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Why did you become a pediatric occupational therapist?
Hello! My name is Alyssa and I am a current high school student. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the Pediatric Occupational Therapy field for a Foundations in Health Science Class project about careers! I have created a total of 13 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 13 questions to be apart of my assignment.
1. What profession did you choose? Why?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
(The rest of the questions are in the comments)
3 answers
Updated
Christine’s Answer
I chose a career in occupational therapy. I was accepted to a BS program in the 1980's right out of high school. I chose OT since I was interested in allied health including looking at the whole person. I love that OT considers emotional, psychological, physical and neurological aspects. It was 4 years at the time I did my preparation but it is master's entry level now. I worked in the college bookstore during college, as a hostess at a family restaurant in the summer and did a summer at a center for the arts at their hotel too. Professionally, I started at a small community hospital working in mental health and phys rehab then took a middle management position at a private rehab practice for OT, PT and Speech. Then I worked for an infant development program and then took a job at my alma mater coordinating the OT students' fieldwork rotations for 21 years. I now work as a school-based OT part time since I am also supporting my husband's role as a new pastor.
If you are thinking of getting a terminal degree, a PhD in a related field would prepare you as a professor in OT. I am working on my clinical doctorate in OT and concentrating on trauma-informed care and leadership. I will be done in December, 2023. I pivoted in a sense when I got my master's degree. I started a few years after my BS with a master's in rehab counseling but when my father passed away, I moved back home and got married and when my son was 2, I started a master's in health education. It took me 6 years part time to finish.
I shadowed a mental health OT when I was a senior in high school as part of our intermediate unit's program for advanced students. For the last marking period of my senior year, I contracted with my 6th and 7th period teachers and went to the local state hospital to shadow an OT there. I did not belong to a related club in high school but I would recommend it.
I struggled with chemistry in high school and college but most OT programs no longer require it. I loved and did well in biology, anatomy and physiology. Physics in high school was so-so for me but I didn't have to take it in college. It did help me with my kinesiology class, though.
In my career, I have lots of opportunities to continue my education and keep my skills sharp. I am especially interested in how our brain and nervous system works so I have learned a lot about sensory processing and sensory integration.
I never expected I'd be working as a school therapist since I'm not thrilled with our public educational system. But I've been at a special private school for kids with autism and it has challenged me to provide the best care I can in spite of how the system limits a therapist's options. To assess a child's skills, I choose the evaluation tools that will get at the data I need and then I can pinpoint what treatment I should do to help them meet their needs. Developing a treatment plan ideally requires the input of the rest of the team including the parents. With language challenges, you look at the child's behaviors for validation of their words. I also listen to the other professionals and the parents to see what they know about how the child communicates. The people who know the child best are the experts and we have to listen to their input and advice.
Best wishes on your project!
If you are thinking of getting a terminal degree, a PhD in a related field would prepare you as a professor in OT. I am working on my clinical doctorate in OT and concentrating on trauma-informed care and leadership. I will be done in December, 2023. I pivoted in a sense when I got my master's degree. I started a few years after my BS with a master's in rehab counseling but when my father passed away, I moved back home and got married and when my son was 2, I started a master's in health education. It took me 6 years part time to finish.
I shadowed a mental health OT when I was a senior in high school as part of our intermediate unit's program for advanced students. For the last marking period of my senior year, I contracted with my 6th and 7th period teachers and went to the local state hospital to shadow an OT there. I did not belong to a related club in high school but I would recommend it.
I struggled with chemistry in high school and college but most OT programs no longer require it. I loved and did well in biology, anatomy and physiology. Physics in high school was so-so for me but I didn't have to take it in college. It did help me with my kinesiology class, though.
In my career, I have lots of opportunities to continue my education and keep my skills sharp. I am especially interested in how our brain and nervous system works so I have learned a lot about sensory processing and sensory integration.
