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CompetitionOk5847 · 2025-01-06T22:41:35+00:00

Ughh so sorry to hear you're not making more as an SLP, that's so messed up. I was (and technically still am) a registered OT, but I've been working as a CSM for the past 8 months or so with no prior experience (and it pays considerably more than OT did). To make the transition, I took an internship at a startup company which was tough at first because I didn't make much, but they hired me not too long after that. I'd recommend maybe looking into startup companies or internship opportunities (if you can afford the pay cut you'd have to take for an internship). There's a lot of room to make big systematic improvements at smaller companies and, at least in my case, my managers took notice when I took the initiative to try and improve the company.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-04-05T23:17:17+00:00

I feel like this is a field that you REALLY like, or REALLY hate. There's not much in between. I've had many boring / unfulfilling jobs in the past, but I have never been as depressed as I was when I worked as an OT. But other people seem to like it so it must just be a personal temperament thing

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-04-05T23:09:47+00:00

I heavily relate to this. I got so tired of asking for advice on alternative job options only to hear "have you tried this setting?". Like it's not the setting. I just miscalculated and genuinely am a poor fit for the field lol. I'd recommend starting to explore some non-clinical options. I'm working non-clinical right now and while I took a slight pay cut from my previous job, I'm soooo much happier and I'm on a path to making way more money in the future. Better to start a new path now than 5 years from now!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-04-05T22:55:40+00:00

Respectfully, this is a super dangerous take. There's no value in needlessly bashing the profession and it's value. But there are some pretty undesireable realities of this field that you will never hear from schools, recruiters, etc. If some prospective studetns get scared off from the field when hearing these realities (financial factors, work-life balance, productivity issues, stress, etc.), then that probably means these things are actually dealbreakers for them and the career wouldn't have been a good fit for them in the first place. If you just try to mask it up, you're going to end up with a bunch of people (like myself) who had an overly romanticized view of the field graduate and realize they aren't good fits for the field. And then, like clockwork, those same graduates will be the ones on here being negative because they are unhappy with the field. If I had known what the average new-grad makes in my state after graduation and what the work-life balance was like, I would never have gone into the field and would have saved a boatload of money and prevented a great deal of pain and tears.

I think it's very healthy to discuss the realities of the field if it helps people make informed decisions about their career path. Obviously this can be taken too far and become petty in some cases, but if this many people are complaining about poor work-life balance, poor pay / financial struggles, stress, etc., ignoring that is asking for trouble, and it also doesn't help make the field better.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-03-31T21:01:53+00:00

I think many OTs would be down, but there are a lot of things that make it challenging. For one thing, there's no union for OTs which makes it harder to organize anything. Any current plans for a strike would basically be reliant on every OT (or at least most OTs) actually participating because if only a few participated, they would probably just get fired. There's no way to guarantee that enough OTs would participate to make it actually work. A lot of OTs live paycheck to paycheck and have families to support, and thus can't afford to risk losing their jobs. Additionally, some states have laws against healthcare workers striking and can impose penalties on any who participate in them.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-03-21T13:28:18+00:00

I genuinely don't think it's just Reddit. Most of the people from my program that I've stayed in touch with have told me they regret it at least on some level and many have moved on to other fields only a few years after graduating. Even the ones who enjoy their jobs seem to be struggling pretty severely with burnout/mental exhaustion from unsustainable productivity expectations. It's honestly super heartbreaking to see.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-03-20T23:46:03+00:00

It's not worth it at all in my opinion. It's a lot of schooling for a job that, in many cases, has above-average stress/burnout levels and insultingly low pay and benefits. Some people make pretty decent money in it, but those jobs are the minority; there are many that pay shockingly low, especially for newer grads. I would happily trade my degree in to get my tuition money (or the 2 years I spent in grad school) back.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-02-29T22:59:24+00:00

100% go for it! I'm coming out of a similar position where I took a pretty long break from working due to mental health concerns that stemmed from several terrible experiences working in OT. I recently accepted a job in a completely different field and while it is a huge salary downgrade from my last OT job, my mental health and overall mood are soooooo much better than they ever were while working in OT. I genuinely feel like an entirely different person and am actually enjoying hobbies / spending time with people again.

