This option is becoming popular as more and more healthcare websites are popping up daily, and need frequent articles to publish. This might mean picking up a few per diem OT jobs for a year and networking as much as possible with case management during that time. My favorite part about my job was being creative, whether it was planned or on the fly, working one-on-one or in small groups, and discerning the level of assistance I should use so as to empower the student rather than inhibit he or she from progressing toward a goal. Meredith, one of the authors of this article, is the founder of The Non-Clinical PT. Glad I found you at the perfect time in my career. There are people doing it. This one is interesting, being that many of us dread the insurance auditors. This is one of those times when youll have to get out and volunteer and network as much as possible. Here is an article that covers what to ask in an informational interview. OTs are perfect for becoming Assistive Technology Professionals since we use it regularly with our patients, whether its low tech or high techassistive technology. The not-so-good news is that you need to be a bit more strategic about pursuing such jobs, at least compared to clinical roles. Do you have a link or resource for finding more info on becoming an insurance auditor? A career coach keeps you on track and working toward your goals, while a career counselor will work with you to address underlying fears, roadblocks, and challenges that prevent you from making moves professionally. Get business cards printed with your OT credentials (and any other special certifications you pursue). As an ergonomic specialist, youllspend time identifying environmental risks, coming up with creative strategies to reduce those risks, educating others on the importance of ergonomics, and drafting comprehensive plans for businesses to follow. The initial leap into a non-traditional role will be the most challenging, but once youre there, youll rock it! Whether its going to work, the grocery store, doctors appointment, or a family members house, the most common way to get everywhere is by car. Reach out to companies like MedBridge, OccupationalTherapy.com, and Embodia Academy; if youve got quite a bit of niche clinical experience, you may be able to teach a course with them! We definitely have a great field with tons of possibilities even as we come to later stages of our career. Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. As noted above, financial considerations are real. Youll also need to take exams to get certified. Do you see COTAs being valuable in such a position? Got more questions for us? Many positions that you did propose are more towards OTRs? You can also look outside the rehab world and join groups geared toward the career path(s) of your choice. offer contract work (similar to registry or per diem work) for creatives. Sarah Lyon has also put together an article titled Resources to Start (and Grow) Your Occupational Therapy Businessfor some additional insight and inspiration. Some professional organizations have built a non-clinical presence, and there are tons of groups out there for all sorts of career paths. One of the hardest parts of leaving patient care is figuring out what to do next. It looks like there isnt a ton of information doing a Google search, but I did find this article to be helpful: How to Become an Insurance Auditor I also helped to start an OT clinic within a University setting so I guess another would be Consultant to other universities wanting to open an OT clinic. Its flexible, you can do it from anywhere, and its really easy and fun if it comes naturally to you. Family members, significant others, and even friends might feel the impact of your change, so its vital to consider how much of a change makes sense for you at any given time. Thank you that means a lot! If you have big ideas, energy, a passion for creating something from nothing, and you have the drive to creatively bring value to the world, you might have what it takes to start and grow your own OT business. Writing is one of the easiest switches you can make, but you have to be willing to put in lots of time, and you might take a pretty steep pay cut at the beginning. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. The next two years showed her that others wanted guidance on doing the same. Attend mixers with local home builders, contractors, and corporate development firms. Many OTs and COTAs have also tied their love of health promotion into starting their own health coaching business that targets people looking to improve their health and well-being. But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. These are weekend events where youll team up with engineering and business professionals, as well as other clinicians, to tackle big problems in healthcare. I am definitely fighting the burn out mode. Organize lunches and in-services. Youll also want to beef up your resume to reflect any research, tutoring, lab assisting, or clinical instructor roles youve held since your student years. This is an important question. Martin. I know that this pretty much eliminates most of the jobs available. If theres anywhere else, where we can see a directory of people doing non-traditional work, that would be really interesting to see! I have 32 yrs experience as an OTR, mainly inpatient rehab, and acute care. Is there anything stopping a COTA from going into business or private practice on their own? The wonderful thing about being an occupational therapist or COTA is that our education and experience is so versatile, but it can be hard to know exactly where to turn if you want to do something out of the norm. This is especially true for any home health OTs who have so much first-hand experience. May I reach out to possibly feature you on The Non-Clinical PT?? Networking is also vital. I (Sarah) got one done in the early stages of my website and, honestly, it has just made life easier. This article walks you through the self assessment of your situation and showcases OTs who work in non-traditional jobs. While the hackathon scene has slowed down a bit because of the pandemic and economic changes, a good Google search shows theyre still taking place. Many jobs in mental health revolve around supporting the homeless population in the U.S. and abroad. If tapping people to ask for their time gives you the heebie jeebies, dont worry! It is an unfortunate