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

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.

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 ?

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 ?

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!

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!

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

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! 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!

I’m a contract OT serving a wealthy, litigious population and I was placed in a school that I’ve been told is especially “high-conflict” because of the physical location as well as the presence of a specialty SpEd program. First off, I just want to say that it was really shitty of admin to purposely place me at this site when they have other therapists that have worked in this specific school for years already.

The more pressing issue is that I got written up for using activities and materials that I made myself for the purpose of delivering my SDI. I was told that it was unapproved curriculum because it wasn’t reviewed in advance and parents weren’t able to review it whenever they wanted.

I asked if I could submit my materials for approval and then post them on Canvas so that parents could access and review them. I was told no, and I was not given a reason why.

They told me instead that I could go to the teachers and get activities from their own curriculum. But my students are supposed to receive pull-out services (per their IEPs) and it doesn’t seem appropriate for me to be delivering the teacher’s curriculum.

I understand that teachers are forced to work within these restrictions. But I’m not even being given the option to have materials approved for use. I don’t feel comfortable asking other therapists for advice because they’ve immediately reported what I said to our supervisor.

Does anyone have advice? Because I’m about to rage-quit with nothing lined up.

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.

calling filipino OTs

I work in an outpatient pediatric clinic that prioritizes the use of neurodiversity affirming and trauma-informed approaches. Typically, I have no trouble getting buy in from my families. I make sure to state my clinical reasoning in the moment, incorporate caregivers as active participants in sessions, and share lots of handouts / articles that support my approach. However, occasionally, I will have a family who does not align with my therapeutic approach. I recently had a caregiver criticize me, saying that they don't think the therapy is working after 3 sessions with (in their eyes) minimal progress. I have been an OT for 4 years and have had so many success stories, but it still can get down when a family says things like this. I explained to this caregiver that therapy is often a "marathon not a sprint" and highlighted the progress I'd seen in her daughter. I shared a timeline that I thought may be reasonable to see meaningful progress (3-6 months of consistent therapy and home practice), but reiterated that progress is not always linear and hugely impacted by context and environment. Now I dread seeing this caregiver, feeling that they are judging me or do not think I am competent. What are some strategies you use to not spiral into "imposter syndrome" when caregivers don't align with your therapeutic approach?

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!

I am a new grad looking to try traveling OT work. Can anyone give me a run down on what that looks like, how you keep up with the taxes for the end of the year, and the best companies to work with?

Context: currently have a 3.8, scored 4th quartile the last 2 years on my Casper, and have been waitlisted for the OT program at the u of a the last 2 years in a row. I also have worked as an OTA the last 5 years with over 5000+ hours of direct observational hours.

I am in a dilemma. If I don’t get into OT school at U of A and off the waitlist, I have to retake statistics and anatomy (since I took it 6 years and the U of A changed their requirements to 5 years). Those were my 2 hardest classes of my degree, and am worried that if I take these classes and don’t get over an A, my GPA will tank. Since U of A has a lottery system, I am wondering if it is even worth it to retake these courses and not be even guaranteed admission. The other alternative is not taking these courses, and applying Canada wide, where Ontario, BC, and Dal don’t need me to retake those courses and still having my GPA at a 3.8.

My question is, do I skip applying to U of A and try for other schools, or should I risk taking these courses with the potential have decreasing my GPA? Trying to weigh out my pros and cons and need some input! Thank you so much.

Hey

General question, would you recommend becoming an OTA or a PTA? I live in NYC for reference, and before anybody says it, no I don't want to do nursing, I currently work in a hospital alongside nurses and their job is scary. I've never had an interest in radiology therapy, and there is no doable Respiratory therapist program near me as that was my first choice. I do understand that it's not a "high paying" field, but I'm okay with that for now at least, plus this is the only thing I have the financial means to handle, for I am not planning to take out any student loans. So back to my original question, when it comes to environment and overall job growth, which would you recommend and why?

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