Other OT-Related Information Exploring OT as an option

[hw2h]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello all,
Long story short (I posted the long story on this forum a while ago), I used to want to go to medical school, but decided it wasn't for me. If you're interested in why, I think you should be able to check some of my old posts and figure out why (I don't say this to be rude but rather I want to keep the post as short as possible so that people actually read it lol). So i started to look for the next options.

OT was really one of the first things to come to mind. This is because 1) I personally worked with an OT for YEARS (specifically on trying to improve my handwriting. My handwriting is still crap but it's a lot less crap than it would have been without her). and 2) OT is actually one of the professions I have shadowed, and one of the experiences always stuck with me. But even then I waited a few months to post here because I wanted to do some more shadowing/exploring in real life.

Anyway I just had a few basic questions, as I am still in the process of "exploring". I have read a ton of threads via searching but just wanted to ask a few questions myself.

1) What is it about the OT profession that drew you to it? Just curious as I like to make sure I'm interested for good reason/Have an idea of what other people love about it.
2) How "Hard" is OT school/the profession. Obviously i expect it to be the hardest thing I've ever done, and I think my mental health has improved to the point where I can handle large large amounts of stress. But the main reason I crossed out medical school is because (to quote someone on this forum) I know it's a "furnace" and a lot of healthy people go in and come out not healthy. So going in knowing I have certain issues seemed like a bad idea.
3) what would be the best way to rehabilitate a crappy transcript? My transcript will likely be a 6 year college career with a ton of repeats in some sciences, a few Cs/Ds, two Fs, and a bunch of Ws. Not to mention a transfer. I was thinking maybe I'd graduate and then try to do a DIY postbacc at my local state university while volunteering somewhere related to the profession.


Thank you for any responses I get. I know you don't have to take the time to read and definitely don't have to take the time to respond.

 

[deleted517237]

Hi there, hope this helps!

1) I was drawn to the one-to-one nature of therapy (was a high school teacher prior and felt overwhelmed with so many kids to juggle), the variety of job settings and flexibility, and helping people with life skills. My brother is a PT and he also urged me to go into it because of the high demand and sign-on bonuses he was hearing about.
2) Getting into OT school is hard because more people are becoming aware of the demand and more qualified candidates are applying each year. In my experience, OT school was as hard and rigorous as we wanted it to be. It is not nearly as rigorous or competitive as med school or law school. It's not easy, but it encompasses so many different things that it can be overwhelming to a lot of students. But OT school was also a lot of fun! We grew together as a cohort and I'm thankful for all the friendships I made.
3)I think retaking and excelling at pre req classes at a community college would show maturity and you could highlight your renewed attitude towards school and life. Volunteering is always a great idea. I think if it were something involving collaboration and working as part of team to complete a project of some sort, it would be even more compelling on an application. I don't think it necessarily has to be related to OT, as long as it is genuine and shows off what unique perspective/skills you can add to the OT profession.

 

[newgradot]

If you or anyone else is interested in OT, you should check out this popular articles. http://www.newgradoccupationaltherapy.com/top-6-reasons-occupational-therapist/. It doesn't directly answer your questions about school, but it'll give you some insight on why some of us love occupational therapy!