Plus, you get ALL of her crash courses included with your enrollment. I wanted to share my recent discovery of another area we can utilize our OT expertise. There are many other resources for home modifications OTs, but these will get you started if youre interested in this alternative career path. What would be most helpful for you? and recommendations for how to interview, search for jobs, and more! Wikipedias definition says Case management is a managed care technique within the health care coverage system of the United States.. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. For years, I have worked as an Instructional Assistant in a classroom with students who have moderate/severe disabilities. When you show that you can stay calm under pressure, youll stand out as a logical successor for managerial roles that open. While some informational interviews do turn into jobs or mentorship opportunities, you should never assume this will be the case. The main issue is that, even though we have the perfect background for these roles, we are not landing them. I have 28 years in as a COTA in the nursing home setting. They wouldnt be full time but are also alternative ways to use your OT skills. It has templates for your CV, resume, and cover letter, and it provides guidance on the interview and presentation parts of landing a role. 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. Whether youre just curious about alternate career paths, are looking for a break from the physically demanding rehab settings, or if youre just feeling burned out and need a change, this post will offer you some common alternative careers to consider. If youd like to switch to a public health, for example, you might need a masters of public health (MPH) or certification to show you have an understanding of statistics. Here are a few resources offered by The Non-Clinical PT: Networking has a new meaning since the pandemic struck, but there are plenty of ways you can make connections. For me (Sarah), my hobby of writing an OT blog became a career when I switched my mindset. Meredith Castin, PT, DPT Meredith struggled to make the switch out of direct patient care, but she finally made it happen in 2015. Its flexible, you can do it from anywhere, and its really easy and fun if it comes naturally to you. Since not turning anything into insurance companies? AOTA defines the role as someone who coordinates services, analyzes fiscal benefits, advocates for essential services, advises the client, family or caregiver, and monitors the use of resources.. If tapping people to ask for their time gives you the heebie jeebies, dont worry! It looks like there isnt a ton of information doing a Google search, but I did find this article to be helpful: How to Become an Insurance Auditor Your first byline is most difficult to attain. Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager, The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists, Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist, Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals, The Best Splinting Guide for Occupational Therapists, 6 of the Best Occupational Therapy Forums, 10 Reasons Why OTs Should Be Using Occupation-Based Interventions, Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: An Overview of 6 Typical Settings, Alternative Healthcare Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Areas of focus include office ergonomics, production ergonomics, musculo-skeletal injury prevention, general health and wellness promotion. Offer to cover the scheduling board or take point on busy days. Also, note any experience you have with running insurance or auditing charts. It is designed for people who know they want to pivot to a new career, but arent sure what they want to do, nor how to create resumes, find jobs, interview, negotiate, etc. Here, youll get the chance to work one-on-one with individuals, many times veterans, who need help getting back to work. 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.. Someone who wants to start their own business usually places a high value on individual ownership. If you are, be sure to read AOTAs position on OTs role in health promotion for some added insight. Also, check out Aramehs interview on her career path into OT academia and what she has found fulfilling and challenging about it. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. So many interesting ideas here! More information can be found on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This route may also fall into the category of Business Owner/Entrepreneur as you can certainly start your own Home Modifications business. The world of education is filled with opportunities for OTs. The not-so-good news is that you need to be a bit more strategic about pursuing such jobs, at least compared to clinical roles. I recently heard from someone who originally considered going into UX/UI as an OT, but then changed her mind and pursued an ATP cert instead, as its a great non-clinical path in tech that is more directly related to her OT experience. Youre so welcome and Im glad the article gave you some ideas! I have 32 yrs experience as an OTR, mainly inpatient rehab, and acute care. As clinicians, we are usually pretty comfortable with our clinical skills, even if we dont know everything. If youre lucky enough to live near any of the 10 ADA centers in the U.S., you can also offer to volunteer. When there is new construction in your area (especially smaller projects like parks or municipal buildings), reach out and offer your services for free. You would set your own hourly rates. OTs are perfect for becoming Assistive Technology Professionals since we use it regularly with our patients, whether its low tech or high techassistive technology. Very informative & encouraging site! For your own journey into health tech, weve made this post of influential health tech companies for you to look into. Looking more towards the future, this is an easy field to get excited about, especially when you see things like this in the news:Prosthetic Limbs, Controlled by Thought. 