I also helped to start an OT clinic within a University setting so I guess another would be Consultant to other universities wanting to open an OT clinic. With the recent change in insurance and the virus and being a new Cota everywhere I apply or look for only wants someone with experience, but how am I able to get experience if I cannot even get a chance to show them my skills. 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. 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. Thank you for your great article. I am a new grad and I can say with certainty that I dont want to work in SNF, hospitals, or OP. I love the article but Im still lost. In academia, If you have already successfully been through ACOTE accreditation for say transitioning from Masters to Doctoral program, you may qualify to be a hired as consultant to other Universities making that same transition. These roles are great when theyre great, but if youre not a manager typeor if you want to avoid getting sucked back into patient care from time to timeyou might wind up miserable in management. Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. Also, check out Aramehs interview on her career path into OT academia and what she has found fulfilling and challenging about it. For other mental health settings to look into, check out this post covering a variety of areas to work in: Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: An Overview of 6 Typical Settings Best of luck in your job search! 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. I have 28 years in as a COTA in the nursing home setting. Youll also want to beef up your resume to reflect any research, tutoring, lab assisting, or clinical instructor roles youve held since your student years. Being an administrator, particularly at a hospital, means that you are a manager for therapists over a specific department. The not-so-good news is that you need to be a bit more strategic about pursuing such jobs, at least compared to clinical roles. Meredith offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Academia on her site, too. Thank you that means a lot! Mental health in OT is a much smaller niche than the typical rehab settings, but if your passion is in mental health, you can start looking on Indeed.com for OT mental health settings (you may need to branch out into other cities as these jobs are typically harder to find). Youre so welcome and Im glad the article gave you some ideas! Join online forums. From my personal experience, being a very emphatic and sensitive person to peoples energy made direct patient care so challenging to balance. Their goals are to promote occupational therapists as leaders in the field of home modifications, develop a lucrative business model for home modification occupational therapists, and increase home modification occupational therapists expertise in home modification techniques, technology, equipment and design.. 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. 1. Hi Jeanne, 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 me (Sarah), my hobby of writing an OT blog became a career when I switched my mindset. I would love to connect with you and chat is there a way to share contact info here? OTs are usability experts, and were perfectly positioned to take on consulting roles involving workplace safety, design challenges, and the removal of barriers in parks, office buildings, and residential complexes. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address There may be some small businesses in your area that focus on this specialty which you may be interested in working for or partnering with. Also, note any experience you have with running insurance or auditing charts. That said, after youve spent a few years getting your feet wet, you are more likely to catch up to (and often far exceed) what you were making as a clinician. A byline is an attribution for authorship of an article. our interview with Kaia Health Product Manager, Winnie Tsui, OTL, CHT, MBA. While there are certainly differences, it will be a helpful starting point to understand your options. For your own journey into health tech, weve made this post of influential health tech companies for you to look into. Im so sorry to hear about leaving your job! She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. Resources to Start (and Grow) Your Occupational Therapy Business, Paige Hays, OTR/L of Beyond Accessibility, Maria Lindbergh, OTR/L of Stay At Home Solutions, Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). Here are some sites that sometimes accept high-quality guest posts from occupational therapists. We can also move into roles where we consult with practices to help them improve their billing and workflow practices. 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! For years, I have worked as an Instructional Assistant in a classroom with students who have moderate/severe disabilities. 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. I also have fibromyalgia and joint hypermobility syndrome. 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.). I LOVE being able to work with them one-on-one and in small groups. Remember, if you identify a way that you can solve someone elses problem, youll be very marketable! If anyone can share any additional suggestions for Ashley please do! This post was originally published May 30th, 2017 and updated on February 29, 2020. Youll also need to take exams to get certified. 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. Email me at Sarah@myotspot.com for more information , First, what is a case manager? Liaisons face quotas, so if you hate productivity requirements, you might not enjoy this role. Hi, and thank you for writing and posting such an insightful article! Hi Karen! With driving rehab, you are still working with patients butare much more focused on one specific aspect of their life. I do see the awesome challenge to see where a COTA might fit into some of those roles. