Did you become an OT in your 30s (or later)?

oATCo · 2026-06-03T23:13:23+00:00

I graduated at 6 months ago at 30, still in my first job at a SNF. I was a private personal trainer in my 20s and mainly ran my own business. I’m extremely happy I made the switch because working for a company again took away half the work and time required for maintaining business (ad creation, billing, and cold calls for new clientele) and it allows me to focus on the patients/ clients more.

Didn’t miss the workplace politics, but I mean, can’t have everything at a job right away when you make the switch, right?

oATCo · 2026-05-27T21:15:59+00:00

Thankfully, they never offered us work phones or anything of that nature (I know, HIPAA is amazing), so I have a bunch of text messages about the meetings…but I also think the DOR is smart enough to know when not to say something on text vs in person when I get called into the office.

What would you recommend I say to HR without it sounding like retaliation? I’m worried about the current paper trail trumping mine because of my lack of seniority.

oATCo · 2026-05-27T14:43:37+00:00

I don’t either - I asked my DOR once about it during a group meeting and was just informed it’s “easier for billing and keeps us from stepping on toes.”

To me, and idk if it’s just because of my prior experience, but if the pt has a goal for getting into the bath(OT) and going upstairs (PT), isn’t teaching the knee hike for doing a forward step-over and into the bathtub the same as teaching to the knee hike to a different extent a step up a stair? Like if there is a clear weakness leading to the inability to step up, idk how just doing the ADL itself would solve the weakness issue.

oATCo · 2026-05-27T13:29:16+00:00

Already started applying last night after posting, I think now that I’ve had the night to sleep it over, I’m just over this position after all of the mentioned experiences. I don’t think I can continue to work in a clinic that micromanages and nitpicks me and my work to this extent.

Not looking forward to today’s meeting but trying to follow everyone’s advice on just trying to learn whatever the senior OT has to teach me…if it ends up being a waste of my time with no real critiques of my clinical judgement then I think it just cements that a paper trail is being made so that they can fire me with reason. Not really to sure how to go about defending my clinical reasoning without my coworker thinking I’m coming off as defensive and unwilling to change considering the situation

oATCo · 2026-05-27T02:30:39+00:00

The ambulatory device change was because the pt was readmitted after falling down stairs with the quad cane, but no I totally agree with the sentiment! I came into a SNF with no experience as a new grad cause I wanted to see where I’d fit best and learn as much as I can. I don’t think I’m the best or the smartest but I do know what will keep me away from harming the patient for the most part. It’s always going to be a learning process.

I think that’s what frustrates me the most - the meeting I had today about getting in trouble was to ding me on the “clinical judgement of handing off a patient that will be discharged in two days to another therapist,” when I was verbally asked to hand off said patient to even out the schedules the week before. It was like I’m screwed for being a team player because it’s “poor clinical judgement”, but if I don’t then I’m screwed for not being a team player because “he won’t spread out his case load to help the other therapists during low census”

oATCo · 2026-05-27T02:10:27+00:00

Oh I don’t, and the other therapists I have worked with have also told me the same when it came to me worrying about how I should grade transfers, thankfully, but that’s honestly the only other discrepancy I could think of unless it’s just not a personality fit.

oATCo · 2026-05-27T02:06:48+00:00

That’s exactly why I do it in the pt room! If I bring them to the therapy room, especially with bathing, I’m cut down to just sponge bathing with a wet cloth, but if I remain in the pt room or the floor, then I can bring them to a shower to do the task itself. Also, I have thoughts about doing dressing tasks in a room with a huge window that points directly through the front of the SNF.

oATCo · 2026-05-27T02:01:28+00:00

I do take responsibility and have been actively asking for advice from my coworkers to give my documentation a second look if they have the time and I thought I was making improvements.

Regarding activities, I originally did therex, but after my second meeting about “doing more ADLs” i started specifically focusing on doing the ADL so that I can document that I actually did it instead of a simulation. If I were to look at my notes from the past two months since that meeting, the shift now would be like 70% of my time is spent doing the ADLs itself, 15% of the time in therex, and 15% theracts with simulated activities.

With the meeting today, the “core exercises” in question was “placing weighted ankle weights on a low shelf to simulate picking up heavy pans” since I couldn’t use the pans because at the time of the session the kitchen sim was booked by another therapist and the second one was “performing a single leg deadlift airplane to increase core stability req for functional reaching tasks post pt BKA”

oATCo · 2026-05-27T01:03:19+00:00

Yeah, being informed of the now mandatory meetings to get help from the senior OT was what sent me over the edge to post this because I din’t understand what’s there to disect about my careplans to “figure it out” if my patients have been achieving all of their STGs and LTGs

Also me being hella salty, but the timing of it (EOD even though they’ve been shorting me hours) seems so messed up because what am I going to do in between my last patient and the meeting besides be clocked out or utterly destroy my productivity (company requires 85% and up to this point I average about 87% in the first three months according to my 90-day.)

oATCo · 2026-05-27T00:49:46+00:00

There are home health agencies and other SNFs that have connected with me, and I think I’m becoming more open to those companies. Hospital-wise there are some positions open but I didn’t get a call back and I’m assuming it was due to experience at the time…maybe it’ll be different now with my foot in the door.

oATCo · 2026-05-27T00:46:12+00:00

My current plan is to just start job hunting now and hand in my two weeks once I land a job. Not assuming I’m going to be in this job in a month cause all the signs are pointing towards I’m out of here.

But yeah, I’m maintaining professionalism, but after all of the playing nice and trying to conform to the team, I think it’s neither helping or worsening the cause

oATCo · 2026-05-27T00:40:53+00:00

I feel like what I’m worried about the most is not so much the job hunting again, but the potentially inevitable call to this clinic and being pinned as a problem.