reality that many homeless individuals suffer from mental illness, and vice versa. Not all unconventional OT jobs require relocation, but many do. The first thing youll need as a writer is to get published online. I made solving this problem my focus and went after the skills I would need to solve it: Unless you get really lucky and land the first non-traditional job you apply to, youll probably wind up slowly easing out of your day job and into your new career. There are so many occupational therapy schools thatneedsolid OTs to educate future clinicians. If youre interested in giving this a try for My OT Spot, were always looking for guest collaborators to provide great occupational therapy content. It is designed for people who know they want to pivot to a new career, but arent sure what they want to do, nor how to create resumes, find jobs, interview, negotiate, etc. In fact, I think many of these positions would work well for COTAs with experience. Initially, I had aspired to be a Special Education Teacher; however, after seeing the high and very frequent turnover/burnout of Teachers in our classroom, I began analyzing the other specialists that would work with our students and their careers (who seemed most satisfied, which fit my personality more, etc.). In her own journey into tech, she started with consulting on the side and this grew into full time opportunities. Also, youll definitely want to take few courses on usability and user experience to legitimize yourself as a candidate. There are some clinics that focus solely on occupational therapy, and these are typically in the pediatric and hand-therapy disciplines. Thanks again for the article, it did open my eyes! I appreciate this post. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. Plus, you get ALL of her crash courses included with your enrollment. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Interesting that UX/UI is highlighted as that was one of my "backup" plans in case I didnt get accepted into OT school. If youre ready to start your own practice, WebPT has put together a great resource about starting a therapy clinic from scratch. Itll help your case! ATP professionals create accessibility technology for those with disabilities. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. Youre going to need to network as much as possible. There may be some small businesses in your area that focus on this specialty which you may be interested in working for or partnering with. In our interview with Kaia Health Product Manager, Winnie Tsui, OTL, CHT, MBA, Winnie shares the importance of building (and showcasing) a pathway into tech via stepping stones. The site is chock-full of great information to help you launch a non-traditional OT career. Thank you so much for this specific post I think as creative as we OTs are its so hard to envision a career outside of direct patient care with the fear of judgment and let down (from others and ourselves). Gives me some hope of finding the just right fit as an OT. For example, sales, business development, and clinical/patient trainer jobs often require you to cover a particular territory, which might be far from where you live. If you are not OK with this, you can opt-out if you wish. If you love patient care, but hate the physical and emotional toll it takes, definitely look into becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison). Whether treating or not treating, OTs have so much to offer the world! If so how/ where shall I begin..? Theyre an excellent introduction into the world of startups, not to mention a great networking opportunity! for MSOT admission. The first thing that often comes to mind on this front is starting your own private practice. Going non-traditional doesnt need to mean non- treatment! I am a single mother of 3 and financially cant afford to go back to school or take time off work. A career change can affect more than just you. Join online forums. Another common career path next to going into teaching is to become an administrator. The desire to change to a non-traditional occupational therapy careerwhether temporary or permanentis normal. For me (Sarah), my hobby of writing an OT blog became a career when I switched my mindset. Hi Sarah! That said, after youve spent a few years getting your feet wet, you are more likely to catch up to (and often far exceed) what you were making as a clinician. Any career transition requires self-discipline and time. Educator. Sarah Lyon, OTR/L Sarah wasnt looking to leave patient care, but about five years into her career,realized that she could potentially help more patients by serving occupational therapists through her website, OT Potential. They spend their days creating seating, positioning, and mobility solutions for people with disabilities, and tend to spend quite a bit of their days working with wheelchairs. It is possible. Usability is what we know as OTs! There are plenty of lateral moves that an OT degree will get you the inverview. I am attempting to research other careers I may fit into but not much success. So many interesting ideas here! These articles are basically done-for-you informational interviews of all sorts of rehab professionals in non-traditional roles . Youll know if youre one of those people pretty quickly . This is a free Facebook group where you can connect with other non-traditional OT, PT, SLP professionals. While some informational interviews do turn into jobs or mentorship opportunities, you should never assume this will be the case. Your email address will not be published. Thanks! First of all, you can join some of the free Facebook groups below. Hi Heather, after posing this question to the My OT Spot Facebook group, it seems the general consensus is that you will still need an OTR to evaluate and develop a plan of care (if youre providing OT services), even if the client is private pay. , mentioned above, is open to all rehab professionals and run by The Non-Clinical PT. These cookies do not store any personal information. Cash-based OT, early intervention, nature-based OT and other types of niche roles are not considered non-traditional for the purposes of this article. There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. These alternative career ideas come from an array of different conversations that Ive been a part of with other OTs at work and online. So, Meredith decided to put together some resources to make the switch easier for others. I