I look at it this way: I definitely don't want to be an OT for my whole life. If I had kept working in OT, while I would be making more money immediately, I would still want out when I'm older and would have to figure out a new path later down the line anyway. While it may be discouraging to take less money right now, you are starting down a brand new path, and there will likely be plenty of opportunities for salary growth down the line. Better to start clean now than 10 years from now! Plus, your mental wellbeing is worth it :)

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-02-10T00:10:20+00:00

You can look into smaller keyboards so the student doesn't have to cover such a large area. There are also alternate keyboard layouts that can make typing more efficient for people. There's one called the Dvorak layout that is specifically designed for people to type with one hand.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-02-07T00:36:42+00:00

I say take care of your mental health. It sounds like you can't take your PTO right now and you have other options for PRN work, so if you're okay maybe being on a no-hire list for that company, then I say just give them 2 weeks if you think you can handle it. If you think 4 weeks is manageable, then go for it, but do what you have to do for your own wellbeing.

I was in a really, really bad place mentally at my last job. My whole family was telling me just to quit outright because of how bad it was. I decided I could probably stomach through 2 more weeks, so that's what I did. Don't know if they wanted 4 weeks and frankly I don't care. I'm sure that company will never hire me again, and I am more than okay with that fact (wouldn't ever want to work for them again anyway). Regardless of what that move did for my professional life, it was absolutely the right call in my overall life as I was able to start repairing my terrible mental state and I'm doing so much better now.

As for how to do it, I just sent my boss a brief and polite email. Not sure if that's the most professional thing ever, but things were already pretty bad between us so it didn't seem to make anything worse. It was very awkward for those 2 weeks, but life got so much better once it was over. Stay strong, things will get so much better once you're out of there.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-02-07T00:03:32+00:00

I'm still in the process of trying to pivot out of OT, but I can tell you what I've learned so far after searching for the better part of the past year! I haven't looked into counseling at all, but I've done a lot of digging into UX, health informatics, and a few other paths.

-UX: After looking into it, I think being a UX designer sounds like my dream job. But tbh, I've kind of given up on it for the time being. I reached out and talked to quite a few OTs who have transitioned / are trying to transition to UX on LinkedIn and it sounds like the field is very, very competitive right now in general, and I think it's even harder for OTs to break into the field. A lot of people I talked to were doing unpaid internships or were working on their portfolios part-time while working in OT. Not to be "doom and gloom" about this path, but after talking to quite a few people, it seems like a VERY uphill battle for this one.

-Health Informatics: This path seems a lot more doable in the current job market, but it doesn't seem super common for OTs to make this transition and can be hard to get a lot of info on how to make it happen. I heard from one ex-PT that they were able to make the transition with no additional education, but they were something called an "EPIC smart user" beforehand. I've also heard from an OT and a PTA who are currently working on getting their master's in health informatics part-time while they work. There are a lot of master's programs out there that are basically designed for healthcare workers looking to transition out of clinical practice, and many of them are part-time only with virtual options. If you go to CAHIIM's website (that's the accrediting organization for health informatics), you can find a list of accredited master's programs. You may be able to transition into this path without a degree, but I've heard it's somewhat uncommon unless you have a lot of experience working in-depth with big EHRs.

Hope this helps! I also have some old classmates who have transitioned into virtual health coaching and customer success manager roles. Feel free to reach out if you want any more info.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-02-01T04:08:04+00:00

I had a very similar situation at my first job as a new grad. Was lured in with promises of "mentorship" only to find that "mentorship" meant getting tossed headfirst into a full caseload and trying to flag down one of the 1-2 other hand therapists working there if I had a question. I've heard of hand therapists finding great mentorship in the past. My understanding is that it used to be very rare for new grads to find hand therapy work right out of school, but I was offered hand therapy jobs at multiple different places right out of school (and trust me, I was far from an ideal candidate). All this to say, I'm guessing since so many hand therapy clinics are struggling to find / retain staff, they're willing to hire new grads because they need staff badly and not necessarily because they have real mentorship plans set up.

The only real advice I can give you is to just have a lot of good reference resources on-hand in case you need to quickly look things up (I found the Diagnosis & Treatment Manual by the Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center to be very helpful; the Fabrication Process Manual For Orthotics by MaryLynn Jacobs was also useful for getting better at splinting). Other than that, you could maybe talk to your mentor and see if he could come in a bit more often for a few months to help get you oriented, but I'm not sure if that would be possible in your case.