I never expected I'd be working as a school therapist since I'm not thrilled with our public educational system. But I've been at a special private school for kids with autism and it has challenged me to provide the best care I can in spite of how the system limits a therapist's options. To assess a child's skills, I choose the evaluation tools that will get at the data I need and then I can pinpoint what treatment I should do to help them meet their needs. Developing a treatment plan ideally requires the input of the rest of the team including the parents. With language challenges, you look at the child's behaviors for validation of their words. I also listen to the other professionals and the parents to see what they know about how the child communicates. The people who know the child best are the experts and we have to listen to their input and advice.
Best wishes on your project!
Updated
Beth’s Answer
Hi Alyssa!
I am a pediatric physical therapist who works with Occupational Therapists a lot. Both fields are very rewarding and I would recommend either of them. I chose PT because it is more sports oriented than OT and I was not interested in the mental health part of OT. PT has been a graduate level degree for about 10 years now, OT has been a masters degree but is moving toward a doctorate like PT in the next few years. This means you will need a 4 year bachelor’s degree then apply for the graduate level program, and complete another 2-3 of school.
Classes you need to get into OT are lots of science- biology, physics, chemistry, psychology. Also math, writing, communication, history, The more dual credit classes you can take in high school, the better. Grades are very important when you apply for grad school. If you don’t have a 3.5 or higher, you may not get in.
The rehab fields are expensive schooling. You need to be sure you want to do it. Shadow an OT at a clinic, at school, or at a nursing home to see what they do. Attend therapy with a friend, volunteer at special Olympics or help at a special needs summer program or day- hab (sheltered workshop) program to see if you like the special needs population. I love them, but they are not for everyone.
The more you can work, volunteer, and spend time with the people you will work with, the better your chances of getting into the program. Be part of the OT student organization at college, hang out with the pre- med, pre-pt, health majors. Be involved.
I did all these things, and never looked back. I love my job and can’t imagine anything else!
I am a pediatric physical therapist who works with Occupational Therapists a lot. Both fields are very rewarding and I would recommend either of them. I chose PT because it is more sports oriented than OT and I was not interested in the mental health part of OT. PT has been a graduate level degree for about 10 years now, OT has been a masters degree but is moving toward a doctorate like PT in the next few years. This means you will need a 4 year bachelor’s degree then apply for the graduate level program, and complete another 2-3 of school.
Classes you need to get into OT are lots of science- biology, physics, chemistry, psychology. Also math, writing, communication, history, The more dual credit classes you can take in high school, the better. Grades are very important when you apply for grad school. If you don’t have a 3.5 or higher, you may not get in.
The rehab fields are expensive schooling. You need to be sure you want to do it. Shadow an OT at a clinic, at school, or at a nursing home to see what they do. Attend therapy with a friend, volunteer at special Olympics or help at a special needs summer program or day- hab (sheltered workshop) program to see if you like the special needs population. I love them, but they are not for everyone.
The more you can work, volunteer, and spend time with the people you will work with, the better your chances of getting into the program. Be part of the OT student organization at college, hang out with the pre- med, pre-pt, health majors. Be involved.
I did all these things, and never looked back. I love my job and can’t imagine anything else!
Updated
Karina’s Answer
1. I chose to be a Pediatric OT because I've always enjoyed working with children and I value the unique perspective OT has on health. As a holistic profession, we look at every aspect of a client's health to help them to accomplish the tasks they want to and need to do to live a fulfilling life. How cool is that?!
2. In total, 6. Though, I had to complete 7 years of school because I didn't know about OT until after I got my 4-year degree in a different field. Because I didn't start with OT school, I had to take a year of prerequisites before entering graduate school.
3. I didn't have a traditional path to OT. But, I did have a lot of experience working in pediatrics before I landed my current job. I've had jobs as a preschool teacher, TA, I've worked in daycares, I've taught children online, and I've taken graduate-level courses in special education. My combined experience helped me to find the job I currently have.
4. The only reason to gain a degree higher than an M.S. level would be if you wanted to be a professor. Otherwise, there isn't much of a reason to earn higher than an M.S. degree. Higher-level programs are very expensive and having a PhD doesn't typically pay higher than an M.S. degree, so unless you want to teach at a college level, you truly only need an M.S. degree to practice OT (and you need to pass the board exam).
