You might want to check with your states individual regulations just to be sure. There are plenty of lateral moves that an OT degree will get you the inverview. Here are some sites that sometimes accept high-quality guest posts from occupational therapists. As in inpatient OT, Ive been looking for alternative careers and economics and sales excite me the most. Offer to cover the scheduling board or take point on busy days. These are weekend events where youll team up with engineering and business professionals, as well as other clinicians, to tackle big problems in healthcare. Since not turning anything into insurance companies? Ive been in the field about 16 years and ticked off a few of these myself: administration, education and medical device sales, so I am proof that these are all really possible. Just this week I quit my job from acute care. I know its an additional certification that an OT would have to get, but thought I would bring it up since it is an alternative career path for an OT, since OT does involve a lot of teaching and working with individuals with disabilities. For more information about careers in medical sales, check out this post on Monster.com:Pharma, Biotech, Medical-Device Sales: Which Is for You? Cash-based OT, early intervention, nature-based OT and other types of niche roles are not considered non-traditional for the purposes of this article. The best part about being an OT entrepreneur is that you have the freedom to choose what youre most passionate about. If they work as a cash business, not getting paid through insurance. You can also look outside the rehab world and join groups geared toward the career path(s) of your choice. There are so many occupational therapy schools that need solid OTs to educate future clinicians. You may also be interested in becoming a Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist. Learn how your comment data is processed. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. A perfect match for me!Tanisha Cowell. Family members, significant others, and even friends might feel the impact of your change, so its vital to consider how much of a change makes sense for you at any given time. May I reach out to possibly feature you on The Non-Clinical PT?? Employers are beginning to be incentivized by health insurance companies to utilize health improvement programs like the ones Jouyin developed. Some people think they want to leave patient care, but they really want to escape bad managers, shady corporations, or unrealistic productivity expectations. I have been struggling for a while to find my just right fit. This is a real issue that we OTs need to address as soon as possible. Here are several types of OT-related businesses you can create. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The site is chock-full of great information to help you launch a non-traditional OT career. That said, you dont need any additional training to write for your next career! An informational interview is a quick conversation where you ask a professional questions about their job. Going non-traditional doesnt need to mean non- treatment! If these courses seem a bit daunting (even though theyre designed for relative beginners), consider taking a basic course in Adobe Photoshop, like this one! Many positions that you did propose are more towards OTRs? Luckily, there are tons of alternative jobs that you can land with your occupational therapy degree. 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. Looking creatively at your career and skill set may enable you to help more people than ever would have been possible in 1:1 therapy. Hope this helps! Some people are born to be entrepreneurs. The documentation, stress, productivity and inconsistency between supervisors were factored into my decision. Their goals are to promote occupational therapists as leaders in the field of home modifications, develop a lucrative business model for home modification occupational therapists, and increase home modification occupational therapists expertise in home modification techniques, technology, equipment and design.. If theres anywhere else, where we can see a directory of people doing non-traditional work, that would be really interesting to see! Youll also need to take exams to get certified. There are also other holistic avenues you can take when starting your own private practice. More information can be found on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. As an ergonomic specialist, youllspend time identifying environmental risks, coming up with creative strategies to reduce those risks, educating others on the importance of ergonomics, and drafting comprehensive plans for businesses to follow. I am a single mother of 3 and financially cant afford to go back to school or take time off work. If you develop a skill set that solves a specific problem that people are havingand a problem that you enjoy solvingyou will become extremely marketable. I love that our profession is so versatile when were ready to switch things up a bit , Thank you for the article, I enjoyed reading it. Required fields are marked *. Use it on your LinkedIn page, in your bylines, and for your online profile in professional networking groups. I have read this article but most of these jobs are for OTs that have been in the feild with experience. We can also move into roles where we consult with practices to help them improve their billing and workflow practices. Thank you! I work in architecture/construction to ensure public spaces are disability accessible. 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.). Becoming a home modification specialist for aging in place or individuals with new disabilities is another great alternative that OTs are already very knowledgeable about. These cookies do not store any personal information. Thank yall. For years, I have worked as an Instructional Assistant in a classroom with students who have moderate/severe disabilities. You dont necessarily need to go to court. Not sure where youre located, but Center for Community Partnerships in Fort Collins, CO is a great agency for community integration/job retention services. Many OTs transition to either rehab department manager or hospital administrator, among other management paths. Given the number of paths you can take within education, theres really no one set path to get there. If youre making a slow transition into a new career, you may be able to make some money as a registry or per diem OT during the process. Networking is also vital. Writing is awesome, though. Usability is what we know as OTs! Thanks, Geraldine for these great suggestions! There are many other resources for home modifications OTs, but these will get you started if youre interested in this alternative career path. Very informative & encouraging site! The first thing that often comes to mind on this front is starting your own private practice. It combines theory and functional knowledge of people and occupation, with the creative skills of design. Educator. Here are some examples (Merediths is cooler): Consider reaching out to write a guest post for your favorite publication. our interview with Kaia Health Product Manager, Winnie Tsui, OTL, CHT, MBA. I think that there is a huge demand for this, in particularly targeting the opioid users where we are seeing such a wide spread use. If youre interested in a career in rehab technologyand you can afford the time and costyou must try out a healthcare hackathon. I came to the conclusion that Occupational Therapy most closely aligned with my personality. Liaisons face quotas, so if you hate productivity requirements, you might not enjoy this role. 