Any occupational therapists out there?

[Lilac]

I''m starting to apply to Occupational Therapy programs in the fall (starting to fill out applications around October/November time to start in September 2010). I know I have seen a couple people on PS mention that they are occupational therapists or know OTs and I was wondering if any of you are in the New York area (NYC/NJ/Queens, Long Island, etc.)

I have pretty much completed all my prerequisite classes for grad school, with the exception of one which I am finishing this semester, but I need to volunteer or observe in an occupational therapy practice somewhere. Most of the schools I''m applying to don''t require volunteer hours, but they *strongly* recommend them (and therefore I really would like to volunteer before filling out applications). I have already contacted one place, but they don''t know if they have room for me to observe and they will let me know in about 2 weeks, but meanwhile I''m looking for other places because I don''t want to rely on this. Anyone have any suggestions? Nursing home OT, children''s OT, spinal cord injuries OT - anything and everything out there I would be interested in observing.

If anyone has any suggestions of places to volunteer/observe (or general insights into the field of occupational therapy) any and all suggestions and advice are *greatly* appreciated!

 

[D&T]

Does the hospitals have a rehab unit that they use OT, PTs? have you tried there? when I was an OT aide, we had a couple of volunteers. BTW how exciting, I had thought about going in that route back when I was 19. Its a great field.

 

[chiapet]

Hi Lilac,
I''m an OT and work in Manhattan. Welcome to the field! Have you contacted hospitals and nursing homes and asked if you can volunteer? They''re usually pretty good about letting students observe. My friend is the OT director at this hospital in Brooklyn and I''ve sent students his way before. I know that most university hospitals (like Harlem Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian, St. Luke''s) have a big rehab center and will accommodate volunteers. Even if you can''t sit in the OT department, you''ll at least be able to observe the rehab department as a whole.
If you have any other questions about OT, feel free to ask me!

 

[Lilac]

Thanks so much D&T and chiapet - I really appreciate the advice!

I''ll try looking into hospitals and contacting people there to see if I can come observe.

chiapet - What area do you specialize in? Do you enjoy it? Did you go to school in NY? Thanks so much for the advice!

 

[Haven]

Hi, Lilac!

My husband is an OT, but he no longer practices as one because he found a different discipline that is better aligned to his beliefs about the body and how it works.

He did say that he found many people he met in OT school were not prepared for the emotional drain that can come with being an OT. His advice is to do exactly what you''re trying to do--get experience in different settings to see the range of experiences you''ll have as an OT. He knows a couple people who went through the entire program only to learn that they didn''t have it in them to work in what they found to be really sad environments.

Congratulations on your decision to go back to school! Good luck getting placements!

 

[Lilac]

Date: 8/13/2009 10:30:42 PM
Author: Haven
Hi, Lilac!

My husband is an OT, but he no longer practices as one because he found a different discipline that is better aligned to his beliefs about the body and how it works.

He did say that he found many people he met in OT school were not prepared for the emotional drain that can come with being an OT. His advice is to do exactly what you''re trying to do--get experience in different settings to see the range of experiences you''ll have as an OT. He knows a couple people who went through the entire program only to learn that they didn''t have it in them to work in what they found to be really sad environments.

Congratulations on your decision to go back to school! Good luck getting placements!

Thanks so much for the advice, Haven! I remember you mentioning that your husband did something with the human body and muscles (was he the one who had the cake with all the muscles in the body?) but I didn''t realize he was an OT (even if he no longer practices as one)!

It''s interesting you say that about it being emotionally draining. I originally started thinking about OT because of my uncle - he was in an accident when he was 21 years old (this was about 20 years ago) and he became paralyzed. He now is confined to a wheelchair and doesn''t have full use of his hands, but credits his occupational therapists with teaching him how to do things such as eat, write, and type on a computer (among other things). He says they were so supportive both emotionally and physically and they were amazing during his recovery and transition into life as someone who is paralyzed.

I often wonder if I would have the ability to work with spinal cord injury patients. Even though my uncle''s situation is what originally made me consider OT, I don''t know if I could handle always working with spinal cord injury patients. I think for me personally it would be too emotionally draining. I really REALLY admire those who can do it though, and I will want to observe OTs in that area to get a sense of what it''s really like. I would like to see OTs who work with children as well, and also OTs who work in nursing homes or with less serious injuries to see if that''s something I would like to specialize in.

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[chiapet]

I agree. It definitely takes an emotional toll on you to work with all these people with disabilities. I used to work in the NICU and would just have meltdowns when a baby passed away. I realized very quickly that the NICU is NOT the setting for me so I switched to outpatient and then to school placements. Like many other jobs, you''ll just have to try out different settings and figure out which one is best suited for you.
Haven, I didn''t know your husband was an OT! That''s awesome. We hardly ever find a male in our field.