I am a single mother of 3 and financially cant afford to go back to school or take time off work. In academia, If you have already successfully been through ACOTE accreditation for say transitioning from Masters to Doctoral program, you may qualify to be a hired as consultant to other Universities making that same transition. Definitely check it out! Very informative & encouraging site! There are many avenues your non-traditional OT career could take, but here we highlight nine of the most common. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. What would be most helpful for you? OTs can be trained in and administer cognitive behavioral therapy to populations in need. Writing is awesome, though. Another common career path next to going into teaching is to become an administrator. Heres where working with a career coach or career counselor can be very helpful. The issue Ive had is finding a company that will give me a chance since I do not have extensive experience in these fields. Just this week I quit my job from acute care. Here are several types of OT-related businesses you can create. Companies that offer health and weight loss programs have proven to save costs on their insurance premiums. Any career transition requires self-discipline and time. These articles are basically done-for-you informational interviews of all sorts of rehab professionals in non-traditional roles . Read more about being a case manager from an OT perspective here:Statement: The Occupational Therapist as Case Manager. Rehab liaisons, also known as intake coordinators or intake liaisons, are responsible for finding the right patients for inpatient rehab facilities/inpatient rehab units (IRFs/IRUs). 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. Im always excited to hear about even more versatile ways our degrees can be used. There is a really great Facebook group called Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals that has many COTAs in the group that have successfully switched gears into other ventures. If going back to college to work isnt your thing, you can also teach continuing education courses around the country in your specialty. I have 28 years in as a COTA in the nursing home setting. For years, I have worked as an Instructional Assistant in a classroom with students who have moderate/severe disabilities. You may remember studying this briefly for the NBCOT. If youre going in this direction, check out Home Modification OT Alliance! Thank you, Andy! You can become an OT professor, an adjunct instructor, a tutor, a subject matter expert, or a con-ed instructor. Id like to add two more to your list. To get started, Upwork is a great platform that most businesses hire their writers from. 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. OTs are perfect for becoming Assistive Technology Professionals since we use it regularly with our patients, whether its low tech or high techassistive technology. Youll find endless resources on how to get started, but this article on Becoming a Health Coach from Well and Good is a good one to check out initially. Occupational injustices present an exciting non-traditional/non-clinical community based setting in which to do holistic OT treatment. If they work as a cash business, not getting paid through insurance. Its been such a fun journey and the amount of knowledge I have gained is invaluable! So many interesting ideas here! Much thanks The Alternative Careers for Rehabilitation Professionals Facebook group is an active and growing group of over 18,000 members, created for people looking for non-clinical OT career options. They would be providing services, but would they need an OTR? If you love patient care, but hate the physical and emotional toll it takes, definitely look into becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison). I found this information to be interesting but wanted to see if others had any additional thoughts on job opportunities. Thank you! If youre lucky enough to live near any of the 10 ADA centers in the U.S., you can also offer to volunteer. Getting back to driving under these circumstances is not always straightforward and requires the intervention of an OT specialist. SMS professionals are actually specialized ATPs! 1. If you are, be sure to read AOTAs position on OTs role in health promotion for some added insight. Director of Rehab and OT Supervisor probably sound familiar to you. Hi Jeanne, For example, some cases are more about chart reviews and writing your expert opinion based on what youve read. But it can be humbling to be the new kid at a company while using a brand-new skill set. Thanks! Luckily, there are tons of alternative jobs that you can land with your occupational therapy degree. My OT Spot uses cookies to improve your experience. There is more to it than you might think, and if youre interested, Id recommend checking out The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists. For me (Sarah), my hobby of writing an OT blog became a career when I switched my mindset. 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. . I am working as a paraprofessional in the school but I feel I can find something that uses my knowledge and skills closer to what I went to school for. Given the number of paths you can take within education, theres really no one set path to get there. If you want more info, heres a comprehensive guide on Merediths site that covers transitioning from clinician to copywriter. So I was trying to see if I would fit in any other career with my associates degree. Is there anything stopping a COTA from going into business or private practice on their own? 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. The first thing that often comes to mind on this front is starting your own private practice. Thank you for reading and any input you may have. