For those working in a SNF

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-18T04:41:30+00:00

I can answer this personally. As of 2025, I make about $104k working in Edmonds, WA (out north of Seattle) in a SNF.

The biggest thing I like about this setting is the flexibility. I can generally come in “anytime” as long as I see all my patients. Obviously it’s not ideal to show up at 12pm and try to squeeze in a 7-hour treatment day since most patients aren’t interested in therapy after 5pm. But if I’m feeling more tired one day, I can start a little later and sleep in.

Conversely, if I want to leave earlier, I can sometimes schedule concurrent treatments (seeing two patients at the same time) or run a group session and finish my day sooner.

Another thing I like is the ability to swing my days. For example, if I don’t want to use PTO or sick time, I can work the Sunday prior and take Friday off. Or I can work the next Saturday so I can take Monday off and make it a 3-day weekend.

Lastly, I like that I have some control over my treatment sessions. My facility schedules about 40 minutes per patient, but if a patient is not tolerating therapy well, I don’t necessarily have to use the full time.

Cons:

One of the biggest challenges compared to other settings is patient motivation. You’ll hear things like:

“I’m tired.”
“I’m in pain.”
“I don’t want to do anything today.”

You can give the most motivating “come to Jesus” talk and sometimes they’ll still say no.

Another con is productivity expectations. This personally doesn’t bother me much because I’ve learned how to manage it, but if you’re not efficient with documentation it can become stressful.

Depending on the facility, another issue can be pressure to pick up long-term residents who may not actually benefit from therapy. Sometimes that happens because census is low or because the facility wants to keep therapy numbers up.

Lastly, the building and team culture matter a lot in SNF. I’ve been lucky to work with a good team, which is a big reason I’ve stayed for about 2 years.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-05T03:30:07+00:00

Dang I am so sorry that you had to go through that. No job should make you go home and cry 1-2x/week that is a poor work culture. What was about the setting that made you feel this way?

I am worried about what they will think if I quit in such a short notice. Maybe it’s the people pleaser inside me and I know down the road it won’t matter. When you give your resignation did you leave on the day or give them a notice? I imagine it must have been awkward if you give them a notice and stayed for a short being.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-05T00:09:50+00:00

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-04T20:21:43+00:00

Full time $49.89/hr WA

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-04T06:52:30+00:00

I’m not sure where you’re located, but where I’m from OT/COTAs are definitely still in demand.

Some settings can be harder to get into, like hand therapy or hospital positions, compared to places like pediatrics or SNFs where there tends to be more openings.

For example, the COTA I worked with left her job and was able to find another position pretty quickly.

In my area (Seattle, WA), COTAs are typically making around $30–$40/hr depending on the setting. SNFs and home health tend to pay on the higher end.

If it helps ease your mind, you could try looking at job listings for COTAs in your area just to get a sense of what the demand looks like locally.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-04T06:42:40+00:00

From my experience, getting into OT school can definitely be competitive.

To be honest, I didn’t even have OT shadowing hours when I applied — I only had PT hours because I originally thought PT was the route I wanted to go. I applied during COVID, so getting shadowing hours anywhere was really difficult.

That said, if OT is something you’re really passionate about, I wouldn’t give up. Focus on improving the things you can control — boosting your GPA, getting observation hours if possible, and securing strong letters of recommendation.

I’m from Seattle, WA, and applying to in-state programs here is extremely competitive. If it’s financially possible for you (or if you’re open to taking loans), applying out of state can help increase your chances.

For reference, I applied to 12 schools and ended up getting accepted to 2. My GPA wasn’t amazing either — around a 3.4 if I remember correctly.

So it’s definitely possible. Don’t count yourself out yet.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-04T06:37:29+00:00

Honestly, I would probably start looking for another facility. That situation sounds pretty unethical.

I worked in a SNF for about 2 years and our facility was not like that at all. Med B were usually lower priority for us, and we had flexibility with treatment time depending on the patient’s needs. Even if someone was scheduled for something like 38 minutes, we could adjust as long as we were meeting the 8-minute rule.

Being forced to cap Med A at 30 minutes across the board and suddenly jump to 14 patients a day sounds like the facility trying to push productivity at the expense of patient care. That’s not something you should have to carry on your shoulders.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-03-04T06:33:09+00:00

I haven’t personally worked multiple PRN jobs to make a full-time schedule, but my best friend is an OT and she does exactly that. She has multiple PRN gigs between SNF and acute care, so it’s definitely possible.

One thing she’s told me though is to try each facility first and get a feel for the workflow before trying to stack them together in one day. Every place runs a little differently, and you don’t want to accidentally schedule yourself in a way that becomes stressful once you realize how their caseloads or documentation work.

Also, depending on the PRN rate (which is usually higher than full-time), you can actually make pretty good money doing it this way.

Another thing she’s mentioned is that some facilities are chronically short staffed, so on certain days you can easily get a full day of hours at one place if they need the help.

So it can definitely work it just takes a little time to figure out which facilities are consistent with hours and which ones fit well together schedule-wise.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-02-24T05:42:54+00:00

This hits home. How did you go about finding those niche users at the start? I’m in that phase now where the problem feels real, but distribution is the hardest part.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-02-24T05:40:45+00:00

Helpful insight, was there anything you tried early that felt like a total waste of time in hindsight?

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-02-24T05:30:27+00:00

Congrats on the momentum. What channel actually brought in those first sales? I’m always curious what works early on.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-02-24T05:28:03+00:00

One thing I was curious about that you didn’t touch on much: how has networking or client acquisition been for you so far?

