Other OT-Related Information Why do you/did you want to be an OT?

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OTgirl29

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As someone who is really looking into this field...I would love to know why you want to become an OT? What made you choose OT versus other health care fields?

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I wanted to be a PT at first, but after observing in a clinic with both PTs and OTs I felt that OTs had to think outside the box a little more and that they were a little more versatile.
 
So much more creative potential with OT! I'm a very creative person and love to learn new activities. It's a great fit for people who are avid DIYer's!
 
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I was going to apply to PT school back when I was in college, but decided it felt a bit too repetitive and thought I would get bored. I didn't even know about OT at this time. Then I went pre-med, but my heart wasn't in it. Then I thought about pharmacy and PA, but they just didn't feel right. Once I discovered OT everything clicked--lots of creativity is involved so boredom is not an option, plus there are many areas to specialize in and explore. The OTs I spoke to said they are always learning, which is exciting to me. It is also very social job and you're on your feet all day, something I knew I wanted after working at a desk and in front of screens.

As far as why I chose this over the others, mostly medicine and pharmacy felt too impersonal. Many people become docs or PAs because they want to diagnose, but I prefer to build relationships and be an active part of the patient's recovery.
 
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Like a few have said before, I also wanted to do PT initially. However, my impression through several settings was that PT was very impersonal and focused more on just rehabilitating injuries, in my humble opinion. OT to me was a lot more hands on, includes an enormous mental and psychological aspect of patient care which I really enjoy, includes way more personal involvement with patients and requires a tremendous amount of critical thinking on a patient-to-patient basis. Settings in OT are also nearly endless, between geriatrics, peds, SI, sub-acute, trauma, etc... so regardless of your personality/preference, there is a setting out there for you.
Also, just from personal experiences in undergrad (so take with a grain of salt, and no disrespect intended), prospective OT students are so much more hospitable and down to earth and friendlier than other healthcare students (PT/PA etc), which seems like a superficially silly generalization, but I knew pretty early that my personality and friendliness was much more suited towards OT.
 
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I've been an OT for nearly 6 years and I was turned off by PT because it focused more on the physical rehabilitation piece. When you work with people, it is NEVER just a physical problem. There's always more pieces to the puzzle like a person's psychological feelings about the illness/disability, his/her support group, economic circumstances etc. OT allows you to take a "big picture" look at your patient and see how all of those pieces fit together when you are trying to rehabilitate them. As an OT, you are often trying to fit the person with his/her occupation and/or environment. What I mean is that if someone is having trouble with eating, you have to determine if it's a strength, dexterity, coordination etc problem or if the patient needs adapted equipment like a curved spoon to make it easier. Or perhaps, the person is perfectly able to feed himself/herself but the surrounding environment is distracting or puts obstacles in the way of the person being able to do it independently. That is the kind of problem solving that you do as an OT. If you're a compassionate person who likes to be creative and try different things, you will do well in OT. That fits me--I didn't want to do just have a set of exercises as a go-to for solving problems. In OT, you can do exercise especially if that is what the person really respond to for treatment but you have the option of doing actual, functional tasks. The fit depends on each person.

I've met a lot of PTs, OTs and SLPs and I didn't have a problem with anyone as long as they were professional and not immature, lol. Here are my generalizations that I've observed (and had a manager also state to me!). It is based upon appearance. PTs tend to be more of the athletic sort and into sports. OTs are more practical in dress. We are more about comfortable shoes, pockets for different treatment ideas and many of us like scrubs because we do deal with bathroom trips and eating. Speech tends to dress up a lot and even use makeup although that surprises me since they do deal with coughing and phlegm, lol. Just my observations from the jobs that I've had, lol. But most of us rehab professional are friendly and willing to work together. I would go into a field that fits you in terms of personality so know what kind of a person you are. If you like structure and routine, PT may be a better fit. OT is a better fit for people who like spontaneity, flexibility and seeing the big picture, in my humble opinion. Hope that helps.
 
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I Have two family members who have special needs and grew up exposed to therapy because of it and I knew I wanted to do something that would allow me to work with special needs--from my shadowing I figured out that all of the aspects that I like about speech and PT, I would be able to do as an OT but not vice versa.
 
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