So I don't think I will be getting in anywhere for Fall this year. I have gotten many rejections already. I plan to reapply next year. Does anyone have suggestions for a type of job I should get for this year relating to OT that may make my application more competitive? I currently work in a medically integrated fitness center dealing with a lot of people coming from PT and have medical conditions. I would like to get a part time job doing something related to OT if I can, but not sure where to look. Any input would be appreciated!
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- Thread starter cal1992
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I don't think that getting a job directly related to OT makes you that much more competitive (in my opinion)... I think that as long as you are working at a job that require you to use the skills that you will need as an OT then you are golden!! I work as a lab tech for a university, and during my interviews I was sure to tell them this and explain how my job has enhanced several skills in me that are required for OTS (i.e. being flexible, time-management, working with people, being organized etc etc). I think working in a non-OT setting actually sets you apart because that is everyone's fall back plan. It's nothing wrong with it, but if you don't get a job directly related to OT then just think about how the job that you do find is relateable to OT.
I think anything where you are teaching someone. In the OTCAS application it has a whole section on teaching and tutoring. My current job I teach health education, dealing with differing degrees of cognitive understanding and function. I used to teach swim lessons and coach as well, I believe those two things also greatly helped my application. OT is a teaching occupation, you need to show that you have that ability. Also the schools really liked that I had a full-time job, they skipped over questions about being able to handle a full-time student schedule when they saw I worked at least 40 hours per week.
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As far as your job while waiting to reapply, there are three ways to approach it.
1) Go broad.
2) Go deep.
3) Go for diversity.
Going diverse: While you can get a job unrelated to OT and talk about how they have transferable skills (time management, etc.), I think it's more useful to have something that you can directly bring up when you're in class giving examples of how to connect with children with autism, family members with stroke, etc. We only have one person in our class who worked full-time in a directly health-care related field for more than a year or so, but I get so much from what she says. Having someone who's worked in computers or business for 5+ years doesn't add a whole lot to the class as far as discussions. It does show that your brain can be successful in other types of thinking . If you go for something completely unrelated to OT for a long enough time, it may look like OT was just something you thought about randomly a few years out of college, as opposed to something you've been planning on all along.
Some OT schools have open hostility to PTs and refer to them as "those who shall not be named" like Voldemort in Harry Potter. In that case, working with PTs may not be nearly as helpful as working with OTs or people who have ADLs.
If you can deepen your areas of expertise by going with a starter career job doing something strongly related to your major, and that it something obviously transferrable to OT, that would be good.
If you can go broad by dealing with something mostly unrelated to your major, you can show how you can understand a variety of areas. Like if you were a kinesiology/athletic training major, and be a teacher's aide in an elementary school.
1) Go broad.
2) Go deep.
3) Go for diversity.
Going diverse: While you can get a job unrelated to OT and talk about how they have transferable skills (time management, etc.), I think it's more useful to have something that you can directly bring up when you're in class giving examples of how to connect with children with autism, family members with stroke, etc. We only have one person in our class who worked full-time in a directly health-care related field for more than a year or so, but I get so much from what she says. Having someone who's worked in computers or business for 5+ years doesn't add a whole lot to the class as far as discussions. It does show that your brain can be successful in other types of thinking . If you go for something completely unrelated to OT for a long enough time, it may look like OT was just something you thought about randomly a few years out of college, as opposed to something you've been planning on all along.
Some OT schools have open hostility to PTs and refer to them as "those who shall not be named" like Voldemort in Harry Potter. In that case, working with PTs may not be nearly as helpful as working with OTs or people who have ADLs.
If you can deepen your areas of expertise by going with a starter career job doing something strongly related to your major, and that it something obviously transferrable to OT, that would be good.
If you can go broad by dealing with something mostly unrelated to your major, you can show how you can understand a variety of areas. Like if you were a kinesiology/athletic training major, and be a teacher's aide in an elementary school.
I think your current job is actually pretty beneficial because a question I ran into quite often in the interview process was “what is the difference between OT and PT?” Since you work with a lot of PT patients, you will have a pretty good idea on how to answer this question.
That being said, if you’re still looking for another job, I agree with the ideas that a few before me mentioned. While the benefits of a rehab tech job are very obvious, I think that there is a lot of value in getting a seemingly unrelated job and making the connections to OT on your own. For example, I worked at a department store as a sales associate for many years while completing my undergraduate degree. I got this job to earn extra money for books and what not, but I actually gained a lot of insight. I worked in the sleepwear and lingerie department and I had several customers who had breast cancer, shoulder surgeries, stroke, arthritis, and other injuries and conditions. They openly discussed their challenges and we worked together to problem solve ways to get their undergarments more easily. I was able to share techniques with them or suggest undergarments with certain features that might appeal to them (for example, bras with front closure, bras with no fastener to go directly over the head, etc.). Dressing is a great example of an ADL and the challenges many of the customers face are those that our future patients will have as well.
I am not suggesting you should aspire to work as a bra sales person, nor do I think that this should be included in your application as OT related work. However, I know that jobs can be hard to come by, especially those in health care. I think that admissions committees will appreciate your creativity and ability to think outside the box. One of the greatest things about OT is that it is practical field that involves activities of daily life. Transferrable skills are really important (and can be gained in any job if you really think about it), but I think your ability to take it a step further and make direct applications to the field are what makes applicants really stand out. Best wishes in your job search and your application process!!
That being said, if you’re still looking for another job, I agree with the ideas that a few before me mentioned. While the benefits of a rehab tech job are very obvious, I think that there is a lot of value in getting a seemingly unrelated job and making the connections to OT on your own. For example, I worked at a department store as a sales associate for many years while completing my undergraduate degree. I got this job to earn extra money for books and what not, but I actually gained a lot of insight. I worked in the sleepwear and lingerie department and I had several customers who had breast cancer, shoulder surgeries, stroke, arthritis, and other injuries and conditions. They openly discussed their challenges and we worked together to problem solve ways to get their undergarments more easily. I was able to share techniques with them or suggest undergarments with certain features that might appeal to them (for example, bras with front closure, bras with no fastener to go directly over the head, etc.). Dressing is a great example of an ADL and the challenges many of the customers face are those that our future patients will have as well.
I am not suggesting you should aspire to work as a bra sales person, nor do I think that this should be included in your application as OT related work. However, I know that jobs can be hard to come by, especially those in health care. I think that admissions committees will appreciate your creativity and ability to think outside the box. One of the greatest things about OT is that it is practical field that involves activities of daily life. Transferrable skills are really important (and can be gained in any job if you really think about it), but I think your ability to take it a step further and make direct applications to the field are what makes applicants really stand out. Best wishes in your job search and your application process!!