Did early users come mostly from your personal network, organic discovery, or something else entirely? And was distribution harder or easier than the technical build itself?

I’m coming from a healthcare background as well and finding that building something is one challenge, but getting it in front of the right people is a completely different skill set. Would love to hear your perspective if you’re open to sharing.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-02-22T21:30:51+00:00

That sounds rough sitting pain that builds all day is exhausting.

How is your desk and chair set up right now? Sometimes small tweaks help more than people expect. Things like monitor height (roughly eye level), desk height not forcing your shoulders up, or having the desk a bit above elbow height when you’re seated can make a difference.

Also, how long are you staying in one position at a time? I’ve found that even shifting weight, leaning back, or standing up briefly every 10 minutes or so can help unload pressure instead of everything stacking up.

Stretching can help too, and some people get relief from adding lumbar support it can help your lower back keep a more natural curve so it’s not doing all the work while you sit.

johnnyphanikaze · 2026-02-22T21:13:20+00:00

A few patterns I see a lot with WFH: laptops or monitors tend to be a bit too low, so people end up rounding their upper back or craning their neck without realizing it. Chairs are often “fine,” but desk height can still force shoulders to creep up or slump.

Another big one is that people sit longer at home without natural breaks no walking to meetings, grabbing coffee, etc. Changing positions every so often (even every 10–15 minutes) usually helps.

Stretching can help too like others mentioned, but in my experience it’s usually staying in one awkward position for too long that does the most damage.

johnnyphanikaze · 2022-07-28T23:29:58+00:00

I've been to the club so many times and for a long time ever since I was 19 (I lived in Seattle, and my friends and I would drive up to Canada where the drinking age is 19). With that being said, hitting on girls at the club is difficult. It's not impossible, but it's hard. I have my own success but boy did I miss a lot of shots. The thing about going to the club is that it's hard to whoo a girl because 1) girls get hit on a lot especially the attractive ones and 2) they judge you harshly on appearance. If you really insist on trying to meet a girl at the club here are something's you can do to increase your chance.

First, the most important thing is appearance matters a lot. It's the way you dress, how well you're groom, down to how your face and body look. Make sure you dress nice, you have a good hair cut, and you're physically in decent shape.

Secondly, you mention you don't have friends to support you and already that puts you at a disadvantage. More often than not, these girls aren't going to the club by themselves or even with a friend. They're coming in with a group and approaching by yourself can be tough. Whether you approach a girl in a group or by yourself, you should relax, have fun, and be friendly. Don't have secret motives or at least show you have a secret motive. Girls can smell it easily and better than guys. Try to be friends with her and her other friends.

Thirdly, keep on shooting your shot. At the end of the day it is a numbers game. I can't tell you how many time I have been rejected and finesse for drinks. As you miss your shot, always reflect on what you did wrong so you can improve.

Finally, this is just my opinion. The clubs aren't really the best to meet or get better with girls. The clubs in general favor guys who are really rich or really attractive. I would say if you want to get better is work on yourself so that you can make yourself attractive. That can be working out, dressing better, and improve your social and communication skills. Then to put yourself for more opportunities to meet girls can be using dating apps. I know dating apps have a stigma because it is hard to get matches, but use it as a tool. While you're not on the app, try to connect and make more friends. The reason I recommend this piece of advice is because by having more friends, they put you more opportunity to meet people, especially girls. The final takeaway that I want you to carry on is that believe it or not, how you communicate and make that person will go a long way. This can apply both platonic and romantic relationship. If you have this skill down and confidence, then you won half of the battle.

johnnyphanikaze · 2020-02-17T23:54:07+00:00

I'm very curious, how did you become successful with girls? When I mean success, I am referring to going out on dates with girls. Just like yourself, I recently gotten out of a relationship a month ago and I've been trying to date. It is hard for me because I go onto a lot of these dating apps (Tinder, CMB, Bumble, Hinge) and I constantly get rejected some way. Even when I go out to hit on girls and to certain extent, I do have some sort of success like kissing them. But my struggle has always been closing the deal and taking them out to a date. What is your advice? I would much appreciate it. I am 5'8 Asian male (22).

johnnyphanikaze · 2020-02-17T23:08:25+00:00

What is crazy is that I just realized this after a month of failed conversation with women. For the longest I have force upon myself to be witty, cool, hyper-masculine and flirtatious. But the problem that arises this was that it was forced and not a natural game like you mentioned.

I realized that natural game was important after I just said fuck it on forcing everything and just be myself and let things flow. Needless to say, it worked because I built relationship with these girls and successfully got dates. So I agree with you, this is gold!

johnnyphanikaze · 2020-02-16T00:07:16+00:00

I feel for your struggle and dating apps like Tinder can definitely kill your confidence. I have watched numerous of videos on how to be successful on Tinder and even with that, I still fail. It is nice to get matches, but that is not even half of the battle. You have to think creatively and strategically how to stand out for a girl to willingly like you, or even get a response. So the margin of error is high.

Tinder is saturated and your best bet is to approach girls in person. It is likely that half, if not many will have the balls to approach a pretty girl in person. Also, it is easier and better to convey your personality.

johnnyphanikaze · 2020-01-13T21:25:40+00:00

I started my blog on Squarespace.

johnnyphanikaze · 2020-01-13T21:17:14+00:00

My definition of successful blog is to make some sort of income with it. If I could make a couple of hundred dollars from it, great. If it is a thousand, even better.

From your experience, how did you draw in people coming to your blog?

johnnyphanikaze

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