OT demand in San Diego?

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linalina

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Hello,

I am in my mid-30s looking forward to a major career change into a healthcare career. I had been looking at nursing as an option but after looking into Occupational Therapy, I'm definitely interested. I currently live on the east coast but also want to relocate back to San Diego to be closer to my family. I really like the idea of enabling people to function better and improve their daily lives. I am looking into shadow opportunities in my current area before I proceed but want to make sure that there isn't something that would prevent me from relocating to the San Diego area if I chose this as a career. (Not utilized as heavily as other areas for some reason? Higher supply than demand? etc)

I have a BS from UC Irvine and I'm currently taking pre-reqs at a community college. The only additional class that I would need to take seems to be Physics, which is a class that I've taken quite a few years ago.

Also, if someone has any input on the University of St Augustine in San Marcos, I'd appreciate the input. I'm considering going to school on the east coast and then trying to find a job in San Diego but seems even better if I could go to school in the San Diego area as well and that seems to be the only school in the area.

Any insight is appreciated.

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Hey Linalina,

From what I know after living in southern Cali for 10 years, the demand for occupational therapists is still high. California is fortunate in that we are such a populated state and that also allows for OT's to work in a variety of areas. Those who want to work in a school system may struggle to find a good contract depending on the district. At least that is what I have heard from friends who work in special education and speech therapy there.
I am in a similar position as you and changed careers.. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. :)
 
Popular areas in the country like San Diego will have less demand. But it necessarily mean you wont get a job, you might get paid a bit less.
 
I currently attend the St. Augustine San Marcos campus. I was able to start early in May, so I am 3 weeks in. I have to say I am impressed with the different backgrounds from the OT class. Many of the students are already married, and for many OT is a 2nd career. There are also the younger ones (21-25, single, first graduate program). I like that the campus is small, and the OT classes are about 17 students, so we are getting pretty close. Many commute to campus because they live with their families. I would say the average commute is about 15-20 minutes, but I know of people that live in downtown SD or even Temecula that commute to the campus as well. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM or ask on the forum. Best of luck, and I hope you decide to become an OT, because it is a very fun profession.
 
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