OT: A Dying Field??

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jess818

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Hello All!

I have just been accepted to PT school and am super excited. My younger sister had recently been interested in speech therapy but had a change of heart and was considering becoming a special education teacher. I suggested that she look into becoming an occupational therapist as they often work with people with special needs. I have even shadowed at a place like that in the past where they saw patients and also ran a classroom for children with autism.

Anyways, my boyfriend is seeing a PT right now for his back and was telling him about my sister and I. The PT told my boyfriend that he should tell my sister to really re-consider the field of OT as PTs are becoming certified to do many of the same things OTs are certified to do. He also said it is hard for OTs to find jobs and they often get stuck doing the "dirty" work.

In my own personal, and admittedly, limited experience, there seems to be a TON of OT jobs and they do many of the same things as the PTs do. I could see how PTs could then take over some of those jobs but what about working with special needs children?? I'm just looking for some other people's opinion-she really wants to go that route as is having negative feedback. Thanks for an input :)

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OT is alive and well. Some are better than others, some have "sexier" jobs than others but they are employed in nursing homes, hospitals, industry (safety supervisors), schools, and private clinics. Yes, PTs do overlap with OT and we can do the certified hand therapist track but the jobs are different with different emphases. OT overlaps with Speech also. In some places, the OT takes the lead in cognitive assessment and rehab, in other places, the speech pathologist does.

She should shadow an OT and see if she likes it. The pay is better than most teachers.
 
Thanks for your input! I told her that she should definately shadow before making a decision which she will be doing very soon. Just wanted to hear what other people felt about it.
 
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Truthseeker hit it right on the nail. There is overlap with PTs in certain settings but as a whole, the professions are very different. She should definitely shadow a few OTs in different settings. eg. outpatient ortho (they are most likely certified hand therapists there), in the hospital, pediatrics, etc.
 
OT and PT are so incredibly different. There is however some overlap. The overlap and specific duties might differ depending on where the OT/PT works.

If your sister is torn between special education and OT, she should definitely shadow an OT. She should also look into the world of applied behavior analysis (ABA). At an entry level job, one can become a registered behavior technician and administer therapy 1:1 to children who have developmental disorders. One can get certified as a board certified behavior analyst assistant (BCaBA) after completing their bachelor degree and earn a competitive salary, and once you're at a master's level and become a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA), you'd be making a pretty high salary almost like OT (anywhere from 30-45 dollars an hour depending on your employment location).

ABA is used to teach children with developmental disorders functional skills and also helps decrease any problem behaviors (think ODD, Autism and big meltdowns). Reduction of problem behaviors happens by teaching more functional skills and is a great, HIGHLY IN DEMAND, well paying field as well. I actually know OT's who are also BCBAs.

There are so many wonderful helping fields and one should definitely look at all of them. All are great to be a part of however. :)
 
Great response but this would have been more useful 7 years ago.
Oh gosh I didn't notice. It popped up on the bottom of another thread and I responded. My bad. Well hopefully it will be helpful to anyone reading now.
 
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