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I am working as a paraprofessional in the school but I feel I can find something that uses my knowledge and skills closer to what I went to school for. Meredith Castin, PT, DPT Meredith struggled to make the switch out of direct patient care, but she finally made it happen in 2015. Some people are born to be entrepreneurs. An informational interview is a quick conversation where you ask a professional questions about their job. Given the number of paths you can take within education, theres really no one set path to get there. Another great option would be to work in vocational rehab in a community-based setting. 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. Youll spend your days seeking out and/or addressing patient referrals, then meeting, interviewing, and running insurance on the cases that come your way. The site is chock-full of great information to help you launch a non-traditional OT career. You dont necessarily need to go to court. I know that this pretty much eliminates most of the jobs available. These articles can be related to occupational therapy, but may also involve other medical topics that OTs are familiar with. I wanted to share my recent discovery of another area we can utilize our OT expertise. 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. You can become an OT professor, an adjunct instructor, a tutor, a subject matter expert, or a con-ed instructor. Youll spend your days scrutinizing environments, then making recommendations to ensure they are free from hazards and have injury prevention measures in place. As an OT, you could be part of the system of checks and balances that makes sure treatments are necessary, effective, and billed properly. Way to open this conversation and look forward to keeping in touch. 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. Best of luck to you with whatever path you choose! Gives me some hope of finding the just right fit as an OT. If youve landed on this article, you may be currently wondering, What else can I do with my occupational therapy degree that is not direct patient care? or are looking into non-clinical occupational therapy job options. 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. There are some clinics that focus solely on occupational therapy, and these are typically in the pediatric and hand-therapy disciplines. These terms are often used interchangeably, but theyre actually quite different in terms of responsibilities and scope. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. These are weekend events where youll team up with engineering and business professionals, as well as other clinicians, to tackle big problems in healthcare. Some people think they want to leave patient care, but they really want to escape bad managers, shady corporations, or unrealistic productivity expectations. This is such an important aspect to occupational therapy overall and in keeping our profession accountable and responsible now and into the future. Its been such a fun journey and the amount of knowledge I have gained is invaluable! A career coach keeps you on track and working toward your goals, while a career counselor will work with you to address underlying fears, roadblocks, and challenges that prevent you from making moves professionally. Writing is awesome, though. 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. So many interesting ideas here! Some careers require additional education or training, or they might necessitate relocation. If you make yourself an expert salesperson, or you learn the ins and outs of online sales strategies, you will easily excel in a role as a social media manager, or where youre marketing (selling) rehab practitioners 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. 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. I am attempting to research other careers I may fit into but not much success. 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. Be sure to also check out Indeed.com as well for additional ideas to help you with a new income source. Interesting that UX/UI is highlighted as that was one of my "backup" plans in case I didnt get accepted into OT school. 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!!! Read more about being a case manager from an OT perspective here:Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager. 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. Do you see COTAs being valuable in such a position? Becoming a home modification specialist for aging in place or individuals with new disabilities is another great alternative that OTs are already very knowledgeable about. This is one of those times when youll have to get out and volunteer and network as much as possible. 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. Definitely contact your schools alumni association to see if theres anything you can do to network or put your name out there. Thanks for the great article . Hope this helps! Since not turning anything into insurance companies? Best of luck to you. If youre interested in working with home modifications, be sure to also check out AOTAs Home Modifications page. I am considering an alternative career in OT. Patients may become unable to operate a vehicle in situations involving recent amputation, stroke, brain injury, or other neurological impairment. And if youre branched out into another non-clinical career path, please share your experiences in the comments below. Hi Shawnee, Im so glad you enjoyed the article! Definitelyequipment sales jobs are perfect for OTs and OTAs! As noted above, financial considerations are real. It is possible. Rather than seeing my website as a fun pastime, I realized that I was serving fellow OTsI was solving a problem by filling in gaps in the information about OT careers that was available online. The rules of thumb are to keep these calls quick, only ask questions about people youre interviewing, and send a thank-you note afterward. Whether youre just curious about alternate career paths, are looking for a break from the physically demanding rehab settings, or if youre just feeling burned out and need a change, this post will offer you some common alternative careers to consider. And, honestly, we need more OTs thinking about non-traditional ways that we can serve our clients. Here are some examples (Merediths is cooler): Consider reaching out to write a guest post for your favorite publication. Reach out to companies like MedBridge, OccupationalTherapy.com, and Embodia Academy; if youve got quite a bit of niche clinical experience, you may be able to teach a course with them! 