School based OT here, I’ve been working at the same school for four years now, my issue is that I’ve been working with nearly the same kids ever since, and I have milked the goals that i wrote from and I reached a point where I jo longer know what to add ( my school doesn’t allow discharge, something to do with work load distribution). Could there be School based OT goal banks that can help me with some ideas to add to my kids IEP’s ?

Just started my first week of OT school and I have felt so much anxiety. It feels awkward and forced… does it seem to get better with everyone getting along in a couple of months?

I have worked so hard to be here and I’m just trying to remind myself others may be anxious as well. I am a bit on the quiet side at first but once I get going I love to talk.

I’ve called over 20 places from rehabs, psych hospitals, regular hospitals, ABA clinics. I haven’t gotten anywhere or lead in a decent direction. I also need to work full time and am struggling to find a clinic that offers the hours that work with my work schedule. I don’t have the ability to work less hours.

Thanks!

Where do the Canadian OT’s get their professional practice insurance ??

I am based in Ontario and have previously had insurance through OSOT and CAOT but I hate that you have to pay for a membership to their organization and then insurance ontop of it. Do you guys have experience getting practice insurance through other companies ?

Hello everyone! Recent graduate, looking to practice splinting at home by making patterns etc. The only trouble is that I’m having trouble finding patterns. Where do y’all find your splint patterns??

Hi! I currently work at a SNF that has our therapy team contracted out. The building was bought out by a company that prefers in-house services so my assumption is I am going to either get to choose to leave my contract company to stay at the building for in house.

My question is, has anyone else dealt with this and were you able to negotiate your wage for in house? I was planning on asking my contract company for a raise this fall as it’s been 2 years since one but now I’m wondering if I can negotiate with in house?

Hi everyone! I’m currently conducting a research study as part of my graduate Occupational Therapy program at Middle Georgia State University. We are looking for school-based occupational therapy practitioners (OTs and OTAs) to participate in a brief survey about job satisfaction, burnout, and well-being.

If you meet the criteria listed on the flyer, I would greatly appreciate your participation! Please feel free to share with other school-based OT practitioners who may be interested.

(Open to OTs and OTAs that currently work in a school setting in the United States with at least 1 year school-based experience.)

https://qualtricsxm4pyw4cnmf.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2tQ38O3VvehTgay

I am a mental health OT and I’m thinking about starting a business focused on life skill development for young adults/adults. I envision providing trainings for agencies that do not employ OTs and need tips for their staff. I’m also thinking about doing individual life skill OT sessions, sensory assessments, social media content, etc. I’m just wondering if anyone has input on the type of insurance I would need, secure documentation platforms, secure video conferencing, etc. thanks!

So I found this OT job role, and I’m wondering if anyone’s done anything similar.

https://builtin.com/job/functional-wellness-and-rehabilitation-educator/10738605

Hi! My husband and I are TTC and I am pediatric OT. Should I be fearful of being pregnant while working as an OT? We are in a financial position where I don't have to work, but I want to work because I love it, and we don't know when we will get pregnant. My biggest fear is contracting CMV, which can have devastating effect on the child prior to birth but many children have it and can shed it for months even without symptoms.

Does anyone have any experience working in peds OT while pregnant, CMV infection, similar fear etc?

Hi!! I am looking at OT schools in my area (Philly/NJ) but they are all like 77-90k! I saw that there is a school in Maine thats 40 something thousand in tuition, for out of state as well. My questions are for anyone who has moved for grad school:

did the cheaper tuition make up for the cost of living in 9 hours away?

were you able to work during school? Part time? I am nervous about leaving my job to move for school, especially if I wont be able to work once I do.

The main thing to consider is that id potentially be saving like 50k on tuition if I go, but then Id have to find away to afford rent and food and whatnot, and not work, for 2.5 years. Does anyone have any insight?

I’m an OTA and have been working in peds for a few years. My OT who I’ve been with on and off since day one and is a huge mentor just told me she’s going to lead our treatment session this week, incorporating some gross motor/primitive reflexes. Last week she was talking about hand development etc and I felt like I knew none of it. She keeps rehiring me for different contracts but I’m worried she doesn’t think I have the skills I need to have. Currently getting my masters in OT. From what I’ve understand motor learning says practicing the tasks/activities in entirety is what drives learning; ie, do handwriting to get better at handwriting. My mentor always talks about parsing apart what specific components of that activity the child struggles with and targeting those; aka hand strength, visual perception, etc.

I feel like my sessions throughout the years have been super, not great? I do some hand strength and then work on handwriting in different contexts, grading paper, etc. sometimes it all feels unskilled to me. I’m overwhelmed learning about child development, etc. because I retained none of this in OTA school. I am doing great in my masters but feel like as an OTA, I’m very behind and it makes me worried for my career as an OTR.

Anyone feel like working in peds feels so unskilled? How often are you incorporating gross motor, etc in school-based? Advice wanted please!

has anyone used this website before or taken any of their courses? looking to branch out into something utilization review/other non-clinical options, but wanted to know if anyone had opinions/experiences.

https://www.alternativehealthcarecareers.com

otherwise if you have any other courses or sites you recommend for branching out, i would appreciate it. TIA!

calling filipino OTs

Hi everyone! I’m a first-year Occupational Therapy student, and our professor requires us to have a printed, ring-bound copy of the full Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 4th Edition (OTPF-4) for our upcoming class. I’ve been trying to find a complete digital/printable copy online, but most of what I’ve found is either incomplete, difficult to read, or requires payment. 😭

Would anyone happen to have a legitimate free PDF or accessible digital copy of the full OTPF-4 that I could use for printing and ring binding? We’re required to bring the physical copy to class, so a printable version would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance! 🥹🫶 Any leads would really help!

