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. Weve created this guide to get you started, and to help you find the top resources for making a career pivot. Youll know if youre one of those people pretty quickly . Do you see COTAs being valuable in such a position? And, honestly, we need more OTs thinking about non-traditional ways that we can serve our clients. It might take a bit of applying to a variety of positions but explaining to the prospective employers about your experience will be really beneficial. My favorite part about my job was being creative, whether it was planned or on the fly, working one-on-one or in small groups, and discerning the level of assistance I should use so as to empower the student rather than inhibit he or she from progressing toward a goal. Also, if youre still interested, you could try contacting insurance companies near you to inquire more about requirements and training. What does your job entail? Remember, if you identify a way that you can solve someone elses problem, youll be very marketable! Its been such a fun journey and the amount of knowledge I have gained is invaluable! There are some clinics that focus solely on occupational therapy, and these are typically in the pediatric and hand-therapy disciplines. Your email address will not be published. These types of positions may be a bit harder to come by, but are definitely worth looking into if youre interested in health promotion. Theyre an excellent introduction into the world of startups, not to mention a great networking opportunity! If going back to college to work isnt your thing, you can also teach continuing education courses around the country in your specialty. Ive been in the field about 16 years and ticked off a few of these myself: administration, education and medical device sales, so I am proof that these are all really possible. and recommendations for how to interview, search for jobs, and more! I appreciate this post. . Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. Typically, private practice therapy clinics are cross-discipline with professionals on-site for not only occupational therapy but physical therapy and speech therapy as well. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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:). So many interesting ideas here! For your own journey into health tech, weve made this post of influential health tech companies for you to look into. Take a look at all the interesting ways you can leverage that OT degree, if youre ever ready to try something new! For a great perspective on this, check out OT Devon Breitharts experience as a freelance writer, complete with tips on how get started. Sarah Lyon has also put together an article titled Resources to Start (and Grow) Your Occupational Therapy Businessfor some additional insight and inspiration. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. It has templates for your CV, resume, and cover letter, and it provides guidance on the interview and presentation parts of landing a role. Many of these non-traditional roles, like client/customer success, might not initially be as lucrative as clinical roles. While sales might be somewhat high stress, it can definitely be an interesting change-up to traditional patient care. Can you give me any advice on where to look for employment in this area? Definitely check out the Facebook group Alternative Healthcare Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals. Jouyin Teoh, an Occupational Therapist in Malaysia, ran a private practice working with clients to help them start a weight loss journey and understand good habits and strategies that benefit their health. A headshot is an easy way to start establishing your personal brand. This list of is certainly not exhaustive (as there are SO many options in this realm), but it should at least get the wheels turning! This is such a perfect role for an occupational therapist! She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. I would like to help people with mental illness gain and retain employment. Once youve made contacts with key players in the contracting and architecture/design industries, you can really beef up your resume (or maybe even your references, if you make nice)! OTs are perfect for becoming Assistive Technology Professionals since we use it regularly with our patients, whether its low tech or high techassistive technology. If there is anything that I can do here on this website or collaborate with evidenced based research or any type of publication to get this good word out, please do let me know!!! There are definitely quite a few OTs that make the switch into medical device sales. Patients may become unable to operate a vehicle in situations involving recent amputation, stroke, brain injury, or other neurological impairment. I would love to hear more about your experience! You are also building something that, if profitable, increases in value and could eventually be sold. As in inpatient OT, Ive been looking for alternative careers and economics and sales excite me the most. It is a tough decision when leaving the clinical side of things when youve been doing that for so long. Im so sorry to hear about leaving your job! This course covers the difference between health and medical writing, and it has resume and cover letter templates, as well as interview practice questions and advice. At this time I need to take care of me, but I might need to try something else to bring in income. 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. Many OTs and COTAs have also tied their love of health promotion into starting their own health coaching business that targets people looking to improve their health and well-being. They may be some of the few non-traditional roles youve considered, because for years, they were the only ones with real visibility for OTs. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. Thank you that means a lot! Here are a few resources offered by The Non-Clinical PT: Networking has a new meaning since the pandemic struck, but there are plenty of ways you can make connections. Required fields are marked *. For more on ergonomics, visit AOTAs ergonomics site here. Weve even featured a few OTs here at My OT Spot who have done this themselves, like Paige Hays, OTR/L of Beyond Accessibility and Maria Lindbergh, OTR/L of Stay At Home Solutions, so be sure to check them out. Then, when you apply for the rehab liaison roles, play up your connections big timeyoull need them! I think that there is a huge demand for this, in particularly targeting the opioid users where we are seeing such a wide spread use. Get business cards printed with your OT credentials (and any other special certifications you pursue). Leave them in the comments! She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. 1109 12th Street Ste 3 Another common career path next to going into teaching is to become an administrator. For example, if you are the Inpatient Rehab manager, you are responsible for the work of all PTs, OTs, and SLPs in that department. If you enjoy working with patients, but you hate the time constraints and pressure of traditional settings, you can consider a role as an assistive technology personnel (ATP) or seating mobility specialist (SMS). This might mean picking up a few per diem OT jobs for a year and networking as much as possible with case management during that time. Usability is what we know as OTs! One of the hardest parts of leaving patient care is figuring out what to do next. Thanks again for sharing! Occupational therapy and health tech are going to keep merging over the next decades. Thank you so much for this specific post I think as creative as we OTs are its so hard to envision a career outside of direct patient care with the fear of judgment and let down (from others and ourselves). Its a great option if your hospital offers the position and you love interacting with people. Organize lunches and in-services. 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. When there is new construction in your area (especially smaller projects like parks or municipal buildings), reach out and offer your services for free. Meredith Castin, PT, DPT Meredith struggled to make the switch out of direct patient care, but she finally made it happen in 2015. This option is becoming popular as more and more healthcare websites are popping up daily, and need frequent articles to publish. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Heres where working with a career coach or career counselor can be very helpful. I regret not going back to school for my OTR, but I have to move forward. , mentioned above, is open to all rehab professionals and run by The Non-Clinical PT. These cookies do not store any personal information. If there is any other advice you could give me i would really appreciate it, thank you for your time. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. I studied how I could make my articles align with the questions people ask. Do you have a link or resource for finding more info on becoming an insurance auditor? 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.. Not sure where youre located, but Center for Community Partnerships in Fort Collins, CO is a great agency for community integration/job retention services. 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. 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. If so how/ where shall I begin..? Be sure to also check out Indeed.com as well for additional ideas to help you with a new income source. Neurological impairment of startups, not to mention a great option if your hospital offers position... 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