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. I (Sarah) got one done in the early stages of my website and, honestly, it has just made life easier. I graduated last year and have been looking non stop for a position Ive applied to countless places and some respond back while others do not and I have had only 1 live interview and 4 phone call interviews. There are people doing it. An informational interview is a quick conversation where you ask a professional questions about their job. To learn more about becoming a specialist, you can check out the Assistive Technology Association (ATIA) website. Definitelyequipment sales jobs are perfect for OTs and OTAs! These roles are ideal for OTs who have an eye for noticing potential hazards in peoples homes. Hi Jeanne, Can you give me any advice on where to look for employment in this area? Seeing is believing, and these occupational therapists have successfully transitioned into non-clinical roles! Use it on your LinkedIn page, in your bylines, and for your online profile in professional networking groups. Do you see COTAs being valuable in such a position? 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. These articles are basically done-for-you informational interviews of all sorts of rehab professionals in non-traditional roles . This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Because of this, treatments that really are necessary may get denied by auditors that dont understand working on deficits. 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. A byline is an attribution for authorship of an article. Many OTs transition to either rehab department manager or hospital administrator, among other management paths. Many times, insurance and Medicare auditors dont really understand the interventions were providing. But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. With each course enrollment, you get job application materials (sample resumes, sample cover letters, etc.) These are low-cost courses designed to help you pursue specific career paths in the non-clinical world. 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)! If youre ready to start your own practice, WebPT has put together a great resource about starting a therapy clinic from scratch. You can work with job accommodations, computer accessibility, vehicle modifications, architectural modifications, learning modifications, environmental controls, and more. With driving rehab, you are still working with patients butare much more focused on one specific aspect of their life. Networking is also vital. Definitely check it out! There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. 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. 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. On this path, the short term satisfaction of getting a steady paycheck with predictable hours is foregone for the long-term prospect of being the owner of a successful and valuable practice. Youll know if youre one of those people pretty quickly . Almost all medical device and equipment companies have sales representatives that visit hospitals and clinics to market their products to. Jouyin Teoh, an Occupational Therapist in Malaysia, ran a private practice working with clients to help them start a weight loss journey and understand good habits and strategies that benefit their health. Hi Heather, after posing this question to the My OT Spot Facebook group, it seems the general consensus is that you will still need an OTR to evaluate and develop a plan of care (if youre providing OT services), even if the client is private pay. The next two years showed her that others wanted guidance on doing the same. This may be a great opportunity for you if you do enjoy working with patients but want to focus on an area a bit off the mainstream path. Always appreciate the content and the transparency! Thanks again for the article, it did open my eyes! . Youre going to need to network as much as possible. Hi Sarah! Go to usability meetups. If youre interested in working with home modifications, be sure to also check out AOTAs Home Modifications page. 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. Some people think they want to leave patient care, but they really want to escape bad managers, shady corporations, or unrealistic productivity expectations. The documentation, stress, productivity and inconsistency between supervisors were factored into my decision. Even if you dont move up in your existing company, you can list what youve done on your resume and start applying for lead roles at other facilities. Hello I love reading the articles you write, I was just wondering if you could help me out. You have to have an immense drive deep down to be able to put in the time and effort day after day as well as deal with the seemingly never-ending problems that will arise when starting a business. