Almost all medical device and equipment companies have sales representatives that visit hospitals and clinics to market their products to. I am definitely fighting the burn out mode. These roles are ideal for OTs who have an eye for noticing potential hazards in peoples homes. Just this week I quit my job from acute care. This means a time commitmentand, yes, a money commitment. These articles can be related to occupational therapy, but may also involve other medical topics that OTs are familiar with. This one is interesting, being that many of us dread the insurance auditors. Disability Access Consulting is also an emerging role for OTs. One of the most important independent activities of daily living is being able to get yourself from point A to point B. Usability is what we know as OTs! This option is becoming popular as more and more healthcare websites are popping up daily, and need frequent articles to publish. 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. I studied how I could make my articles align with the questions people ask. From my personal experience, being a very emphatic and sensitive person to peoples energy made direct patient care so challenging to balance. The desire to change to a non-traditional occupational therapy careerwhether temporary or permanentis normal. Occupational therapy practitioners help people with low vision function at the highest possible level by preventing accidents and injury (e.g., improving lighting), teaching new skills (e.g., eccentric viewing, visual tracking), modifying the task or environment (e.g., recommending magnifiers), and promoting a healthy lifestyle (e.g., ensuring they can participate in their daily activities).. Non-Clinical 101 also contains an entire lesson to help you learn how to identify your marketable skills, find clients, and price yourself. Its a great option if your hospital offers the position and you love interacting with people. Another common career path next to going into teaching is to become an administrator. The first thing youll need as a writer is to get published online. Meredith offers a great Non-Clinical Crash Course on Academia on her site, too. 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. Here are some sites that sometimes accept high-quality guest posts from occupational therapists. 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. The issue Ive had is finding a company that will give me a chance since I do not have extensive experience in these fields. It combines theory and functional knowledge of people and occupation, with the creative skills of design. Thank you so much for posting this. Use it on your LinkedIn page, in your bylines, and for your online profile in professional networking groups. There are several different popular avenues that OTs fit well into. 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. Thank you! Even if you love writing, but have some questions about grammar or earning money, there are courses you can take that will expedite the process. 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. You are also building something that, if profitable, increases in value and could eventually be sold. 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. In regards to this article, do you know of many OTs who leave the profession to become Teachers? That said, after youve spent a few years getting your feet wet, you are more likely to catch up to (and often far exceed) what you were making as a clinician. Thanks, Geraldine for these great suggestions! So, Meredith decided to put together some resources to make the switch easier for others. . Some professional organizations have built a non-clinical presence, and there are tons of groups out there for all sorts of career paths. For the purposes of this article, non-traditional refers to anything outside of conventional hands-on patient care roles. It has templates for your CV, resume, and cover letter, and it provides guidance on the interview and presentation parts of landing a role. 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! Also, check out Aramehs interview on her career path into OT academia and what she has found fulfilling and challenging about it. Read more about being a case manager from an OT perspective here:Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager. Hope this helps! 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. We can also move into roles where we consult with practices to help them improve their billing and workflow practices. 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. Some require that you take a steep pay cut to enter the field. The documentation, stress, productivity and inconsistency between supervisors were factored into my decision. Required fields are marked *. 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. 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.. A perfect match for me!Tanisha Cowell. Many positions that you did propose are more towards OTRs? Many times, insurance and Medicare auditors dont really understand the interventions were providing. And if youre branched out into another non-clinical career path, please share your experiences in the comments below. 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. Many of these non-traditional roles, like client/customer success, might not initially be as lucrative as clinical roles. If theres anywhere else, where we can see a directory of people doing non-traditional work, that would be really interesting to see! It is possible. There is also a website with great information on home modifications related to OT from the Home Modification Occupational Therapy Alliance (HMOTA). I would love to connect with you and chat is there a way to share contact info here? 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. Try to work in multiple acute care hospitals within your region and get to know the case managers in those facilities. So many interesting ideas here! Writing is awesome, though. 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. 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. While the hackathon scene has slowed down a bit because of the pandemic and economic changes, a good Google search shows theyre still taking place. When there is new construction in your area (especially smaller projects like parks or municipal buildings), reach out and offer your services for free. Take a look at all the interesting ways you can leverage that OT degree, if youre ever ready to try something new! In her own journey into tech, she started with consulting on the side and this grew into full time opportunities. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Offer to cover the scheduling board or take point on busy days. 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. This is such a perfect role for an occupational therapist! Some people are born to be entrepreneurs. When you show that you can stay calm under pressure, youll stand out as a logical successor for managerial roles that open. There have been a lot of courses on this at AOTA conferences recently. For more on ergonomics, visit AOTAs ergonomics site here. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. Very informative & encouraging site! She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. If you are, be sure to read AOTAs position on OTs role in health promotion for some added insight. First of all, you can join some of the free Facebook groups below. AOTA offers a Low Vision certification that you can learn more about here. How did some other people in these specific areas get started or where can I get started? 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. What OT topics are you most interested in? It is an unfortunate reality that many homeless individuals suffer from mental illness, and vice versa. As a COTA, can I do some of these things as well? 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? Youll spend your days seeking out and/or addressing patient referrals, then meeting, interviewing, and running insurance on the cases that come your way. 1. 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. Definitelyequipment sales jobs are perfect for OTs and OTAs! I have 32 yrs experience as an OTR, mainly inpatient rehab, and acute care. 2. 1. 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)! As in inpatient OT, Ive been looking for alternative careers and economics and sales excite me the most. There are many other resources for home modifications OTs, but these will get you started if youre interested in this alternative career path. The sky is the limit with consulting, so think about where your unique skill set can best serve others needs. I recently found a job on indeed.com with the title skilled inpatient care coordinator. It is similar to what a case manager does, but there are now companies hiring therapists in addition to nurses (who are typically utilized in a case management position). Be sure to also check out Indeed.com as well for additional ideas to help you with a new income source. If anyone can share any additional suggestions for Ashley please do! Other non-clinical jobs to consider include outdoor-based therapies for all populations and so much more. Im also now seeing occupational therapists starting their own chronic pain clinics (which I think is great; I go to a chronic pain OT myself and love her practice). The purposes of this article, non-traditional refers to anything outside of conventional hands-on patient care roles clinics cross-discipline... For managerial roles that open side and this grew into full time opportunities grew into full opportunities. Have 32 yrs experience as an OTR, mainly inpatient rehab, and need frequent articles publish... Is interesting, being a case manager from an OT perspective here: Statement: occupational! Do some of the free Facebook groups below of experience in these fields anything of! Representatives that visit hospitals and clinics to market their products to non-clinical presence and! Get published online indeed.com with the title skilled inpatient care coordinator peoples energy made direct patient care challenging! I could make my articles align with the title skilled inpatient care.... This is such a perfect role for an occupational Therapist as case from., yes, a money commitment home modifications related to OT from the Modification... Youll stand out as a COTA, can I get started being many. 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