Other OT-Related Information Good/Relevant Jobs prior to applying to Master's programs?

[CitySkyL_14]

Hi everybody,

I'm highly considering going for my Master's in Occupational Therapy. But i'm in a bit of a bind at the moment, and I need some advice.

In about a month, I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I have not taken any OT pre-requisite classes or had my shadowing experiences yet, but I feel like it is something that I will really want to do as a career. I will be graduating with ~3.5 GPA. I've had one poster presentation at a conference and research experience since I was a junior in college (past 2 years). I thought I wanted to do Psychology, but realized all the research isn't for me. I do enjoy it to an extent and think it's very important, but I don't want to do 5-7 years of it. Plus I want to work directly with people.

I am wondering if working as a Clinical Research Coordinator position in a Psychology department at a hospital will be relevant to what I am wanting to pursue. I would, ideally, like to attend Ohio State for grad school, or University of Illinois-Champaign, University of Chicago, and a few others I have in mind. I know many of these schools seek importance in the research aspect. But I'm wondering if I should be looking for a job that is more hands on until I am wanting to apply.

Does anyone have any advice on a job I should be pursuing after graduation? I'm looking to work for 2 years before I go back to school. Is there anything I should be doing to get into one of these schools, or any advice in general?

Thank you so much for any advice you have. I figured it would be a good place to get help.

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[msot4me]

I think that should be fine. Honestly, many schools seem to like people with diverse backgrounds, meaning that you do not necessarily need a job that is relevant to OT. Before you commit to this crazy process you really should shadow some OTs.

 

[alansda]

Hi everybody,

I'm highly considering going for my Master's in Occupational Therapy. But i'm in a bit of a bind at the moment, and I need some advice.

In about a month, I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I have not taken any OT pre-requisite classes or had my shadowing experiences yet, but I feel like it is something that I will really want to do as a career. I will be graduating with ~3.5 GPA. I've had one poster presentation at a conference and research experience since I was a junior in college (past 2 years). I thought I wanted to do Psychology, but realized all the research isn't for me. I do enjoy it to an extent and think it's very important, but I don't want to do 5-7 years of it. Plus I want to work directly with people.

I am wondering if working as a Clinical Research Coordinator position in a Psychology department at a hospital will be relevant to what I am wanting to pursue. I would, ideally, like to attend Ohio State for grad school, or University of Illinois-Champaign, University of Chicago, and a few others I have in mind. I know many of these schools seek importance in the research aspect. But I'm wondering if I should be looking for a job that is more hands on until I am wanting to apply.

Does anyone have any advice on a job I should be pursuing after graduation? I'm looking to work for 2 years before I go back to school. Is there anything I should be doing to get into one of these schools, or any advice in general?

Thank you so much for any advice you have. I figured it would be a good place to get help.

I had a similar background in psych research and I believe my research involvement, evidenced through a CV, set me apart from many other candidates. But I had to get my foot in the door first through the regular means. By regular I mean by having a GPA and GRE above the school's average score, completing all pre-reqs with an A, and having above the minimum volunteer hours from varied settings.

Since you say you haven't taken any OT pre-reqs or had any shadowing experiences yet, dedicating enough time to do these is really important.

To answer your question, typical jobs of prospective OT students are ABA therapy, clinical aide (at some rehab clinic), teacher's aide/tutoring, yoga or athletic coaching, nursing-related, and other similar fields. In my opinion, having an OT-related job, like a therapy/rehab aide under an OT, has a triple value. First, you get an income--though it's not lucrative pay! Second, you can fulfill a lot of volunteer hours. Third, you can get a kickass letter of rec. from your supervisor (or two if you worked closely with two therapists!). Getting a psych research job won't preclude you from getting in, and it might even give you an advantage over other candidates, but it's probably not the most time-efficient way of gaining admission in my opinion.

Start shadowing and see if this is what you really want!

 

[USCOT16]

I graduated with my Bachelors in Psychology, and had about half a year before applying to schools. I worked as an ABA therapist in a special education classroom and really enjoyed the experience. I got paid $18/hr and I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with an autistic child. Similar to OT, I had the chance to work on goals and take data on my child's progress. This gave me great hands-on experience. I also got the chance to observe the child while they received occupational therapy. But then again it depends on what you want to do since I personally know that I want to be a pediatric OT.

 

[CitySkyL_14]

Thank you everybody for your responses! I've almost accepted this research job, but I just wasn't sure how much it would actually help me.

 

[CitySkyL_14]

I graduated with my Bachelors in Psychology, and had about half a year before applying to schools. I worked as an ABA therapist in a special education classroom and really enjoyed the experience. I got paid $18/hr and I had the opportunity to work one-on-one with an autistic child. Similar to OT, I had the chance to work on goals and take data on my child's progress. This gave me great hands-on experience. I also got the chance to observe the child while they received occupational therapy. But then again it depends on what you want to do since I personally know that I want to be a pediatric OT.

Did you get your certification in Applied Behavior Analysis?

 

[ExceptionalSea]

that position sounds perfectly applicable to OT. you will still have to do some direct observation experience with OTs and take your pre-reqs, but it sounds like you already know that. it's good that you're giving yourself some time to work and prepare your grad school application.

as someone else said, some programs look for a diversity of backgrounds so it's okay if you are not working in direct patient care or with OTs. the job you have lined up sounds pretty relevant to OT anyway even though it's not EXACTLY OT.

i personally did not work in the health care field, did research, or worked in anything therapy-related and was able to get accepted into a program. (in fact, during undergrad i was so liberally-arts focused that i barely took any science classes until i took the pre-reqs for OT years later). i am just saying that so others can get the sense that there are some schools who want a variety of professional and educational backgrounds. you are right that the schools you are seeking to attend are probably more research oriented. in that case the job you have sounds perfect for entry into those types of programs. good luck!

 

[imend002]

Hey! I was wondering what you decided to do. I am in a similar situation:
I am currently starting my second year as an OT grad student in Florida International University. I am also a BCaBA and have been working in ABA for almost 5 years. It was a very difficult decision for me to choose OT over ABA for a masters program. At first, I thought it was because I wanted to work with different disabilities other than autism and I wanted the option to work with different age groups as well. Now that I am a year into the program, I am having serious doubts as to whether or not I made the right decision. My original plan was to get my masters in OT and then apply for the BCBA (since all you needed was a masters). But now I have realized that it is not realistic to practice both professions, it is either one or the other. The more that I learned about other disabilities in pediatrics I realized that autism was the path I wanted to pursue. It is what I know and I am passionate about. I also realized that OT plays only a small role in autism in comparison to ABA. OT is a beautiful career but I feel that my brain is wired in ABA principles. I am seriously considering dropping out of the OT masters (it is a very tough full time program and it is a lot of money!), and completing the masters program in ABA online. However, I am scared that I am not making an informed decision. I am about to start my level 1 fieldwork in OT in two weeks. I will be going abroad to Chile. I decided that I will see how I feel after that month working in a clinic and then decide whether I will return to fall semester or not. The clinic I will be working in is an adult neurorehab clinic (totally different form anything I have done in the past).

Anyways, I wanted to know what you decided to do? Any thoughts or suggestions??
Thank you so much for your time!