General Admissions & OTCAS Ask A (school based) OTR!

[EmpowerOT]

Greetings aspiring OTs! I recall the anxiety during the application process, I hope you are navigating it well. I'm here to answer any questions you may have from my experience with the application process, fieldwork, to salary expectations etc. I am a school-based OTR. I attended a school that only evaluated the last 60 credit hours, allowing me to overcome challenges from some of my undergraduate grades. I completed my program with flying colors, and I wanted to provide hope to those of you who are stressed and full of anxiety about the whole process, including the job hunt etc. Feel free to inquire about any aspect of my experience!

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[CactusOT]

Seriously? Are you a business, school, or OT consulting/services firm? If so, you should probably disclose the information.

 

[EmpowerOT]

Seriously? Are you a business, school, or OT consulting/services firm? If so, you should probably disclose the information.

I have no affiliations to a business, consulting service or firm. I am just an OT who was trying to offer advice or answer questions to be kind to people who went through the same process I did. There are physicians in the MD section who do just this, and I must say I am surprised by the reaction a bit.

 

[yamzzzz]

Hello, thank you for offering to share your experience! What does your day to day look like? Do you travel a lot to different schools within your district?

 

[EmpowerOT]

Hello, thank you for offering to share your experience! What does your day to day look like? Do you travel a lot to different schools within your district?

I go to three schools in my district, this is fairly typical. I have 34 students on my case load. Each district has different case loads: ranging from 25-80, often with help from a COTA if you have more students. There are no "productivity" or billing demands as are often found in clinical settings. The great part of my job is that I get summers, winter break, spring break off, I get to be in a union along with all the benefits of collective bargaining, and in my district the salary is strong in my opinion. I think the flexibility is unmatched.

 

[chichi_syd]

I go to three schools in my district, this is fairly typical. I have 34 students on my case load. Each district has different case loads: ranging from 25-80, often with help from a COTA if you have more students. There are no "productivity" or billing demands as are often found in clinical settings. The great part of my job is that I get summers, winter break, spring break off, I get to be in a union along with all the benefits of collective bargaining, and in my district the salary is strong in my opinion. I think the flexibility is unmatched.

What area are you located in?

 

[beestrng]

has your overall compensation decreased last 8 years? Looks like I have to work more to keep the same level of income/benefits.

 

[EmpowerOT]

has your overall compensation decreased last 8 years? Looks like I have to work more to keep the same level of income/bene

I live in the beautiful Pacific North West, unions are quite strong here, and I would estimate that my pay has exceeded inflation. Most Americans are concerned about having to work harder to keep up with the cost of living, however I have not had to do this. As an OT there are opportunities for "extra work" for therapists who wish to add to their income by picking up PRN work at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, or pediatric outpatient settings. Therapists with a doctorate degree do make more money in educational settings usually. If you have 5 years or so of experience an OT in an educational setting in this region (coastal anyways) you can expect to make 100k+.