document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Address , mentioned above, is open to all rehab professionals and run by The Non-Clinical PT. Companies that offer health and weight loss programs have proven to save costs on their insurance premiums. Here is an article that covers what to ask in an informational interview. One of the biggest challenges of switching to a non-traditional OT job is the feeling that youre a small fish in a big pond. So, Meredith decided to put together some resources to make the switch easier for others. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. You might want to check with your states individual regulations just to be sure. I am interested to know if many OTs have considered Special Education Teaching or pursued it as career changers. OTs are perfect for becoming Assistive Technology Professionals since we use it regularly with our patients, whether its low tech or high techassistive technology. Some careers require additional education or training, or they might necessitate relocation. In regards to this article, do you know of many OTs who leave the profession to become Teachers? She now spends her work days connecting OTs with new research in the OT Potential Club. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Meredith offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Academia on her site, too. Networking is also vital. Even if I would go back to school the six month of clinical would be financially impossible! Some of these options usually require Bachelors degrees or that you are an OTR, but you can certainly still find an alternative path as a COTA. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. offer contract work (similar to registry or per diem work) for creatives. Thanks for the great article . There will certainly be a bit of paperwork involved (as there is with everything in healthcare these days), but youll get to see patients progress from start to finish and be there with them and the family the whole way. Explore different options/gain experience before leaving your day job, 8 specific non-traditional OT jobs you can look into, Non-Clinical Jobs and Networking for PT/OT/SLP Professionals, Non-Clinical 101: The Complete Guide to Launching Your Non-Clinical Career (Save $75), You can read more about my own non-traditional journey, including how I built OT Potential, in my spotlight, Here are some sites that sometimes accept high-quality guest posts from occupational therapists, interview on her career path into OT academia, becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison), this inspiring story about a 90-year-old occupational therapist, UX Design and User Experience Design for Beginners, Become a UX Designer Learn the Skills and Get the Job, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. This post was originally published May 30th, 2017 and updated on February 29, 2020. Rock on, OTs!!! With the recent change in insurance and the virus and being a new Cota everywhere I apply or look for only wants someone with experience, but how am I able to get experience if I cannot even get a chance to show them my skills. This means a time commitmentand, yes, a money commitment. You dont necessarily need to go to court. Reach out to companies like MedBridge, OccupationalTherapy.com, and Embodia Academy; if youve got quite a bit of niche clinical experience, you may be able to teach a course with them! Any career transition requires self-discipline and time. If youve landed on this article, you may be currently wondering, What else can I do with my occupational therapy degree that is not direct patient care? or are looking into non-clinical occupational therapy job options. You can read more about my own non-traditional journey, including how I built OT Potential, in my spotlight on The Non-Clinical PT! Rather than seeing my website as a fun pastime, I realized that I was serving fellow OTsI was solving a problem by filling in gaps in the information about OT careers that was available online. There is also a website with great information on home modifications related to OT from the Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). Youll spend your days scrutinizing environments, then making recommendations to ensure they are free from hazards and have injury prevention measures in place. Learn how your comment data is processed. Join online forums. What OT topics are you most interested in? Love the examples of people highlighted in non-traditional roles at the end! While there are certainly differences, it will be a helpful starting point to understand your options. There is more to it than you might think, and if youre interested, Id recommend checking out The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists. Wikipedias definition says Case management is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the United States.. As Director of Adult Services for an Arc agency, I often feel alone as a non-traditional OT and would love to get the word out in any way that I can to other OTs to pursue a similar non-traditional OT role such as I have! They spend their days creating seating, positioning, and mobility solutions for people with disabilities, and tend to spend quite a bit of their days working with wheelchairs. Here are some examples (Merediths is cooler): Consider reaching out to write a guest post for your favorite publication. While written for a physical therapy clinic, their model can certainly be followed for starting any type of therapy clinic. The site is chock-full of great information to help you launch a non-traditional OT career. Mental health in OT is a much smaller niche than the typical rehab settings, but if your passion is in mental health, you can start looking on Indeed.com for OT mental health settings (you may need to branch out into other cities as these jobs are typically harder to find). Due to my own healthcare needs/risks, I am considering exploring outside the box to a non-clinical job setting but not really knowing where to start..I dont have any assistive technology training, but this could be an area of interest for meDoes anyone have any suggestions or ideas about a career in medical sales/assistive technology specific to an OT? Way to open this conversation and look forward to keeping in touch. Its definitely advisable for new grads (or people who have only worked in one setting) to consider whether they should spend a little more time in patient care before switching gears. Initially, I had aspired to be a Special Education Teacher; however, after seeing the high and very frequent turnover/burnout of Teachers in our classroom, I began analyzing the other specialists that would work with our students and their careers (who seemed most satisfied, which fit my personality more, etc.). Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. With each course enrollment, you get job application materials (sample resumes, sample cover letters, etc.) The income potential long-term is far greater, and if set up properly, would allow you to make money even when youre not at the clinic. Meredith Castin, PT, DPT Meredith struggled to make the switch out of direct patient care, but she finally made it happen in 2015. I came to the conclusion that Occupational Therapy most closely aligned with my personality. Offer to cover the scheduling board or take point on busy days. Then list those experiences on your resume. Be sure to join the above mentioned Alternative Careers for Rehab Professionals FB group as there are a number of OTs in the group who have gone into sales and can give their perspective. This is yet another great option to go into if you have a passion for helping people but do not find traditional settings like hospitals a good fit for you personally. Meredith has a huge list of non-clinical career spotlights on her site. If youre a writer, designer, usability expert or anything else, once you have your basic skills established, a great place to start is by picking up freelance work. Martin. If youre lucky enough to live near any of the 10 ADA centers in the U.S., you can also offer to volunteer. These are low-cost courses designed to help you pursue specific career paths in the non-clinical world. Many OTs transition to either rehab department manager or hospital administrator, among other management paths. Getting back to driving under these circumstances is not always straightforward and requires the intervention of an OT specialist. It is possible. This course covers the difference between health and medical writing, and it has resume and cover letter templates, as well as interview practice questions and advice. Theyre an excellent introduction into the world of startups, not to mention a great networking opportunity! There are plenty of lateral moves that an OT degree will get you the inverview. If you were a career changer, any previous leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too! Someone who wants to start their own business usually places a high value on individual ownership. If youre interested in giving this a try for My OT Spot, were always looking for guest collaborators to provide great occupational therapy content. If they work as a cash business, not getting paid through insurance. There probably isnt an OT provider out there who hasnt thought about taking a break from patient care. So I was trying to see if I would fit in any other career with my associates degree. Here are several types of OT-related businesses you can create. Liaisons face quotas, so if you hate productivity requirements, you might not enjoy this role. Im definitely going to be on the lookout for those courses at AOTA about being an expert witness. Your email address will not be published. If you are, be sure to read AOTAs position on OTs role in health promotion for some added insight. The Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals Facebook group is an active and growing group of over 18,000 members, created for people looking for non-clinical OT career options. I am considering an alternative career in OT. These roles are ideal for OTs who have an eye for noticing potential hazards in peoples homes. If you love patient care, but hate the physical and emotional toll it takes, definitely look into becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison). Non-Clinical 101 gives lifetime access to a proven four-step system that helps you identify which roles are best suited for you, then walks you through the process of getting there. I bet an OT could find a rehab equipment sales job if they wanted or something similar. Non-Clinical 101 also contains an entire lesson to help you learn how to identify your marketable skills, find clients, and price yourself. Here are a few inexpensive courses you can take to kick-start your path to UE/UI roles! I am attempting to research other careers I may fit into but not much success. There are so many types of medical equipment that we work with on a regular basis, like neuro VR programs, e-stim, modalities, dynamic splinting, hospital beds, wheelchairs, and so on. Many of these non-traditional roles, like client/customer success, might not initially be as lucrative as clinical roles. There have been a lot of courses on this at AOTA conferences recently. OT has so much potential and I encourage all practitioners out there to follow their passion and use their skills to enable the potential of any population in any setting who needs increased holistic health:). I am an OT student struggling to figure out what I want to do for my capstone project and the field that I want to go into, but your article has helped me so much. If you want to try something different in the occupational therapy career space, these are just a few ideas which can help with your brainstorming. The initial leap into a non-traditional role will be the most challenging, but once youre there, youll rock it! Loved this article. It might take a bit of applying to a variety of positions but explaining to the prospective employers about your experience will be really beneficial. Thank you! For the purposes of this article, non-traditional refers to anything outside of conventional hands-on patient care roles. Organize lunches and in-services. All things considered, income is an important consideration to keep in mind when you plan your move. Youre going to need to network as much as possible. Nice article! AOTA offers a Low Vision certification that you can learn more about here. 2. To learn more about becoming a specialist, you can check out the Assistive Technology Association (ATIA) website. If there is anything that I can do here on this website or collaborate with evidenced based research or any type of publication to get this good word out, please do let me know!!! Going non-traditional doesnt need to mean non- treatment! If youre not familiar with this concept, it can be described as a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving according to Psych Central. 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