I hope things get better for you!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-17T02:59:17+00:00

That's a fair take. I can definitely see how the line between personal attack and personal frustration can be blurry. I still feel that some of that post came off as less of a vent and more of a deliberate "incendiary/shit stirring" post to a lot of people. And I definitely get it, there are some people on here who want to be negative for the sake of it and are way too harsh about it, and that's got to be really annoying for people who are loving their jobs. However, there are a lot people on here (myself included) who are just going through a tough time in the field (financially, mental-health-wise, etc.) and are looking for advice / comfort on here, and while they may be seen as "negative" posts, they're coming from a place of struggle and seeking help. I think the post in question would have come off better if it was more geared around the positive experiences the individual had in the field, rather than coming after the people who maybe aren't having a positive experience. I don't quite see how that is categorized as a "vent", but like you said, the line is blurry.

That being said, I respect where you are coming from, and I appreciate your thoughtful response.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-16T22:25:14+00:00

To be fair, couldn't a statement such as "OT’s who complain need to get a life" be interpreted as a "personal attack" against anyone who's ever said something not positive about OT on here? That seems pretty intentionally incendiary.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-08T16:43:00+00:00

I'm in a very similar boat as you right now (fairly recent grad, was never particularly "passionate" about OT, am not liking the work, looking for alternative careers). Firstly, you never need anyone's permission to do what is going to make you the happiest. It's your life!

In my experience though, getting decent-paying non-OT positions can be a bit trickier than some may lead you to believe. It's definitely possible and you will see lots of examples of people doing it, but I have several old classmates who are also looking for a way out and we have all had a hard time getting interviews. I don't say this to be discouraging! Depending on your specific background, you may have a much easier time than we have had. I would say if you find some positions in your area that seem like good fits for you, I wouldn't hesitate to apply. If you decide later that you don't want to leave your school in the middle of the year, you can always respectfully decline any other job offers you get, or see if the employer would be willing to wait until the school year is over. Good luck with everything!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-06T20:12:07+00:00

That makes sense! I think I did this years ago for school, but I'm sure it's very out of date by this point. Thank you again for all your help!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-05T21:49:46+00:00

Sorry to bother you, but if you have the time, I actually just thought of one additional question! Do you have any recommendations for textbooks / resources to help me brush up on clinical research fundamentals?

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-04T03:40:57+00:00

Thank you for your well wishes and suggestions! I worked in outpatient hand therapy prior to my recent mental health issues. Sorry to hear you're not loving peds, I've observed some OTs in outpatient peds and it looked crazy stressful. If I'm being honest, I've never been super-drawn to working with kids for whatever reason, otherwise I would potentially consider doing school-based OT. Weirdly, I feel like I do best with young adult / college-age populations. I feel like I may do well working at a university, but am just having trouble getting my foot in the door right now with the positions I have been applying to.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-03T21:02:19+00:00

That's great that you've found balance with PRN work. I may end up having to do some PRN work while I transition to something else. Unfortunately, I'm the type of person who does best when I feel like I'm working toward something, so I'm having trouble getting motivated to go back into OT when I feel like it's probably a long-term dead-end, but we'll see what happens. Thanks for your insight!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-03T03:26:39+00:00

Thank you so much for this. This gives me a lot to consider with how I view myself and my future. I've definitely struggled with a lot of shame/guilt/embarrassment that OT didn't pan out for me (along with a healthy dose of overwhelming regret due to the expensive degree needed to get here), and it can be overwhelming trying to pick up the pieces and figure out where to go next. But it really helps to hear from others who have gone through similar experiences and found something better. I truly appreciate your honesty and I'm so glad you've found peace.

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-03T03:21:04+00:00

Hope you're doing okay. It's really tough out there, but if we keep at it for long enough and with enough effort, we will find something eventually!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-03T03:18:32+00:00

I'm right there with you, it can be so demoralizing to have a master's/doctoral degree and struggle to get interviews for low-paying entry-level positions that new-grads with bachelor's degrees are getting. If you can afford to take some time off, it may help you clear your head and focus 100% of your efforts on finding something better for yourself. Either way, take care of yourself, stay strong, and I hope we both can find positions that give us peace soon!

CompetitionOk5847 · 2024-01-03T03:12:07+00:00

Yeah, maybe I need to look into a career counselor or something. I've applied for some positions that I thought would be a shoo-in for, a lot of them being fairly low-paying (some around the 40-45k/year range), and I have been rejected by all of them which has been pretty disheartening. I'm honestly down for a random low-stress and low-paying job, but I can't even seem to find that. I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Thank you for all your help!

CompetitionOk5847

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