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. Ive noticed a number of people with years of experience in OT on here.im looking to switch my major and getting a Masters in OT.can I please get a few inputs on that field. As a COTA, can I do some of these things as well? Hi, and thank you for writing and posting such an insightful article! Resources to Start (and Grow) Your Occupational Therapy Business, Paige Hays, OTR/L of Beyond Accessibility, Maria Lindbergh, OTR/L of Stay At Home Solutions, Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). I graduated with a masters in occupational therapy however I have taken the board exam and have been unsuccessful after several attempts. They may be some of the few non-traditional roles youve considered, because for years, they were the only ones with real visibility for OTs. At this time I need to take care of me, but I might need to try something else to bring in income. , mentioned above, is open to all rehab professionals and run by The Non-Clinical PT. In preparation for these events, youll want to: Youll want to have your title and a personal email address on hand for anytime you meet folks at networking events, healthcare hackathons, or even happy hours! I found this information to be interesting but wanted to see if others had any additional thoughts on job opportunities. Usability is what we know as OTs! Martin. I bet an OT could find a rehab equipment sales job if they wanted or something similar. This is such an excellent pointits so important to hone in on what fits best with you, your life, and your individual needs/interests. Youll also want to beef up your resume to reflect any research, tutoring, lab assisting, or clinical instructor roles youve held since your student years. Whether it involves admissions and/or discharges, having experience as an OT can make working as a case manager a perfect fit. I have been struggling for a while to find my just right fit. There is a huge need to be filled in this arena, and OTs are a great fit to help here as well. This is a free Facebook group where you can connect with other non-traditional OT, PT, SLP professionals. Then list those experiences on your resume. Thanks again for sharing! There is also a website with great information on home modifications related to OT from the Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). Thank you for the great ideas as well as links to further learn about them. Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. You can take coursework online or explore community college programs near you, but both will require an investment of your money and your time. 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. Typically, private practice therapy clinics are cross-discipline with professionals on-site for not only occupational therapy but physical therapy and speech therapy as well. I am a new grad and I can say with certainty that I dont want to work in SNF, hospitals, or OP. Through my work, I have been able to promote the profession as well as take on multiple Level II students even during the pandemic to learn about community based OT. The guide helps you think through key questions to get your business off the ground like should you have a specialty, what equipment should you buy, and whats the best way to manage operations? 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. This is an important question. Glad I found you at the perfect time in my career. Your email address will not be published. Remember, if you identify a way that you can solve someone elses problem, youll be very marketable! There probably isnt an OT provider out there who hasnt thought about taking a break from patient 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. Join online forums. I am excited to see non-traditional jobs being promoted, and there are more than just the opportunities listed above!! 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. Some require that you take a steep pay cut to enter the field. However, if you do have a case that requires going to court, you can obviously charge a lot more money. Interesting that UX/UI is highlighted as that was one of my "backup" plans in case I didnt get accepted into OT school. Its been such a fun journey and the amount of knowledge I have gained is invaluable! 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. Also, youll definitely want to take few courses on usability and user experience to legitimize yourself as a candidate. Hi Martin, thanks for your comment. Here are some examples (Merediths is cooler): Consider reaching out to write a guest post for your favorite publication. There may be some small businesses in your area that focus on this specialty which you may be interested in working for or partnering with. I would love to hear more about your experience! While written for a physical therapy clinic, their model can certainly be followed for starting any type of therapy clinic. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. Much thanks The course comes with tons of resume downloads, interview prep materials, self-assessment activities, and early access to non-clinical jobs. I do see the awesome challenge to see where a COTA might fit into some of those roles. 2. Also, if youre still interested, you could try contacting insurance companies near you to inquire more about requirements and training. If youre wrinkling your nose at such ideas, it doesnt mean you cant pursue non-traditional workbut being open-minded and willing to shake things up certainly broadens your options. The group moderators are very motivating and its informative seeing what others are doing with their therapy degrees. Gives me some hope of finding the just right fit as an OT. rehabilitation ) you can also look into being an expert witness. Nice article! 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. for MSOT admission. There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. Be sure to also check out Indeed.com as well for additional ideas to help you with a new income source. 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. Thanks for the great article . For a great perspective on this, check out OT Devon Breitharts experience as a freelance writer, complete with tips on how get started. She also offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Writing. Interesting, how much training did you need for that? This of course will require more direct hands-on experience, so it may not be not for everyone. