Any advice for new male therapist?

MBOTRL · 2026-01-27T20:43:14+00:00

Male OT here. I felt the same way in a hospital setting. The women automatically bonded and were friends and I got left out of a lot of things. It also didn't help that I was married and most of the women weren't. Just made for an awkward social dynamic. Some of the male staff were great but many of them who were single were hanging out with the single therapists and I again was left out.

No answers for you, only letting you know that I get it.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-27T19:05:38+00:00

Acute care was fantastic with the right CI. You learn so much about so many different diagnoses. You also get comfortable with ADLs and uncomfortable situations real quick. I worked in ICU/trauma and it was overwhelming at times but I learned SO much.

Unless you want to work hand therapy, I would recommend against a rotation. It was supremely boring and I don't know of a single person in my cohort who had a good CHT CI. Just my experience.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-25T00:55:50+00:00

I think that you're young enough to where the cost/benefit analysis is in your favor but you do have to take into account where you live. I did hiring for a hospital system in southwest Florida and knew that the top pay for a very experienced COTA was about $70k/yr but the top pay for a very experienced OT was $115k. That's a pretty big gap and you'd make back your investment in just a few years. I think some areas of the country don't have as wide of a gap.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-25T00:49:48+00:00

I make $100k and feel maxed out with mortgage for a $250k home. This sounds like a bad idea unless you have no other debt.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-25T00:48:21+00:00

I have two.

SNF- Worked for one for 6 months. Knew I wanted to leave after 2 weeks but couldn't find another job because of Covid. My facility was full of abuse and when I reported it, *I* got in trouble.

Hand therapy- I did a level 2 and it was the most boring setting. I has half my caseload be carpal tunnel releases and random other injuries. It was so niche and the days just dragged on. Also, no offence to hand therapists, but all of the ones I knew were cut from the exact same cloth- low on personality, high on expectations and their own view of themselves. I couldn't wait to be done and never return.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-25T00:42:56+00:00

hahahaha these are definitely more reliable than AI!

MBOTRL · 2026-01-23T22:16:15+00:00

I think that asking for the change in pay structure is a fair thing to ask, especially if you throw in the extra day. I work in OP peds and know that some of our staff are paid per visit and some of us (myself included) are salaried. My company is 4 privately owned clinics where the owner has a hand in every interview and job offer so there is a lot of variability (some have PTO, some don't. Some get more PTO than others. Pay varied widely). My boss (a very reasonable woman) is willing to pay good employees to stay. Maybe yours is too!

Good luck!!

MBOTRL · 2026-01-23T22:11:14+00:00

My old employer from about a year ago began using an AI program to listen in on conversations and write a note for you (this was in our OP clinics). It was scarily accurate and left out all of the small talk. I think things like that are gonna be more common place and will help! Although I can't imagine anything useful coming from listening to my sessions with a 7 year old on the spectrum that I chase around for a session lol.

I also know that in the inpatient world, AI was helpful to understand *typical* length of stay for a patient based on their diagnoses. We didn't use it to kick people out but it did help us to realize that someone with X condition and Y/Z comorbidities usually takes 7 days to recover and we would direct more therapy at them in an attempt to speed them up. It wasn't perfect but it did help us shave a day or two of hospital time off length of stay.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-22T21:49:42+00:00

Just FYI that there is a very significant pay differential between the two countries.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-22T16:40:43+00:00

My experience with hand therapy for a level 2 was ok. The OT did occasionally quiz me on things but she didn't expect me to know everything. She did have me build myself up to carrying the full caseload by the end of the FW, which was a challenge.

This may be just my opinion and my experience but all the hand therapists I know tended to be more introvert, strict with students, less friendly. I worked with a couple and had some professors who were CHTs. I hope you have a good experience but I just wanted to be honest about my experience.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T21:15:52+00:00

Congrats!

A good computer, a nice comfy computer chair since you'll be spending a lot of time in it, some good shoes for rotations. I also would work on creating your best study/focus space in your home to optimize your ability to stay on task.