am working as a paraprofessional in the school but I feel I can find something that uses my knowledge and skills closer to what I went to school for. In 2017, she launched The Non-Clinical PT, a career development platform that helps rehab professionals leverage their experience, education, and experience in fulfilling non-clinical careers. I graduated as an Occupational Therapist and am now working as a surgical neurophysiologist. While the most obvious and easiest way to use your OT degree is to actually practice in a traditional setting, alternative career paths may be a better fit for you long term. That said, the quotas are usually very reasonable, unlike clinical productivity expectations these days! Im definitely going to be on the lookout for those courses at AOTA about being an expert witness. A headshot is an easy way to start establishing your personal brand. I hope this post gave you some inspiration and ideas if youre looking for a change. Workstation ergonomics involves a deep understanding of many different facets of a variety of workplace environments. Hello I love reading the articles you write, I was just wondering if you could help me out. I have been struggling for a while to find my just right fit. If you enjoy working with patients, but you hate the time constraints and pressure of traditional settings, you can consider a role as an assistive technology personnel (ATP) or seating mobility specialist (SMS). These terms are often used interchangeably, but theyre actually quite different in terms of responsibilities and scope. What OT topics are you most interested in? Another great option would be to work in vocational rehab in a community-based setting. Read more about being a case manager from an OT perspective here:Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager. Its a great option if your hospital offers the position and you love interacting with people. Im also now seeing occupational therapists starting their own chronic pain clinics (which I think is great; I go to a chronic pain OT myself and love her practice). Im always learning about new avenues from this group, so be sure to join if youre interested in making a switch. Once you have a few published articles under your name, you can start using sites like Upwork to start getting freelance and contract work. Then list those experiences on your resume. Non-Clinical 101 gives lifetime access to a proven four-step system that helps you identify which roles are best suited for you, then walks you through the process of getting there. There are definitely quite a few OTs that make the switch into medical device sales. There is also a website with great information on home modifications related to OT from the Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). If there is anything that I can do here on this website or collaborate with evidenced based research or any type of publication to get this good word out, please do let me know!!! For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. Best of luck to you. Interesting, how much training did you need for that? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thank you so much for posting this. Here are some other ways to explore what is out there. As a COTA, can I do some of these things as well? If you type in inpatient care coordinator in to indeed.com you may find positions across the country looking for OTs. If you were a career changer, any previous leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too! Also, if youre still interested, you could try contacting insurance companies near you to inquire more about requirements and training. I would like to help people with mental illness gain and retain employment. Some of these options usually require Bachelors degrees or that you are an OTR, but you can certainly still find an alternative path as a COTA. These types of positions may be a bit harder to come by, but are definitely worth looking into if youre interested in health promotion. Ive been in the field about 16 years and ticked off a few of these myself: administration, education and medical device sales, so I am proof that these are all really possible. Resources to Start (and Grow) Your Occupational Therapy Business, Paige Hays, OTR/L of Beyond Accessibility, Maria Lindbergh, OTR/L of Stay At Home Solutions, Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). Thanks again for sharing! Thank you! I am an OT with 20+ years experience in SNF but really needing a change. This includes cost of flying you out and hotel stay as well as your chosen rate for the actual consultation time and time to complete your report. Learn how your comment data is processed. Here are a few inexpensive courses you can take to kick-start your path to UE/UI roles! I have volunteered and shadowed, finished my pre-req.s, etc. Much thanks What a great article to get the wheels turning! So is there any jobs right now I could look at or apply to to get my foot in the door without having to go back to school or getting another liscence? As clinicians, we are usually pretty comfortable with our clinical skills, even if we dont know everything. And if youre branched out into another non-clinical career path, please share your experiences in the comments below. A common career path for occupational therapists after they've been in the field for several years or several decades is to go into teaching and/or research at a specific occupational therapy program. While written for a physical therapy clinic, their model can certainly be followed for starting any type of therapy clinic. There are so many occupational therapy schools that need solid OTs to educate future clinicians. More information can be found on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Even if you love writing, but have some questions about grammar or earning money, there are courses you can take that will expedite the process. We can also move into roles where we consult with practices to help them improve their billing and workflow practices. Thank you, Andy! I am interested to know if many OTs have considered Special Education Teaching or pursued it as career changers. If anyone can share any additional suggestions for Ashley please do! We dont know everything her crash courses included with your OT credentials ( and any special! Popping up daily, and website in this browser for the purposes of this article you. 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