General Admissions & OTCAS Business to OT - Is it for me?!

[NewToOT123]

Hello all!

I am looking for perspective and any insight on making a career change from the business world to OT. I graduated in 2015 with a B.S. in Resource Economics, with a business concentration. This major was a part of our School of Social Behavioral Sciences and revolved around using economic principles to make decisions in business. Throughout my internships and work experiences, I have worked in HR, Marketing, Events and Sales.

After hours of thought, research and reflection I have decided the path I am on is not fulfilling nor the right fit. I have landed on OT and am exploring it as a new career and would appreciate any and all input given this career change will require time, study and finances.

With my undergrad, work experience and lack of pre reqs (anatomy &physiology, abnormal psych, etc...) in mind how likely would it be that I be accepted into a program? What types of things can I do to prepare? What would you advise be my plan of action?

Also very interested to know what led you to enter the OT field!

Thank you for any input!

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[ThatAcquaKid]

Hey there! I am going through a career change as well. You 100% will need the pre-reqs. A/P will be required, abnormal psych is usually required, as well as developmental psych, statistics, sociology, and other psych classes as well. Many of the programs you can apply to even without all the pre-reqs completed, but you need to be honest with your ability to complete them by the time they require it (usually just before their session starts). GRE is also required for many (but not all) schools. Shadowing/Observing is also going to be required. Maybe try to start there! That's what I did! It allows you some insight on some of the job details and it helps for your applications! Good luck with everything! It can definitely be challenging and stressful, but if it is truly a career you're interested in, it's worth it.

 

[nOTeworthy]

Just have the prerequisites and you'll be fine. Doesn't matter where you're coming from. My background was psychology and IT.

 

[OT3]

Schools don't look at you much differently than other candidates who are straight out of undergrad. From my understanding, most schools like people coming from different backgrounds! Get your pre-reqs done at community college and shadow in different settings and with different populations. It's not only a requirement to apply but will also allow you to gain more insight on the profession to make sure it is something you truly want to do! Don't rush the whole process of applying to schools either.. make sure you take anatomy and physiology before you apply and that they're not "in progress" schools will hold off accepting because those are important courses.

 

[MrTL]

I earned a degree in Economics in 2009. I worked in the fitness industry from now until then. It took a year to get all the major prereqs done (excluding things like bio, physics, and chem but including A&P, the psych courses, stats, medical terms, and social sciences). During this past year, I racked up some serious hours in different OT settings, received amazing LOR's, and wrote a bomb-axe essay about my unique experiences and how it will help me in the future becoming an OT and how I can contribute to the OT community.

Depending on your experiences and what you need to get done, you might be able to get it all done in a year like me or it may take two or three years. I was lucky to not have any student loans from undergrad so I could zoom into everything required to get ready to apply to my OT schools of choice.

 

[SparkleShineOT]

Hi NewToOT,

Congrats on making the choice to change careers. I'm currently is an MOT program but came from a law background. I would recommend looking at schools that you might be interested in attending and seeing what the prerequisites are. They will vary, but most want abnormal psych, pathology, gross anatomy, developmental psych, all of which you will use in OT school. I would discourage you from applying unless most of your prerequisites are complete.

Since you finished your bachelor's degree more than 5 years ago, I would recommend getting your transcripts and asking for a meeting with the school, to see if they will make you retake some of the perquisites that you might have already taken like math and sociology.

Many schools will also let you know which classes they will accept from another school (like my program was specific about the upper level bio that you needed to take). As the previous poster said, go to the cheapest place for prereqs. If you have a state school near you that has an OT program, the most likely have a pre-OT program, I recommend checking them out. The benefit is that it will be very easy to get observation hours, and meet OT students. They are also most likely to offer all of the prereqs in one place. Gross Anatomy seems to be a difficult class to get into, and my program was also particular about which A&P they would accept. I advise taking a class that has dissection, it's defiantly worth the challenge.

There are folks in my program that are coming from a business background too, you are at least prepared for all of the group work!
Good luck!

 

[gOT2beOT]

I am in the same boat. I recently graduated in May with a BS in Healthcare Administration. I originally to school with OT in mind but my path derailed and I chose business instead. Working now, I realize the same - I know I can do more to serve others in a fulfilling way. It is definitely a huge decision to commit to this process but do your research and you will figure out what steps you need to take. My advice is creating a spreadsheet of all of the schools, courses, GRE codes, application deadlines, and contact info. Good luck to you!