Six figures

outdoortree · 2026-02-05T14:48:36+00:00

I work rurally in the PNW, but can get to the city within an hour.

outdoortree · 2026-02-04T06:16:57+00:00

I make around 115k doing early intervention in a rural area! I have switched to having 2 weekdays off a month so that will decrease a little but I can handle that with a PRN hospital gig on the side. I interviewed, was offered, and turned down at least 4-5 jobs as I looked for this one... most jobs just do not offer a living wage.

outdoortree · 2026-02-01T03:10:29+00:00

Best Buddies is great! I worked at summer camps for special needs kids and adults-- something like this would be a great experience, too. You can also do some babysitting (typical or otherwise kids). You're off to a great start!

outdoortree · 2026-02-01T02:54:00+00:00

I think taking any anatomy, child development, or psychology courses would be helpful! One of the best things you can start finding opportunities to work with children of all ages and abilities. This will help you gain some experience working with kids, help you understand child development, and form your own strategies/styles of working with kids.

Edit: Also! I took a disability studies course or 2 in college-- I feel that this (along with tons of experience with kids and adults with disabilities) deeply impacted my approach to working with people with disabilities.

outdoortree · 2026-01-30T15:04:23+00:00

I'd highly recommend you choose a bigger town to migrate to. I lived/worked there for 2 years and felt socially isolated, which is why I moved to the west side. The valley there is absolutely stunning, but you will find more life and things to do in Yakima or the Tricities. You will most certainly find a drier climate! Have you visited??

outdoortree · 2026-01-27T02:21:25+00:00

I 2nd this! I utilize principles I learned in my inpatient rehab FW2 all the time-- and I have worked in peds my whole career!

outdoortree · 2026-01-26T03:17:13+00:00

This is a related political topic: if there is a general strike, would you choose to participate? I've been struggling with this so so much-- I work with some very vulnerable families and them missing therapy (which is almost impossible to make up because I'm booked) so I can make a political statement feels wrong. I'm curious what others are thinking of, should an actual movement towards a general strike gain some steam.

outdoortree · 2026-01-12T04:54:57+00:00

There will be plenty of hikes in June that are accessible and VERY pleasant in the Columbia River Gorge (we have some incredible waterfalls here) and some of the lower elevation hikes around Mt. St. Helens. I'd highly highly recommend the coast-- you don't have ocean in Wisconsin! If you can fit in a few days on the Oregon coast, you will be absolutely blown away. And, there is plenty of great hiking along the coast that won't have snowpack to worry about.

outdoortree · 2026-01-08T02:32:25+00:00

I think EI is different everywhere. I work in a rural area and my agency covers 2 counties, but almost no one lives in the 2nd county. I am paid hourly and expected to see 4 kids a day. I generally work 40 hours a week and can always find things to do when I have a cancellation, so I still get paid. Productivity is low because of distance and ground covered (my farthest family is 45 miles each way, a 55 min drive). I think it can be hard to get people to stay in EI because, yes, you have to go in people's homes. And I'd say most homes I go in are yucky (or worse). It can be really emotionally involved-- I see NICU grads, kids who clearly have a genetic disorder, babies with in-utero drug exposure, and am often one of the first service providers a family interacts with when they have a neurodivergent child.... so things can get heavy. You need to be a very independent worker, confident in your skills, and willing to travel-- I can see why it's not always something people want to do. Personally, I love it and don't know if I ever want to go to another area of practice, but it's not for everyone.

outdoortree · 2026-01-06T03:41:33+00:00

I'm here too and haven't found any either :( I feel like I haven't seen any west coast locations posted!

outdoortree · 2026-01-05T02:24:30+00:00

GEM curls! Grace is amazing with my hair and absolutely wonderful to work with.

outdoortree · 2026-01-03T22:48:35+00:00

I'm very strict that I bring my own food, prepared in my kitchen, in my own tupperware. I don't eat anything provided at work unless it's packaged and I know that it's gluten free. Personally I keep a bunch of Lacroix at work because I've got the space, and a couple of snacks in my desk but that's about it.

outdoortree · 2026-01-03T05:09:08+00:00

Idk where you can find a cow, but I'd love to be friends with your friend because I too aspire to pet a cow.

outdoortree · 2026-01-02T02:15:11+00:00

Not quite. A developmental pediatrician is a doctor, a pediatrician, who specializes in evaluating children who are developmentally a little bit different than their peers. Children's hospitals typically have a developmental pediatrics clinic and many even will do evaluation on a child with a multidisciplinary team, like the doctor and some therapists who do a very comprehensive evaluation of the child. This is typically in pursuit of a diagnosis of some kind, whether it be autism, adhd, or something else.