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. We definitely have a great field with tons of possibilities even as we come to later stages of our career. And if youre branched out into another non-clinical career path, please share your experiences in the comments below. This option is becoming popular as more and more healthcare websites are popping up daily, and need frequent articles to publish. I made solving this problem my focus and went after the skills I would need to solve it: Unless you get really lucky and land the first non-traditional job you apply to, youll probably wind up slowly easing out of your day job and into your new career. Sarah Lyon, OTR/L Sarah wasnt looking to leave patient care, but about five years into her career,realized that she could potentially help more patients by serving occupational therapists through her website, OT Potential. Any career transition requires self-discipline and time. Can you give me any advice on where to look for employment in this area? There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. Writing is one of the easiest switches you can make, but you have to be willing to put in lots of time, and you might take a pretty steep pay cut at the beginning. Basically, if you have a favorite product, get in contact with the company and see if theyre hiring sales reps. You can always Google the company and search their open positions. Thank you that means a lot! If so how/ where shall I begin..? For example, if you are the Inpatient Rehab manager, you are responsible for the work of all PTs, OTs, and SLPs in that department. Here, youll get the chance to work one-on-one with individuals, many times veterans, who need help getting back to work. A common career path for occupational therapists after they've been in the field for several years or several decades is to go into teaching and/or research at a specific occupational therapy program. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. 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. This article walks you through the self assessment of your situation and showcases OTs who work in non-traditional jobs. While written for a physical therapy clinic, their model can certainly be followed for starting any type of therapy clinic. Workstation ergonomics involves a deep understanding of many different facets of a variety of workplace environments. Try to work in multiple acute care hospitals within your region and get to know the case managers in those facilities. Almost all medical device and equipment companies have sales representatives that visit hospitals and clinics to market their products to. If you make yourself an expert salesperson, or you learn the ins and outs of online sales strategies, you will easily excel in a role as a social media manager, or where youre marketing (selling) rehab practitioners services. Figured this might help some of you looking for something different. Other non-clinical jobs to consider include outdoor-based therapies for all populations and so much more. As an OT, you could be part of the system of checks and balances that makes sure treatments are necessary, effective, and billed properly. A career change can affect more than just you. For the purposes of this article, non-traditional refers to anything outside of conventional hands-on patient care roles. There is a really great Facebook group called Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals that has many COTAs in the group that have successfully switched gears into other ventures. If anyone can share any additional suggestions for Ashley please do! Glad I found you at the perfect time in my career. While the most obvious and easiest way to use your OT degree is to actually practice in a traditional setting, alternative career paths may be a better fit for you long term. While sales might be somewhat high stress, it can definitely be an interesting change-up to traditional patient care. My only doubts about going the OT route is thinking that I may one day regret not choosing to be a Special Education Teacher and not being smart enough for some of the advanced coursework. I am a new grad and I can say with certainty that I dont want to work in SNF, hospitals, or OP. Youre going to need to network as much as possible. What other alternative careers for occupational therapists and COTAs would you add to this list? Meredith has a huge list of non-clinical career spotlights on her site. Heres where working with a career coach or career counselor can be very helpful. Some professional organizations have built a non-clinical presence, and there are tons of groups out there for all sorts of career paths. Another great option would be to work in vocational rehab in a community-based setting. They provide pathways to non-traditional career opportunities for all rehab professionals, including PTs, OTs, SLPs, and assistants. I would love to connect with you and chat is there a way to share contact info here? Best of luck to you. AOTA offers a Low Vision certification that you can learn more about here. Best of luck to you with whatever path you choose! This list of is certainly not exhaustive (as there are SO many options in this realm), but it should at least get the wheels turning! ATP professionals create accessibility technology for those with disabilities. 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. Wikipedias definition says Case management is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the United States.. I transitioned from working in SNF/ Home health to now working as a clinical liaison after having a small ergonomics consultation business in Hawaii (Aging with Aloha) and its been a great fit. If you have a knack for writing and can pump out quality articles quickly that are free from errors, this is can be a flexible option that you can do from your own home. Meredith offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Academia on her site, too. You may remember studying this briefly for the NBCOT. Once youve made contacts with key players in the contracting and architecture/design industries, you can really beef up your resume (or maybe even your references, if you make nice)! There are people doing it. 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