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. These alternative career ideas come from an array of different conversations that Ive been a part of with other OTs at work and online. A byline is an attribution for authorship of an article. 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. Many times, insurance and Medicare auditors dont really understand the interventions were providing. Family or community commitments can also change over the years, which can impact your desire and ability to work in clinical care. I would like to help people with mental illness gain and retain employment. Areas of focus include office ergonomics, production ergonomics, musculo-skeletal injury prevention, general health and wellness promotion. Ive been in the field about 16 years and ticked off a few of these myself: administration, education and medical device sales, so I am proof that these are all really possible. May I reach out to possibly feature you on The Non-Clinical PT?? Figured this might help some of you looking for something different. Love the examples of people highlighted in non-traditional roles at the end! Nice! A headshot is an easy way to start establishing your personal brand. 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. That said, you dont need any additional training to write for your next career! I am an OT with 20+ years experience in SNF but really needing a change. Plus, you get ALL of her crash courses included with your enrollment. I am a COTA/L in NC with over 22 years of experience mainly in pediatrics. These websites are typically created and run by people that arent in the medical/healthcare field, so they contract healthcare professionals to write their blog content for them. The best part about being an OT entrepreneur is that you have the freedom to choose what youre most passionate about. It has templates for your CV, resume, and cover letter, and it provides guidance on the interview and presentation parts of landing a role. OTs are usability experts, and were perfectly positioned to take on consulting roles involving workplace safety, design challenges, and the removal of barriers in parks, office buildings, and residential complexes. 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. Go to usability meetups. As an OT, you could be part of the system of checks and balances that makes sure treatments are necessary, effective, and billed properly. Youll know if youre one of those people pretty quickly . I have 32 yrs experience as an OTR, mainly inpatient rehab, and acute care. These roles are ideal for OTs who have an eye for noticing potential hazards in peoples homes. 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. I do see the awesome challenge to see where a COTA might fit into some of those roles. She is also the host of the OT Potential Podcast. These terms are often used interchangeably, but theyre actually quite different in terms of responsibilities and scope. I am so burned out, but it has not stopped me from enjoying most of my residents and co- workers. With driving rehab, you are still working with patients butare much more focused on one specific aspect of their life. 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). I would love to connect with you and chat is there a way to share contact info here? Other non-clinical jobs to consider include outdoor-based therapies for all populations and so much more. Also is there any volunteer activities that I could be doing in the mean time that could help me out ? Some require that you take a steep pay cut to enter the field. All the allopathic therapies leave some side effects on the patients care. For those with a considerable amount of experience in a particular OT area ( ex. At this time I need to take care of me, but I might need to try something else to bring in income. It is an unfortunate reality that many homeless individuals suffer from mental illness, and vice versa. I have volunteered and shadowed, finished my pre-req.s, etc. 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. Organize lunches and in-services. The world of education is filled with opportunities for OTs. Martin. For more on ergonomics, visit AOTAs ergonomics site here. If there is anything that I can do here on this website or collaborate with evidenced based research or any type of publication to get this good word out, please do let me know!!! This is Merediths flagship course. 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. It can be a strange feeling to start to self-identify as something other than an OT. 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. Many positions that you did propose are more towards OTRs? ATP professionals create accessibility technology for those with disabilities. 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? Explore different options/gain experience before leaving your day job, 8 specific non-traditional OT jobs you can look into, Non-Clinical Jobs and Networking for PT/OT/SLP Professionals, Non-Clinical 101: The Complete Guide to Launching Your Non-Clinical Career (Save $75), You can read more about my own non-traditional journey, including how I built OT Potential, in my spotlight, Here are some sites that sometimes accept high-quality guest posts from occupational therapists, interview on her career path into OT academia, becoming a rehab liaison (or clinical liaison), this inspiring story about a 90-year-old occupational therapist, UX Design and User Experience Design for Beginners, Become a UX Designer Learn the Skills and Get the Job, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. Do holistic i don t want to be an occupational therapist anymore treatment chat is there a way to start to self-identify as something than... 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