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. Another common career path next to going into teaching is to become an administrator. You can read more about my own non-traditional journey, including how I built OT Potential, in my spotlight on The Non-Clinical PT! To get started, Upwork is a great platform that most businesses hire their writers from. With each course enrollment, you get job application materials (sample resumes, sample cover letters, etc.) If you were a career changer, any previous leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too! We hope this article helped you think of some new ways you can reimagine your career! Meredith has a huge list of non-clinical career spotlights on her site. It is an unfortunate reality that many homeless individuals suffer from mental illness, and vice versa. Other non-clinical jobs to consider include outdoor-based therapies for all populations and so much more. 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. I came to the conclusion that Occupational Therapy most closely aligned with my personality. According to AOTAs article about low vision: Many older adults experience age-related vision changes that cant be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Some roles (especially with rehab tech companies) may enable remote workbut in some cases, youll be expected to work onsite, which might even mean you need to relocate to a pricey city. Glad I found you at the perfect time in my career. What OT topics are you most interested in? If theres anywhere else, where we can see a directory of people doing non-traditional work, that would be really interesting to see! If youre lucky enough to live near any of the 10 ADA centers in the U.S., you can also offer to volunteer. The world of education is filled with opportunities for OTs. I have been struggling for a while to find my just right fit. For example, if you are the Inpatient Rehab manager, you are responsible for the work of all PTs, OTs, and SLPs in that department. 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)! You can take coursework online or explore community college programs near you, but both will require an investment of your money and your time. 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. Any suggestions? Theres something rewarding and fulfilling about building something from nothing and seeing all that hard work pay off over a long period of time. Hi Sarah! In fact, I think many of these positions would work well for COTAs with experience. If you want more info, heres a comprehensive guide on Merediths site that covers transitioning from clinician to copywriter. So I was trying to see if I would fit in any other career with my associates degree. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. Thanks again for sharing! OTs can be trained in and administer cognitive behavioral therapy to populations in need. Family or community commitments can also change over the years, which can impact your desire and ability to work in clinical care. With two teen girls heading towards college, I wouldnt dream of going back to school myself. If they work as a cash business, not getting paid through insurance. They provide pathways to non-traditional career opportunities for all rehab professionals, including PTs, OTs, SLPs, and assistants. I am a single mother of 3 and financially cant afford to go back to school or take time off work. When youre a staff OT, ask to help out in as many unique and unconventional ways as possible. rehabilitation ) you can also look into being an expert witness. 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. Wikipedias definition says Case management is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the United States.. Im always learning about new avenues from this group, so be sure to join if youre interested in making a switch. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The desire to change to a non-traditional occupational therapy careerwhether temporary or permanentis normal. Nice! Use it on your LinkedIn page, in your bylines, and for your online profile in professional networking groups. Areas of focus include office ergonomics, production ergonomics, musculo-skeletal injury prevention, general health and wellness promotion. You have to have an immense drive deep down to be able to put in the time and effort day after day as well as deal with the seemingly never-ending problems that will arise when starting a business. Writing. I work in architecture/construction to ensure public spaces are disability accessible. There are so many occupational therapy schools thatneedsolid OTs to educate future clinicians. Definitely check it out! Pharma, Biotech, Medical-Device Sales: Which Is for You? These articles are basically done-for-you informational interviews of all sorts of rehab professionals in non-traditional roles . If you love patient care, but hate the physical and emotional toll it takes, definitely look into becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison). If you have big ideas, energy, a passion for creating something from nothing, and you have the drive to creatively bring value to the world, you might have what it takes to start and grow your own OT business. As clinicians, we are usually pretty comfortable with our clinical skills, even if we dont know everything. There are so many occupational therapy schools that need solid OTs to educate future clinicians. If you want to try something different in the occupational therapy career space, these are just a few ideas which can help with your brainstorming. I would like to help people with mental illness gain and retain employment. What other alternative careers for occupational therapists and COTAs would you add to this list? There have been a lot of courses on this at AOTA conferences recently. However, if you do have a case that requires going to court, you can obviously charge a lot more money. 