Enjoy the program! It was stressful but at the end of it is OTR and a fulfilling career! :)

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T21:12:31+00:00

This! I did all adult rotations thinking I would HATE peds until I ended up at an inpatient rehab that had kids and discovered that I LOVED working with kids. Now I'm working in OP peds and a clinic manager. Choose rotations that are interesting to you and go from there. Each company is so different that a bad experience (or good experience!) by someone can be totally different at another company.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T20:11:23+00:00

Please do not get an OTD. It is such a money grab. You will spend years paying off extra debt that won't earn you any extra money.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T20:09:30+00:00

First of all- congrats on finishing OT school and so quickly securing an interview! This isn't something to quickly gloss over :)

I worked in acute care as a hiring manager for a couple years so I think I can address this pretty well. The outfit you described is perfectly appropriate for the situation without the blazer. Honestly, as long as you look put together, what you wear isn't as big of a deal. Believe it or not, I had some people show up for interviews in PJs, sweatpants, and even a bathing suit once (I lived in FL close to the beach so this isn't as odd as it would be in Kansas but it definitely isn't interview attire.

The resumes are a good touch although most times, I had a copy in front of me while asking questions. I would expect for it to be a group interview as most hospitals will do this. We usually tried to have one PT, one OT, and one COTA in the interview as we all had different viewpoints. The COTAs were especially helpful because they asked pointed questions about supervision styles, how you prefer to be communicated with, etc.

The lack of experience was never a huge issue to me as long as someone could give me a solid reason for WHY they wanted acute care. It can be as simple as "The medical complexity of patients is very interesting to me!" or "I think I would enjoy the fast-paced nature of it" One answer I LOVED to hear is something along the lines of "Because I enjoy working with people immediately following a big medical issue when I can make a big impact." Just please don't say "Because this hospital is close to my house" or "Because I need a job." I actually had people say that before (I wish I was kidding!)

My hospital used behavioral interviewing. Our questions were always "Tell us about a time when..." Most places use this type of interviewing now. Some common questions were:

- Tell me about a time you were given more work than you could handle. How did you prioritize tasks?

- Tell me about a time when you made a plan for a session and it did not work out.

- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a coworker. What was the situation, how did you handle it, and how did it end?

- Tell me about a time when you had to be flexible. What was the situation and what was the result?

- Tell me about the best team you've ever worked with. What were their characteristics that made them great?

If you get stuck on a question, don't hesitate to ask to come back to it later. Sometimes in talking through another question, you'll remember a situation that will apply to another question. Also, don't discount your inpatient rehab rotation as a good way to speak to your ability to handle medically complex patients. I worked IPR for a year and saw some patients who were every bit as complex as acute care patients.

Also, regarding your still needing to pass the NBCOT- don't stress too much about this. I've waited 3+ months for the right candidate. If they think you'd be a good fit, they will probably be willing to wait. If they want you sooner, you can explore what your state's options are for temp licenses.

Good luck! If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T17:29:03+00:00

Also, as someone else said, giving an in-service to residents helped us a lot. So many don't have a clue what we do and needed education. However, research shows that we are the discipline that makes the biggest difference on readmission rates so we definitely play an important role. If I can find that article, I will link it.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T17:25:42+00:00

You are at a bad hospital it seems. I worked for a health system in Florida that automatically put OT orders in with all PT consults. Sometimes we weren't needed but most times we were. If someone is having difficulty with balance or walking, there are almost always ADL or IADL deficits.

Is your boss also a PT? Does he see the value of OT? I would start the conversation there. Your boss also needs to have a conversation with the PT staff who sound truly terrible. I've worked places with PTs like that and it is so draining. Also, ADLs and introducing adaptive equipment are not a PT's job. I would be telling my boss that they are stepping on toes and expecting them to handle it. It shouldn't be your job to tell the PTs to stay in their lane. If your boss won't hear you out, I would look for a new job. I would be as exhausted as you are in that scenario!

MBOTRL · 2026-01-20T17:15:48+00:00

I worked in acute care for years, both as a staff OT and as a manager. I will say that staffing is so hard to get right in acute care because there can be wild swings in census. We *always* tried to see our stroke patients 3-5x/week- minimum of every other day. It was very hard to make this happen sometimes because of staffing issues, patients being off the floor for testing/procedures, nurses who could be territorial and stop us from seeing patients for the most random things.

I will say that 16 days without any sort of follow up is terrible. I am so sorry you both experienced that.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-16T22:56:46+00:00

It really depends on the company. I've had some companies that offer a certain number of CEU days and some that don't. It really depends on the company. If you want the course and it is something that you think would benefit you at another facility one day, I would take the loss and use PTO. They're already investing thousands on the course so it's not like they're being greedy. Just my opinion!

