Is OT really that bad?

[stilldeciding]

I'm considering a career change sometime in the future and have spent a lot of time researching careers. OT seemed like it would be a good fit, until I came across this forum:

http://www.indeed.com/forum/job/occupational-therapist.html

From the majority of the posts there, it sounds like OT is a very reptitive, boring job that may involve wiping bottoms (something I'm not interested in).

Is it naive to think I can make a career switch into OT and focus on hand therapy or ergonomics? The other forum makes it sound like those jobs are super rare and SNF is where most graduates end up.

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[exrx]

Given that I'm older (31) and it would be a start to a new venture in life, I put a fair amount of research into it as well. I too came across the (indeed) forum. Here's my understanding, you have to take that with a grain of salt (sometimes a big one). In every occupation (pun intended) there are people complaining and wanting to get out. Some are just fed up, burned out, bored, or complacent. Therefore, it's easy for them to complain about work. Though there are always exceptions, I think that has more to do with their personality than anything else (mainly attitude). Some will complain no matter what they choose to do, hence a poor attitude.

Most jobs have some type of repetitive or boring aspect to it. I think one great thing about healthcare is if you get burned out in one setting or population you can work in another or choose to specialize in one particular aspect (i.e. cht, geriatrics, low vision, etc) and become great at what you do. There are several options as far as settings (i.e. hospitals, clinics, government, schools, in/outpatient, etc) and populations (peds, geriatrics, stroke, tbi-sci, mental) you can choose to work with.

I don't think you're naive at all. I have not found them to be super rare. However, there are definitely not as many of them available because of the demand. It has more to do with the demand due to the aging of our geriatric and adult population. I don't know if it's accurate or not if most graduates end up at SNF's. Like I just mentioned, there is a big demand for it, so naturally there will be more jobs in that area (supply/demand). Also, they usually make it worth your while (pay, loan forgiveness, pto, etc) so some may be willing to compromise a bit due to the great benefits. The only reason I can think of not wanting to work in ergonomics or hand therapy is if you're unwilling to relocate or aren't happy with the benefits being offered. Also, some facilites actually want a CHT and will not mentor an newer graduate.

That's just my 2 cents.

 

[caduceus27]

Hi
I dont know where people get these impressions that OTs have to wipe bottoms or baby sit or something like that. I really think you need to research the profession or get some hands on experience with the profession. The question that needs to be asked why are some OT schools are part of medical schools if they wipe bottoms for a living, and why do they get Master degrees if all they need to do is wipe bottoms? You know its just so frustrating how some people dont use there brains to think if its a bull **** profession why has it been around for almost a hundred years. So to make it short, dont make a fool of yourself if your going to talk about something you have no idea about. Do some research, find a place to get a feeling for the profession. By the way hand therapy is a speciality that is dominated by mostly OTs. good luck