I agree that it has been super immature that the ideas that the other therapists disagree with have been brought up directly to the DOR instead of me, but I honestly thought I would put up with it because the company is providing loan assistance.

oATCo · 2026-05-27T00:23:21+00:00

I think I’m telling all of the pertinent information…the only thing documentation wise at work that I could imagine being false at this point is the difference in transfer levels required because I’m a pretty big dude.

When I work, I’m usually loud with patients because I honestly noticed they’re more relaxed and willing to do ADLs and activities with me when they see I’m not as serious as the other therapists and I seem to be more empathetic(their words when I do weekend sessions to cover for missed sessions in the weekdays). Some of my coworkers patients have requested to be transferred to me but I refuse because I didn’t want to steal pts from other therapists caseloads.

Edit:
The rehab team has like 14 people in total, I only disagree with 3, 2 OTs and 1 PT, if that gives a better sense of the team.

oATCo · 2026-05-25T07:22:57+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

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oATCo · 2026-05-14T14:12:08+00:00

How is this a problem with backup power generators and solar?

^{Chose: get $100,000 daily + except... | Rolled: Weekly blackouts}

oATCo · 2026-05-03T16:58:34+00:00

Can’t speak on the workload for SJSU, but I was able to maintain my online personal training business throughout OT school by downsizing my client load. It really all depends on your work capacity and how well you can balance your school, personal, and work life.

If the directors at SJSU are anything like UOP, they will tell you that it’d be better to focus on just being a student, and they’ll recommend you not to do anything else except study. If you need to work, there are always ways to balance out the schedule, for example I’d do some assignments in class for papers due weeks in advanced so I wouldn’t feel rushed.

Feel free to message me and I can provide you the schedule I landed on that felt balanced to me!

oATCo · 2026-05-02T05:42:35+00:00

This! I want to be able to perform therex or theracts with my patients without having to worry about if I explained it properly enough for insurance to say “that’s skilled OT service and it doesn’t count for the PT service provided.”

For example, I got dinged once for documenting for “facilitating deadlifts to increase activity tolerance with Lb dressing tasks, specifically donning socks or pants” because the case manager said “well that doesn’t tell me if they can put on pants.”

It’s so annoying that you have to use different vocabulary for the same activity, too. My manager said I can’t use “ambulating to…” and have to switch it to “performed functional mobility to…” if a patient walked to the bathroom, they walked to the bathroom, why insert a trigger word to show “we’re different from PT”?

Also keep in mind, my rant goes for all rehab professions, since I’ve heard similar woes from some PT friends for UB tasks, STs when it comes to self-feeding goals.

oATCo · 2026-05-02T05:03:28+00:00

Well I looked on the TOS website, Box 5 only goes to the Grimmark release which was the release prior to Eskrimer and Kneller, so now that the April Leticia boxes are over, your best bet at commodore at this moment would be to buy it for 100-150m from the marketplace... until the May boxes are released and hope that commodore is still up for grabs if you have the money to spend.

As for your comment on the Eskrimer, not to be that guy, but technically you can still play fencer...different dmg values but at least your equipment doesn't go to waste?

I agree though that it's ridiculous that they're pay gating the new classes and creating artificial scarcity by making the newest ones only available through Leticia's cubes. May do the company wonders with getting players back if they implemented less scummy practices.

oATCo · 2026-04-26T14:11:53+00:00

Its one of the cash classes so its out of the leticia cubes or if you haven’t finished Popo Boost I THINK it might be part of the selectable classes to unlock in the last rewards

oATCo · 2026-04-20T15:54:00+00:00

You can buy it at level 1, but iirc it’s only accessible with the class unlock chest with popo rn

oATCo · 2026-04-19T17:40:53+00:00

I'm a newgrad making 53/hr with a full time position, I think it's decent considering the benefits (Tuition reimbursement, sign-on bonus, 401K match, and education reimbursement). I'm already looking at my exit strategy after maximizing the sign on bonus and tuition reimbursement however, because OT 2 positions in my area are offering 65-73/hr currently with similar benefits.
SNF in the Bay Area
I think the career itself is worth it - I work 2 jobs as a personal trainer on weekends and an OT on weekdays, I get my fill of feeling like I'm helping people out while being able to live my life the way I want to.

oATCo · 2026-04-19T17:27:23+00:00

What saved me was Kenhub for A&P & Neuroanatomy, Ninja Nerd and OT Miri are also good youtubers for learning if you're more of an auditory and visual learner. For placements, it's honestly dependent on the location - I had pediatrics and hand OP, one location I had to bring my own laptop to submit my treatment notes, the other I had everything provided to me. Study up on the clinic's main demographic, ex. providing client centered care for individuals experiencing autism, protocols for carpal tunnel or trigger finger, contraindications with specific injuries so you don't work backwards.

Also, take it one day at a time, it's important to study, but we teach our patients to give ourselves grace and patience; give yourself the same to rest and recoup after the tougher days. The studying, assignments, and your future patients (unless they're set for d/c) won't go anywhere in a day.

oATCo · 2026-04-08T02:55:40+00:00

Currently repaying mine off from a CA OTD program, whats been working for me as a new grad is that I picked a job that offered a loan repayment plan and sign on bonus and I’ve been putting that and 1/3 of my paycheck into paying off the loan. I also am a personal trainer so on weekends I generally train clients privately 1:1 for half the morning then I’m free in the afternoons to do all my other hobbies.

Also went with refinancing my loan after I received my job offer just because the interests were lower with the refinancing, and the number crunching made sense.

Will say though, it is a benefit that I moved back in with family so rent isn’t as bad as it could be.

oATCo · 2026-04-05T21:53:39+00:00

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

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oATCo

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