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. Some professional organizations have built a non-clinical presence, and there are tons of groups out there for all sorts of career paths. You may remember studying this briefly for the NBCOT. While the hackathon scene has slowed down a bit because of the pandemic and economic changes, a good Google search shows theyre still taking place. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. Aurora, NE 68818, OT Potential Occupational Therapy Resources. If you are, be sure to read AOTAs position on OTs role in health promotion for some added insight. 1. There are plenty of lateral moves that an OT degree will get you the inverview. I would love to hear more about your experience! and recommendations for how to interview, search for jobs, and more! If youre ready to start your own practice, WebPT has put together a great resource about starting a therapy clinic from scratch. 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. Whether treating or not treating, OTs have so much to offer the world! Offer to cover the scheduling board or take point on busy days. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. I recently found a job on indeed.com with the title skilled inpatient care coordinator. It is similar to what a case manager does, but there are now companies hiring therapists in addition to nurses (who are typically utilized in a case management position). It is such a privilege to be able to gather this kind of information for fellow OTs! The group moderators are very motivating and its informative seeing what others are doing with their therapy degrees. For example, some cases are more about chart reviews and writing your expert opinion based on what youve read. . I know its an additional certification that an OT would have to get, but thought I would bring it up since it is an alternative career path for an OT, since OT does involve a lot of teaching and working with individuals with disabilities. There are tons of software and tech companies that need help with usability. If these courses seem a bit daunting (even though theyre designed for relative beginners), consider taking a basic course in Adobe Photoshop, like this one! Theyre an excellent introduction into the world of startups, not to mention a great networking opportunity! There are definitely quite a few OTs that make the switch into medical device sales. I am a COTA/L in NC with over 22 years of experience mainly in pediatrics. Just this week I quit my job from acute care. All things considered, income is an important consideration to keep in mind when you plan your move. Also, youll definitely want to take few courses on usability and user experience to legitimize yourself as a candidate. This is such a perfect role for an occupational therapist! Hi Martin, thanks for your comment. You can also look outside the rehab world and join groups geared toward the career path(s) of your choice. AOTA offers a Low Vision certification that you can learn more about here. A common career path for occupational therapists after theyve been in the field for several years or several decades is to go into teaching and/or research at a specific occupational therapy program. In 2011, AOTA identified the low vision specialty as an emerging niche. A big part of the reason for this focus area growing is the fact that the U.S. and many other developed nations are facing a large aging population in the coming decades. She now spends her work days connecting OTs with new research in the OT Potential Club. Nice article! Looking creatively at your career and skill set may enable you to help more people than ever would have been possible in 1:1 therapy. There is a huge need to be filled in this arena, and OTs are a great fit to help here as well. Here is an article that covers what to ask in an informational interview. Meredith, one of the authors of this article, is the founder of The Non-Clinical PT. This is a real issue that we OTs need to address as soon as possible. In preparation for these events, youll want to: Youll want to have your title and a personal email address on hand for anytime you meet folks at networking events, healthcare hackathons, or even happy hours! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The main issue is that, even though we have the perfect background for these roles, we are not landing them. 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. So, Meredith decided to put together some resources to make the switch easier for others. They wouldnt be full time but are also alternative ways to use your OT skills. Your first byline is most difficult to attain. But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. This is an important question. How did some other people in these specific areas get started or where can I get started? Seeing is believing, and these occupational therapists have successfully transitioned into non-clinical roles! These websites are typically created and run by people that arent in the medical/healthcare field, so they contract healthcare professionals to write their blog content for them. You would set your own hourly rates. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. Required fields are marked *. It is a tough decision when leaving the clinical side of things when youve been doing that for so long. The wonderful thing about being an occupational therapist or COTA is that our education and experience is so versatile, but it can be hard to know exactly where to turn if you want to do something out of the norm. 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. Basically, if you have a favorite product, get in contact with the company and see if theyre hiring sales reps. You can always Google the company and search their open positions. The Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals Facebook group is an active and growing group of over 18,000 members, created for people looking for non-clinical OT career options.
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