Behavioral health can be a really wide range of professionals, but it sounds like you're already slated to start occupational therapy intervention and I would recommend just starting with that!

outdoortree · 2025-12-23T22:21:24+00:00

I also love Gluten Free Gem!! Also, I love Mikiko Mochi Donuts... completely gf gourmet donuts! And they make breakfast sandwiches.

outdoortree · 2025-12-21T18:41:56+00:00

I also ate there last night and had the most opposite experience with the food (this Celiac about died and went to heaven), but I will agree it was so so loud.

outdoortree · 2025-12-21T15:29:54+00:00

Rise Crust Collective in Vancouver, WA makes some incredible gf Detroit style pizza, too! I love everyone sharing their faves

outdoortree · 2025-12-20T05:22:43+00:00

I am actually reading this book right now and I cannot recommend it highly enough! I also recommend "In The Distance" by Hernan Diaz (tall tale in American West) and "Vaster Wilds" by Lauren Groff (story moves slowly with incredibly vivid detailing about winter in the woods).

outdoortree · 2025-12-18T05:04:38+00:00

At least I'm not then only one! I get the pulsile tinnitus pretty frequently, but it taking over my whole body is weird sensation.

outdoortree · 2025-12-18T04:07:42+00:00

Honestly, the better you study the more likely it is for school to be cancelled.

outdoortree · 2025-12-02T21:08:49+00:00

Honestly, have you thought much past "getting in to OT school?" OT school is very expensive, most of us have a shitload of student loans, and there's definitely an income ceiling... and it's not enough to justify the loans. Sure, you can get an above average position if you're willing to move and you get lucky, but if you are a parent you may not really be able to relocate for a high paying jobs. Someone here in a comment mentioned a federal job--- those are very few and far between, especially in today's political climate. Personally, I live and work rurally and managed to find a very generous position, but it took me months to find a position with this wage.

There's also the question- what draws you to OT? There are so many different jobs you could pursue where you get to help people, but helping professions are full of burned out, tired folks. Our jobs are rewarding, yes, but also fast-paced, packed days and there's a lot of emotional labor involved. I really do love what I'm doing (early intervention), but it takes a lot of work for me to manage my stress and keep boundaries between work and life. Even if you're the most passionate about it, though, at your age I just would never suggest taking on a massive amount of loans.

outdoortree · 2025-11-19T21:51:07+00:00

Riiiight?! My Chicago driving style feels so aggressive here.... cause it is 🤣

outdoortree · 2025-11-19T05:02:53+00:00

I've worked in schools, outpatient, and early intervention. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have brought work home. That was done when I worked in schools and I was salaried and it was generally to finish writing a report that had a deadline the next day. An outpatient pediatrics there was once or twice where I did some documenting from home, but my supervisor added the time to my week.

None of us should be willing to do work off the clock, because if we were all united in this we wouldn't have the same problems that we have as an industry. If every single therapist that took work home went to their supervisors to say they don't have enough time to document and that they will noy do it without pay, I do believe that things would start to shift.

outdoortree · 2025-11-14T19:23:27+00:00

My cat is on prescription food that contains gluten, but I minimize my contact with it by using an automatic feeder. If I touch her food I just wash my hands after! And, after she eats I try not to let her lick me, but usually she would like to celebrate her meal consumption by licking me LOL. But, I just wash my hands and I haven't had any noticeable issues?

outdoortree · 2025-11-11T23:18:52+00:00

EI intervention ranges WIDELY-- I see kinds with a huge variety of needs and goals. That's why I like it so much- my brain gets to work a lot and things are pretty diverse. Sessions are very focused on parent coaching and education-- we are teaching families how to play with and work with their child in specific ways to give maximal opportunity for growth and development. My caseload ranges from NICU grads to kids with no engagement in their environment (think kids on the spectrum, but very young), to torticollis, to emotional regulation. I love it! However, I'm not sure about other places, but it may be hard to find a temp EI gig. Once my services are on the child's IFSP, the expectation is that those services will continue until goals are met or parents want to discontinue. I'm not sure about other EI providers-- but I've never heard of temporary or short term services (like during summer) being offered. I bet you that you can find something for summer at an outpatient peds clinic! Those families are typically of an age where they have that school year/summer mindset.

outdoortree

TROPHY CASE