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. May I reach out to possibly feature you on The Non-Clinical PT?? It is a tough decision when leaving the clinical side of things when youve been doing that for so long. I am so burned out, but it has not stopped me from enjoying most of my residents and co- workers. What does your job entail? Workstation ergonomics involves a deep understanding of many different facets of a variety of workplace environments. If you have big ideas, energy, a passion for creating something from nothing, and you have the drive to creatively bring value to the world, you might have what it takes to start and grow your own OT business. 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? I hope this post gave you some inspiration and ideas if youre looking for a change. Take a look at all the interesting ways you can leverage that OT degree, if youre ever ready to try something new! The first thing that often comes to mind on this front is starting your own private practice. I also have fibromyalgia and joint hypermobility syndrome. 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. Another great option would be to work in vocational rehab in a community-based setting. The initial leap into a non-traditional role will be the most challenging, but once youre there, youll rock it! This might mean picking up a few per diem OT jobs for a year and networking as much as possible with case management during that time. If you want more info, heres a comprehensive guide on Merediths site that covers transitioning from clinician to copywriter. The desire to change to a non-traditional occupational therapy careerwhether temporary or permanentis normal. I love the article but Im still lost. I also helped to start an OT clinic within a University setting so I guess another would be Consultant to other universities wanting to open an OT clinic. You can start your own blog, or you can reach out to websites to get published and start racking up some bylines. 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. A career coach keeps you on track and working toward your goals, while a career counselor will work with you to address underlying fears, roadblocks, and challenges that prevent you from making moves professionally. 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. 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. If they work as a cash business, not getting paid through insurance. Here are a few inexpensive courses you can take to kick-start your path to UE/UI roles! You may also be interested in becoming a Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist. Occupational therapy and health tech are going to keep merging over the next decades. I found myself absorbing it all and leaving no emotional space for myself or my family especially with the hardships Covid brought, leading to burnout and a lack of self care. There is more to it than you might think, and if youre interested, Id recommend checking out The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists. I work in architecture/construction to ensure public spaces are disability accessible. One of the hardest parts of leaving patient care is figuring out what to do next. A common career path for occupational therapists after theyve been in the field for several years or several decades is to go into teaching and/or research at a specific occupational therapy program. SMS professionals are actually specialized ATPs! Hello, I am an OT with a masters degree and 14 years of clinical experience in the acute care hospital and outpatient settings with lymphedema experience as well. If you were a career changer, any previous leadership or instructing roles are relevant, too! The good news is that those jobs are certainly out there! 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. 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. Email me at Sarah@myotspot.com for more information , First, what is a case manager? I am considering an alternative career in OT. Writing is awesome, though. A perfect match for me!Tanisha Cowell. I regret not going back to school for my OTR, but I have to move forward. Heres where working with a career coach or career counselor can be very helpful. Leave them in the comments! Thank yall. Best of luck to you with whatever path you choose! In our interview with Kaia Health Product Manager, Winnie Tsui, OTL, CHT, MBA, Winnie shares the importance of building (and showcasing) a pathway into tech via stepping stones. Not all unconventional OT jobs require relocation, but many do. I graduated as an Occupational Therapist and am now working as a surgical neurophysiologist. 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. I am an OT with 20+ years experience in SNF but really needing a change. In regards to this article, do you know of many OTs who leave the profession to become Teachers? Many OTs and COTAs have also tied their love of health promotion into starting their own health coaching business that targets people looking to improve their health and well-being. Thanks for sharing. You are also building something that, if profitable, increases in value and could eventually be sold. Thanks! 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. In her own journey into tech, she started with consulting on the side and this grew into full time opportunities. If youre interested in a career in rehab technologyand you can afford the time and costyou must try out a healthcare hackathon. Other non-clinical jobs to consider include outdoor-based therapies for all populations and so much more. This is a real issue that we OTs need to address as soon as possible. And if youre branched out into another non-clinical career path, please share your experiences in the comments below.