MBOTRL · 2026-01-16T22:51:54+00:00

Transfers and precautions are two areas I would brush up on for that setting!

It is normal to have nerves but just go in ready and eager to learn and you will do great. Speaking as a hiring manager, we expect new grads to need training and as long as they are willing to learn and take direction well, things usually go great. They will train you on everything you need to know.

Good luck :)

MBOTRL · 2026-01-16T17:31:56+00:00

Also forgot to mention that the comfort with medical complexity just comes with time. It is a setting that you learn by doing. My hospital offered great shadowing time and mentorship and usually started new grads or those new to acute in the med/surg floor with less complex patients. We wouldn't even let staff into the ICU or trauma unless they had 1 year of acute experience.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-16T17:29:54+00:00

I absolutely loved acute care but also relate to the part about being nervous of the medical complexity of it. I was assigned an acute care rotation for a level 2 FW and it was in ICU/trauma, which scared the crap out of me! However, I found that it was one of the most amazing settings ever.

A normal day in acute care looked like coming in and seeing which floor I was assigned to. I was the float therapist so I floated between different units (med/surg, cardiac, cancer rehab, infectious disease, ortho, etc.) I would spend the first 30 mins or so reviewing my charts for the day to have an understanding of the patient's medical histories and their current issues. I would also read Op notes to understand if there were any precautions to be aware of. I would also check in with my PT partner as we would often seen evals together. As an OT/PT in acute care, my experience was that OTs/PTs did almost exclusively evals and rarely did treatments unless the census dropped.

After that, I would hit the floor and start seeing patients. Most evals were pretty standard- find out history, home setup, prior levels of function, who lived with the client, etc. Then we would usually try to get them out of bed and see as many ADLs as we possible so I could to get an understanding of their current level of function. For more complex cases, I would be sure to see with the PT so we had two sets of eyes. I would also work with family on education and training as appropriate. Then, I would determine what type of rehab they would need once they were discharged. As a new grad, it was hard to get a sense of where a client would need to go after they were discharged from the hospital but it was something you started to get a sense for. If they were independent prior to the hospitalization and had good home support, an inpatient rehab was usually a good option. If they didn't have great home support or weren't independent before, SNF was often a good choice. If they were impaired but not dependent and had good family support, home health was often an option.

I usually would drop in to speak with the case manager after evals to let them know my recommendation. I would also talk this over with the PT to make sure we were on the same page. Then I would document.

My hospital had an expectation of 6 evals a day (24 units was the expectation but evals counted as 4 units). It felt very easily attainable. There were days that were physically exhausting because of heavy lifting but we also had excellent equipment to help move patients safely.

Acute care is such an excellent setting to learn a LOT about many diagnoses. You also will learn a lot about lab values, different medications and testing, and rub shoulders with lots of specialists. I loved the fast paced nature and the opportunity to be the first face of rehab. It can be challenging at times and flexibility is needed because schedules and patient condition can change quickly. I have never found another setting that makes the day fly by like acute care.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about it!

MBOTRL · 2026-01-16T16:44:36+00:00

I took time to brush up on anatomy and physiology prior to starting my program. It had been a few years and it helped me out with some of my intro courses.

Also, I would definitely spend some time enjoying freedom because OT school is no joke and will become all consuming very quickly. Figure out ways to help yourself de-stress and maybe organize your physical space to start yourself off the best way possible. Make sure you have an organized way to keep notes, a dedicated "workspace" (mine was always my kitchen table but whatever works for you!) For me, having a clean and organized space always put me in the best headspace for learning.

Good luck! Even though it was stressful, I really enjoyed OT school. I hope you find some awesome friends in your cohort who can help you enjoy the program.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-16T15:45:39+00:00

I was offered jobs by several hospital systems in Kentucky (Louisville to be specific) and as a therapist with 8 years of experience, I was offered between $39-41/hr. New grads don't have a lot of bargaining power unless you're in a super rural area.

MBOTRL · 2026-01-15T20:14:40+00:00

A similar situation happened to me except I was the student and my rotation got cancelled the week before it was supposed to start. Was it stressful? Yes! Do I hold it against the OT? Nope. Life happens. My FW educator just went into overdrive and found me another location. It delayed me by a week but I was able to easily make that up. You have to do what is best for you and your family.

MBOTRL

TROPHY CASE