5. Yes, a 2-year graduate school program.
6. Yes, I did. I received a B.S. degree in an unrelated field. When I discovered OT, I took prerequisites (1 year) and then entered a 2-year full-time accelerated graduate school program.
7. Yes, it was required by my graduate school program to shadow registered/licensed OTs for 30 hours total.
8. Yes, I was the VP of SOTA (Student Occupational Therapy Association) in grad school.
9. There are classes that are more difficult than others- many students struggle with neuroscience, movement classes, and anatomy. While they're difficult, they are also important and so interesting. Being organized and persistent with a study schedule helps a lot!
10. SO many! You learn how to connect with people, how to analyze activities, and how to see health in a holistic manner that allows you to understand everything that may impact someone's participation in an activity.
11. I've been working with children for over 15 years. I mainly treat ADHD, ASD, and mood disorders.
12. There are many ways to do this. Initially, I speak a lot with the family to better understand the child's challenges and the family's goals. This is of course in addition to assessments, both informal and formal. I always treat the client, not the diagnosis. It's helpful to understand the diagnosis, but getting to know the child should always come first- every child is different, and not every diagnosis presents the same. Once I have a good understanding of the child and the challenges they face that limit participation, I create a plan that is specific to them and involves their interests.
13. Many ways, it depends on the child's particular situation. I work in telehealth, so I use a lot of pictures and visual cues. But, I always meet the child where they're at. I change my language and communication to match what they're comfortable with. Insight on their communication style may come from their family or the SLP.
Let me know if you'd like for me to clarify or answer anything further, I'm happy to help! Good luck on your project!
2. In total, 6. Though, I had to complete 7 years of school because I didn't know about OT until after I got my 4-year degree in a different field. Because I didn't start with OT school, I had to take a year of prerequisites before entering graduate school.
3. I didn't have a traditional path to OT. But, I did have a lot of experience working in pediatrics before I landed my current job. I've had jobs as a preschool teacher, TA, I've worked in daycares, I've taught children online, and I've taken graduate-level courses in special education. My combined experience helped me to find the job I currently have.
4. The only reason to gain a degree higher than an M.S. level would be if you wanted to be a professor. Otherwise, there isn't much of a reason to earn higher than an M.S. degree. Higher-level programs are very expensive and having a PhD doesn't typically pay higher than an M.S. degree, so unless you want to teach at a college level, you truly only need an M.S. degree to practice OT (and you need to pass the board exam).
5. Yes, a 2-year graduate school program.
6. Yes, I did. I received a B.S. degree in an unrelated field. When I discovered OT, I took prerequisites (1 year) and then entered a 2-year full-time accelerated graduate school program.
7. Yes, it was required by my graduate school program to shadow registered/licensed OTs for 30 hours total.
8. Yes, I was the VP of SOTA (Student Occupational Therapy Association) in grad school.
9. There are classes that are more difficult than others- many students struggle with neuroscience, movement classes, and anatomy. While they're difficult, they are also important and so interesting. Being organized and persistent with a study schedule helps a lot!
10. SO many! You learn how to connect with people, how to analyze activities, and how to see health in a holistic manner that allows you to understand everything that may impact someone's participation in an activity.
11. I've been working with children for over 15 years. I mainly treat ADHD, ASD, and mood disorders.
12. There are many ways to do this. Initially, I speak a lot with the family to better understand the child's challenges and the family's goals. This is of course in addition to assessments, both informal and formal. I always treat the client, not the diagnosis. It's helpful to understand the diagnosis, but getting to know the child should always come first- every child is different, and not every diagnosis presents the same. Once I have a good understanding of the child and the challenges they face that limit participation, I create a plan that is specific to them and involves their interests.
13. Many ways, it depends on the child's particular situation. I work in telehealth, so I use a lot of pictures and visual cues. But, I always meet the child where they're at. I change my language and communication to match what they're comfortable with. Insight on their communication style may come from their family or the SLP.
Let me know if you'd like for me to clarify or answer anything further, I'm happy to help! Good luck on your project!
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