Hello I love reading the articles you write, I was just wondering if you could help me out. However, many programs do require their professors having an OTD or PhD, so if this is something youre really interested in, keep that in mind. Sometimes its accompanied by a picture and short bio. Hello fellow therapist. 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. The sky is the limit with consulting, so think about where your unique skill set can best serve others needs. I found myself absorbing it all and leaving no emotional space for myself or my family especially with the hardships Covid brought, leading to burnout and a lack of self care. Be sure to also check out Indeed.com as well for additional ideas to help you with a new income source. 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. 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. Theres something rewarding and fulfilling about building something from nothing and seeing all that hard work pay off over a long period of time. 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. 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. 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!!! Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. The desire to change to a non-traditional occupational therapy careerwhether temporary or permanentis normal. our interview with Kaia Health Product Manager, Winnie Tsui, OTL, CHT, MBA. I would love to hear more about your experience! Read more about being a case manager from an OT perspective here:Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager. We definitely have a great field with tons of possibilities even as we come to later stages of our career. Thanks for the great article . Areas of focus include office ergonomics, production ergonomics, musculo-skeletal injury prevention, general health and wellness promotion. 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).. Meredith has a huge list of non-clinical career spotlights on her site. SMS professionals are actually specialized ATPs! Youre so welcome and Im glad the article gave you some ideas! Many jobs in mental health revolve around supporting the homeless population in the U.S. and abroad. In regards to this article, do you know of many OTs who leave the profession to become Teachers? 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. If you were a career changer, any previous leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too! Thank you that means a lot! 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. 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). Some require that you take a steep pay cut to enter the field. It is a tough decision when leaving the clinical side of things when youve been doing that for so long. Opting for allopathic therapies instead of natural therapies is a little bit of risky.https://himalayashilajit.com/, Just happened upon this outstanding website!!!! Theyre an excellent introduction into the world of startups, not to mention a great networking opportunity! If youre wrinkling your nose at such ideas, it doesnt mean you cant pursue non-traditional workbut being open-minded and willing to shake things up certainly broadens your options. I am so burned out, but it has not stopped me from enjoying most of my residents and co- workers. Is there anything stopping a COTA from going into business or private practice on their own? From my personal experience, being a very emphatic and sensitive person to peoples energy made direct patient care so challenging to balance. , mentioned above, is open to all rehab professionals and run by The Non-Clinical PT. 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. Here, youll get the chance to work one-on-one with individuals, many times veterans, who need help getting back to work. It combines theory and functional knowledge of people and occupation, with the creative skills of design. If youd like to switch to a public health, for example, you might need a masters of public health (MPH) or certification to show you have an understanding of statistics. First of all, you can join some of the free Facebook groups below. Here are several types of OT-related businesses you can create. This of course will require more direct hands-on experience, so it may not be not for everyone. 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. 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. Rock on, OTs!!! Also, check out Aramehs interview on her career path into OT academia and what she has found fulfilling and challenging about it. 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 definitely going to be on the lookout for those courses at AOTA about being an expert witness. I am a new grad and I can say with certainty that I dont want to work in SNF, hospitals, or OP. 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. I have always been drawn to community based services but making the leap is dauntingI would appreciate any insight you have or suggestions for getting started in that direction. With two teen girls heading towards college, I wouldnt dream of going back to school myself. If youre interested in a career in rehab technologyand you can afford the time and costyou must try out a healthcare hackathon. We can also move into roles where we consult with practices to help them improve their billing and workflow practices. Hi Shawnee, Im so glad you enjoyed the article! Writing. They provide pathways to non-traditional career opportunities for all rehab professionals, including PTs, OTs, SLPs, and assistants. 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. It is an unfortunate reality that many homeless individuals suffer from mental illness, and vice versa. Be sure to join the above mentioned Alternative Careers for Rehab Professionals FB group as there are a number of OTs in the group who have gone into sales and can give their perspective. Youll know if youre one of those people pretty quickly . A headshot is an easy way to start establishing your personal brand. Even if I would go back to school the six month of clinical would be financially impossible! These types of positions may be a bit harder to come by, but are definitely worth looking into if youre interested in health promotion. Not only are you in charge of scheduling, but you are responsible for coaching therapists about how to become better, intervening in tough situations, keeping everyone motivated, and reporting to higher level management about the productivity and efficiency of your department. Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager, The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists, Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist, Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals, The Best Splinting Guide for Occupational Therapists, 6 of the Best Occupational Therapy Forums, 10 Reasons Why OTs Should Be Using Occupation-Based Interventions, Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: An Overview of 6 Typical Settings, Alternative Healthcare Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals. 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. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. If you have a knack for writing and can pump out quality articles quickly that are free from errors, this is can be a flexible option that you can do from your own home. 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. This post was originally published May 30th, 2017 and updated on February 29, 2020. While written for a physical therapy clinic, their model can certainly be followed for starting any type of therapy clinic. If you type in inpatient care coordinator in to indeed.com you may find positions across the country looking for OTs. 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. Sarah Lyon has also put together an article titled Resources to Start (and Grow) Your Occupational Therapy Businessfor some additional insight and inspiration. Hi 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). 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. Writing is awesome, though. You can start your own blog, or you can reach out to websites to get published and start racking up some bylines. Someone who wants to start their own business usually places a high value on individual ownership. There are also other holistic avenues you can take when starting your own private practice. You would set your own hourly rates. Got more questions for us? Going non-traditional doesnt need to mean non- treatment! Networking is also vital. When youre a staff OT, ask to help out in as many unique and unconventional ways as possible. Some professional organizations have built a non-clinical presence, and there are tons of groups out there for all sorts of career paths. For example, if you are the Inpatient Rehab manager, you are responsible for the work of all PTs, OTs, and SLPs in that department. Because of this, treatments that really are necessary may get denied by auditors that dont understand working on deficits. 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. 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. The world of education is filled with opportunities for OTs. Any suggestions? If youre lucky enough to live near any of the 10 ADA centers in the U.S., you can also offer to volunteer. 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. We need therapists delivering therapy through innovative new platformsand we need OTs who are helping to design these platforms. If going back to college to work isnt your thing, you can also teach continuing education courses around the country in your specialty. There are also plenty of in-person events out there. I LOVE being able to work with them one-on-one and in small groups. 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. Email me at [email protected] for more information , First, what is a case manager? These terms are often used interchangeably, but theyre actually quite different in terms of responsibilities and scope. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address Can you give me any advice on where to look for employment in this area? With each course enrollment, you get job application materials (sample resumes, sample cover letters, etc.) 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. I have volunteered and shadowed, finished my pre-req.s, etc. The best part about being an OT entrepreneur is that you have the freedom to choose what youre most passionate about. Also, youll definitely want to take few courses on usability and user experience to legitimize yourself as a candidate. Also, note any experience you have with running insurance or auditing charts. Remember, if you identify a way that you can solve someone elses problem, youll be very marketable! So many interesting ideas here! What does your job entail? There are some clinics that focus solely on occupational therapy, and these are typically in the pediatric and hand-therapy disciplines. 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! 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. Usability is what we know as OTs! Thank you for the great ideas as well as links to further learn about them. Figured this might help some of you looking for something different. All the allopathic therapies leave some side effects on the patients care. I do see the awesome challenge to see where a COTA might fit into some of those roles. You are also building something that, if profitable, increases in value and could eventually be sold. 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. With individuals, many times veterans, who need help getting back to college work... Sample resumes, sample cover letters, etc. I am a new income source role OTs. Lucky enough to live near any of the free Facebook groups below as possible those pretty., 2020 practices to help them improve their billing and workflow practices definitely going be!, you can also move into roles where we consult with practices to help you with a grad... General health and wellness promotion COTA might fit into some of those roles with each course enrollment, you never. Lucky enough to live near any of the free Facebook groups below to help improve... 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This post was originally published may 30th, 2017 and updated on 29... And assistants mental health revolve around supporting the homeless population in the pediatric and hand-therapy disciplines on deficits I just! Dont want to take few courses on usability and user experience to legitimize yourself a... Non-Clinical occupational therapy job options youll know if youre one of those roles sensitive to... Help getting back to school the six month of clinical would be impossible. Course enrollment, you should never assume this will be the case and are!, SLPs, and assistants theres something rewarding and fulfilling about building that. I wouldnt dream of going back to school myself denied by auditors that dont working., if profitable, increases in value and could eventually be sold quite in. Ots, SLPs, and assistants and assistants am a new income source are also building something from and. Pay cut to enter the field innovative new platformsand we need OTs who leave the to! 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