Hello everyone, I’m making this post in good faith wanting to clear my head of something.
I’ve been an RBT for 3 1/2 years, been working with my kiddo at work also for almost 3 1/2 years! He is super sensory seeking, I’ve had to do a lot of trial and error, and my own digging to see what sensory needs he seeks and needs. I understand it is what helps regulate him. He LOVES deep pressure, vestibular input, visual sensory input, auditory sensory input, a he loves to move. He also loves to play with shampoo at home lol. More on this later.
He just recently started school and I’m so happy he finally gets an OT, and also so we can collaborate with them.
Anyways, I keep seeing this alot on my field, and want to know what’s the real deal. I keep seeing clinicians say our kiddos need to “earn” sensory activities…🫠 I never have and never will use sensory activities such as movement or a sensory bin. This is not true, right? I never felt like my kiddo should have to “work” to engage in a sensory activity. My old BCBA was the first one (I’ve had many BCBAs with him over the years) who said to provide a schedule of sensory based activities regardless (heavy work, sensory bin, whatever sensory input he is seeking).
Here is my dilemma rn. So at home he LOVES to play with shampoo, conditioner, condiments, etc. So I thought to myself, what is the common denominator? Liquids. We recently began in home sessions, and he was taking every chance he could get to try and play with the shampoo and stuff. So what I figured was, maybe I can make him a bin of shaving cream beforehand to see if the shampoo behavior reduces. And I was right! First thing I did today when I got there was pull out my bin of shaving cream. And not once during session for the first time did he try and get the shampoo from the bathroom! I was so happy for him to get that need met. He was so relaxed playing with it, and was in a great mood all of session.

So I tell one of my other clinicians and she said “maybe he can start earning it” and my mind automatically went to-this is a sensory need his body and mind are seeking. I’m not making him “work” for it. Yeah I can practice lots of things, such as waiting, cleaning up, transitioning, and more with the shaving cream. Like I can build my programs around the bin naturally. I don’t wanna make him earn sensory things, because I don’t think it’s a reward if that makes any sense. Other things, such as iPad, music, bubbles, etc I will use as reinforcers after my programming. But I don’t like to have him earn sensory stuff. Am I right? Am I wrong?
In the ABA world yes it’s positive reinforcement, it’s something he loves. I just won’t make him “earn” it.

I'm an international student studying Kinesiology in the U.S. I'm currently a junior, and my goal is to attend graduate school and become a pediatric occupational therapist. I have two questions: Does anyone know of any good schools for Pediatric Occupational Therapy? Also, where can I find internships or opportunities to gain experience in OT? Thank you so much for your help

In search of good assessments for remote pediatric evals, elementary aged students of various abilities. Thank you thank you so much for your help.

My name is Amy Keller and I am an OTD student at Rocky Mountain College. For my doctoral capstone, I will be conducting two surveys to determine if an online database is an effective resource for increasing OTPs' (occupational therapy practitioners) skillset to work with patients with limited English proficiency. This is the first survey. 

Inclusion criteria: 

• Anyone at least 18 years old who 
• Speaks, reads, and writes fluent English;
• Is an NBCOT-credentialed occupational therapist or certified occupational therapy assistant; 
• Has a current, valid license to practice in a state and/or territory of the United States of America (including the District of Columbia, Guam, and/or Puerto Rico).

Exclusion criteria:

• Anyone who is under 18 years old or;
• Current students without a current, valid license to practice as an occupational therapist or certified occupational therapy assistant, or;
• Anyone who currently practices occupational therapy outside of a state and/or territory of the United States of America.

Survey link: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeK6FxWOs3I7Ezs3d4bDmFaDaBbiKFQ4cP9qX4kIXOu2YcFlw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you for your time!
- Amy Keller, OTS

Should I accept 70k with benefits as a new grad in outpatient pediatrics in GA?

I had an interview with a SNF in central TX & their benefits looked good, hourly with no overtime, eval productivity is 85% & group therapy is expected to be higher, holidays are 8 hours of pay + whatever hours you work that day. they offered me the job on the spot & said I could start whenever, & I stated that my pay expectation is $45. Another DOR at a location under the same company doesn't have a job position open but reached out to me & I have an interview with them in 2 days. The DOR I meet with already stated that since they're under the same company, they can't compete for pay so I would get $43/hr at either place. do you think if I cancel the interview I have coming up so that I don't potentially get a job offer with them, that I could leverage myself with the first DOR to get my initial pay (or more/add a sign on bonus) since the other location wouldn't be in consideration anymore & the first interview seems to have more of a dire need for an actually full time OT?

It’s me again. I wanted to ask for any advice or tips/tricks. New OT in a middle school with mostly regular ed/learning support. My district doesn’t have OT goals in the IEP. Heavy emphasis on push in services. I’m not really sure how to treat when there aren’t goals just modifications