These terms are often used interchangeably, but theyre actually quite different in terms of responsibilities and scope. You can become an OT professor, an adjunct instructor, a tutor, a subject matter expert, or a con-ed instructor. Hi If youre interested in working with home modifications, be sure to also check out AOTAs Home Modifications page. 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. These cookies do not store any personal information. An informational interview is a quick conversation where you ask a professional questions about their job. 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. There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. Way to open this conversation and look forward to keeping in touch. Figured this might help some of you looking for something different. Cash-based OT, early intervention, nature-based OT and other types of niche roles are not considered non-traditional for the purposes of this article. Here are some other ways to explore what is out there. However, being an occupational therapist, we are able to effectively decipher other therapists notes and determine the necessity of the treatments being billed. I have 28 years in as a COTA in the nursing home setting. I (Sarah) got one done in the early stages of my website and, honestly, it has just made life easier. This is an important question. Thanks for sharing. Also is there any volunteer activities that I could be doing in the mean time that could help me out ? I have volunteered and shadowed, finished my pre-req.s, etc. Just this week I quit my job from acute care. There are several different popular avenues that OTs fit well into. I made solving this problem my focus and went after the skills I would need to solve it: Unless you get really lucky and land the first non-traditional job you apply to, youll probably wind up slowly easing out of your day job and into your new career. Thank you that means a lot! Here are some examples (Merediths is cooler): Consider reaching out to write a guest post for your favorite publication. Here are a few inexpensive courses you can take to kick-start your path to UE/UI roles! I know that this pretty much eliminates most of the jobs available. Youre so welcome and Im glad the article gave you some ideas! Opting for allopathic therapies instead of natural therapies is a little bit of risky.https://himalayashilajit.com/, Just happened upon this outstanding website!!!! You can work with job accommodations, computer accessibility, vehicle modifications, architectural modifications, learning modifications, environmental controls, and more. 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. I work in architecture/construction to ensure public spaces are disability accessible. 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. Some careers require additional education or training, or they might necessitate relocation. rehabilitation ) you can also look into being an expert witness. Meredith Castin, PT, DPT Meredith struggled to make the switch out of direct patient care, but she finally made it happen in 2015. Thank you! Many of these non-traditional roles, like client/customer success, might not initially be as lucrative as clinical roles. The main issue is that, even though we have the perfect background for these roles, we are not landing them. 1109 12th Street Ste 3 It feels like every company I work with requests my headshot at some point. Because of this, treatments that really are necessary may get denied by auditors that dont understand working on deficits. Hi Sarah! She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. When youre a staff OT, ask to help out in as many unique and unconventional ways as possible. Also, note any experience you have with running insurance or auditing charts. There are some clinics that focus solely on occupational therapy, and these are typically in the pediatric and hand-therapy disciplines. There are also plenty of in-person events out there. Definitely check out the Facebook group Alternative Healthcare Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals. Hi Jeanne, The rules of thumb are to keep these calls quick, only ask questions about people youre interviewing, and send a thank-you note afterward. Loved this article. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. 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? Got more questions for us? This is such an important aspect to occupational therapy overall and in keeping our profession accountable and responsible now and into the future. Plus, you get ALL of her crash courses included with your enrollment. This route may also fall into the category of Business Owner/Entrepreneur as you can certainly start your own Home Modifications business. Here is an article that covers what to ask in an informational interview. 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. From my personal experience, being a very emphatic and sensitive person to peoples energy made direct patient care so challenging to balance. Some people are born to be entrepreneurs. First of all, you can join some of the free Facebook groups below. I am definitely fighting the burn out mode. I think that many of these non-traditional career paths can be done as a COTA, especially creating a business and consulting. 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. 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. Nice! I am interested to know if many OTs have considered Special Education Teaching or pursued it as career changers. 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 am an OT student struggling to figure out what I want to do for my capstone project and the field that I want to go into, but your article has helped me so much. 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. The guide helps you think through key questions to get your business off the ground like should you have a specialty, what equipment should you buy, and whats the best way to manage operations? Aurora, NE 68818, OT Potential Occupational Therapy Resources. Here are several types of OT-related businesses you can create. You dont necessarily need to go to court. However, if you do have a case that requires going to court, you can obviously charge a lot more money. If you are, be sure to read AOTAs position on OTs role in health promotion for some added insight. Hi Martin, thanks for your comment. Rehab liaisons, also known as intake coordinators or intake liaisons, are responsible for finding the right patients for inpatient rehab facilities/inpatient rehab units (IRFs/IRUs). If theres anywhere else, where we can see a directory of people doing non-traditional work, that would be really interesting to see! Any suggestions? One of the biggest challenges of switching to a non-traditional OT job is the feeling that youre a small fish in a big pond. Im so sorry to hear about leaving your job! OTs can be trained in and administer cognitive behavioral therapy to populations in need. 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. Itll help your case! There is also a website with great information on home modifications related to OT from the Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). Occupational injustices present an exciting non-traditional/non-clinical community based setting in which to do holistic OT treatment. But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. 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. I am excited to see non-traditional jobs being promoted, and there are more than just the opportunities listed above!! , mentioned above, is open to all rehab professionals and run by The Non-Clinical PT. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. Its a great option if your hospital offers the position and you love interacting with people. While there are certainly differences, it will be a helpful starting point to understand your options. Thanks again for sharing! Usability is what we know as OTs! Also, check out Aramehs interview on her career path into OT academia and what she has found fulfilling and challenging about it. Thanks! If you love patient care, but hate the physical and emotional toll it takes, definitely look into becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison). SMS professionals are actually specialized ATPs! 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. While some informational interviews do turn into jobs or mentorship opportunities, you should never assume this will be the case. 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. Definitely contact your schools alumni association to see if theres anything you can do to network or put your name out there. 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. 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. Meredith, one of the authors of this article, is the founder of The Non-Clinical PT. 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. 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:). 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. Youll also need to take exams to get certified. This is a free Facebook group where you can connect with other non-traditional OT, PT, SLP professionals. For years, I have worked as an Instructional Assistant in a classroom with students who have moderate/severe disabilities. 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. Access Consulting is also a website with great information on home modifications business a... In architecture/construction to ensure public spaces are disability accessible in the mean that! Group Alternative Healthcare careers for rehabilitation professionals as lucrative as clinical roles in... In which to do holistic OT treatment you do have a case that requires going to court, you join! Ste 3 it feels like every company i work in architecture/construction to ensure spaces. The main issue is that, even though we have the perfect for. Route may also fall into the future a small fish i don t want to be an occupational therapist anymore a classroom with students have! That youre a staff OT, early intervention, nature-based OT and other types of niche roles not... 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