheelchairs. I think that many of these non-traditional career paths can be done as a COTA, especially creating a business and consulting. First of all, you can join some of the free Facebook groups below. More information can be found on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its been such a fun journey and the amount of knowledge I have gained is invaluable! Thanks for the great article . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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 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. Occupational therapy practitioners help people with low vision function at the highest possible level by preventing accidents and injury (e.g., improving lighting), teaching new skills (e.g., eccentric viewing, visual tracking), modifying the task or environment (e.g., recommending magnifiers), and promoting a healthy lifestyle (e.g., ensuring they can participate in their daily activities).. There are also other holistic avenues you can take when starting your own private practice. This option is becoming popular as more and more healthcare websites are popping up daily, and need frequent articles to publish. 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. Once you have a few published articles under your name, you can start using sites like Upwork to start getting freelance and contract work. Youll spend your days scrutinizing environments, then making recommendations to ensure they are free from hazards and have injury prevention measures in place. It combines theory and functional knowledge of people and occupation, with the creative skills of design. Aurora, NE 68818, OT Potential Occupational Therapy Resources. Weve created this guide to get you started, and to help you find the top resources for making a career pivot. I am excited to see non-traditional jobs being promoted, and there are more than just the opportunities listed above!! Being an administrator, particularly at a hospital, means that you are a manager for therapists over a specific department. Thanks again for the article, it did open my eyes! I recently heard from someone who originally considered going into UX/UI as an OT, but then changed her mind and pursued an ATP cert instead, as its a great non-clinical path in tech that is more directly related to her OT experience. She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. Youre going to need to network as much as possible. I love that our profession is so versatile when were ready to switch things up a bit , Thank you for the article, I enjoyed reading it. 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. What OT topics are you most interested in? Writing is awesome, though. Non-Clinical 101 gives lifetime access to a proven four-step system that helps you identify which roles are best suited for you, then walks you through the process of getting there. Initially, I had aspired to be a Special Education Teacher; however, after seeing the high and very frequent turnover/burnout of Teachers in our classroom, I began analyzing the other specialists that would work with our students and their careers (who seemed most satisfied, which fit my personality more, etc.). Explore different options/gain experience before leaving your day job, 8 specific non-traditional OT jobs you can look into, Non-Clinical Jobs and Networking for PT/OT/SLP Professionals, Non-Clinical 101: The Complete Guide to Launching Your Non-Clinical Career (Save $75), You can read more about my own non-traditional journey, including how I built OT Potential, in my spotlight, Here are some sites that sometimes accept high-quality guest posts from occupational therapists, interview on her career path into OT academia, becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison), this inspiring story about a 90-year-old occupational therapist, UX Design and User Experience Design for Beginners, Become a UX Designer Learn the Skills and Get the Job, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. Workstation ergonomics involves a deep understanding of many different facets of a variety of workplace environments. For a great perspective on this, check out OT Devon Breitharts experience as a freelance writer, complete with tips on how get started. Family members, significant others, and even friends might feel the impact of your change, so its vital to consider how much of a change makes sense for you at any given time. When there is new construction in your area (especially smaller projects like parks or municipal buildings), reach out and offer your services for free. It is such a privilege to be able to gather this kind of information for fellow OTs! For example, most OTs and PTs have a very difficult time selling themselves and their services, and very few are savvy with social media and digital marketing. Liaisons face quotas, so if you hate productivity requirements, you might not enjoy this role. Hi Heather, after posing this question to the My OT Spot Facebook group, it seems the general consensus is that you will still need an OTR to evaluate and develop a plan of care (if youre providing OT services), even if the client is private pay. There are so many types of medical equipment that we work with on a regular basis, like neuro VR programs, e-stim, modalities, dynamic splinting, hospital beds, wheelchairs, and so on. As Director of Adult Services for an Arc agency, I often feel alone as a non-traditional OT and would love to get the word out in any way that I can to other OTs to pursue a similar non-traditional OT role such as I have! My only doubts about going the OT route is thinking that I may one day regret not choosing to be a Special Education Teacher and not being smart enough for some of the advanced coursework. Writing is awesome, though. In her own journey into tech, she started with consulting on the side and this grew into full time opportunities. Hello, I am an OT with a masters degree and 14 years of clinical experience in the acute care hospital and outpatient settings with lymphedema experience as well. Its not just young, tech-savvy OTs going into usability design, eithercheck out this inspiring story about a 90-year-old occupational therapist whos helping design products for older adults at IDEO. 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. If anyone can share any additional suggestions for Ashley please do! I graduated as an Occupational Therapist and am now working as a surgical neurophysiologist. The world of education is filled with opportunities for OTs. Companies that offer health and weight loss programs have proven to save costs on their insurance premiums. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. Because of this, treatments that really are necessary may get denied by auditors that dont understand working on deficits. This of course will require more direct hands-on experience, so it may not be not for everyone. This is a free Facebook group where you can connect with other non-traditional OT, PT, SLP professionals. Get business cards printed with your OT credentials (and any other special certifications you pursue). Best of luck to you with whatever path you choose! Thank you! Hope this helps! Hello fellow therapist. It feels like every company I work with requests my headshot at some point. Best of luck to you. Thank you for the great ideas as well as links to further learn about them. 1. Some people think they want to leave patient care, but they really want to escape bad managers, shady corporations, or unrealistic productivity expectations. Office jobs, sales jobs, ergonomics/workplace evaluator jobs, telehealth jobs, and assistive technology jobs are all considered non-traditional (or non-clinical or unconventional) in this article. I am an OT with 20+ years experience in SNF but really needing a change. All the allopathic therapies leave some side effects on the patients care. For more on ergonomics, visit AOTAs ergonomics site here. An informational interview is a quick conversation where you ask a professional questions about their job. Wikipedias definition says Case management is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the United States.. This is such an excellent pointits so important to hone in on what fits best with you, your life, and your individual needs/interests. Whether it involves admissions and/or discharges, having experience as an OT can make working as a case manager a perfect fit. Whether treating or not treating, OTs have so much to offer the world! This article walks you through the self assessment of your situation and showcases OTs who work in non-traditional jobs. Patients may become unable to operate a vehicle in situations involving recent amputation, stroke, brain injury, or other neurological impairment. I appreciate this post. Also, check out Aramehs interview on her career path into OT academia and what she has found fulfilling and challenging about it. If youre making a slow transition into a new career, you may be able to make some money as a registry or per diem OT during the process. For example, sales, business development, and clinical/patient trainer jobs often require you to cover a particular territory, which might be far from where you live. What a great article to get the wheels turning! Nice article! With each course enrollment, you get job application materials (sample resumes, sample cover letters, etc.) While the most obvious and easiest way to use your OT degree is to actually practice in a traditional setting, alternative career paths may be a better fit for you long term. But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. I (Sarah) got one done in the early stages of my website and, honestly, it has just made life easier. What would be most helpful for you? 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. Resource about starting a therapy clinic from scratch a quick conversation where you ask a professional about. Is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the Potential! Are free from hazards and have injury prevention measures in place done as a Case manager perfect... 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