Employment & Professional Networking Year Off before OT school: Seeking a little guidance

[OT_student16]

Hi Everyone!!

I am taking a year off before I start school in May of 2016. Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do during that down time? I have shadowed in multiple settings: adult clinic, pediatric clinic, pediatric homecare, pedatric hospital, but I feel like I haven't found my true calling in the field yet. I am looking for any advice, and I also love to hear how people found their "perfect fit" in the OT field. Please feel free to share your stories!!

Thanks!

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[c2902]

You may not find your perfect fit until you've completed fieldwork once you are in school. We are trained as generalists and can work with any population once we graduate, so you do not need to pick a specialization. I graduate from OT school in December and kind of knew I wanted to go into peds from the start, and that is still my plan, but I also discovered through fieldwork experiences that I really like working with the elderly, and with adults with neurological diagnoses.

If you have more time, try to get some hours in acute care (with adults), or at a skilled nursing facility or long-term rehab; more exposure to the various adult populations we can work with is important, since peds are one sliver of our practice areas.

 

[beestrng]

My experience is just like c2902. I thought I was good with SNF (lol) but ended up liking acute.

 

[CaliKnitter]

I would also recommend really appreciating your free time. Binge on Netflix, organize that space you were always meaning to organize, and take long walks. Now that I have very little time for non-school things, I can at least be happy I once spent my idle time well. Also, I'm very grateful to myself for freezing a lot of easy-prep meals before school started. It makes dinner a lot easier.

 

[sngot]

TRAVEL or cross somethings off your bucket list. It's a rare opportunity to be able to "take a break" while having security in knowing that you will have OT school lined up in the future.

 

[CAOT]

I personally would work as much as I could and save as much money as possible to offset the debt I would otherwise accrue by pursuing this profession.

 

[c2902]

I personally would work as much as I could and save as much money as possible to offset the debt I would otherwise accrue by pursuing this profession.

I second this, not only to work up to save for debt, but more immediately, save up for the 6 months of Level II fieldwork where you will be working full time for free and likely unable to work for actual money at any other time, unless you work weekends (which isn't enough to sustain anyone). Do something responsible to invest in your future. You can take some time for yourself, but I'd be wary of spending money on an elaborate trip. Rather than traveling, I'd make it a priority to spend time with the people who mean a lot to you (friends, family) because you aren't going to have much time to do any socializing when you're in school. Have dinner dates, go on fun, local outings, etc.