Other OT jobs besides nursing facilities & inpatient rehab?

[sailing09]

Do you think in a few years time there will be a growing number of other OT jobs available such as outpatient, vision rehab, ergonomics, etc. or do you think, especially due to healthcare reform, that OT will pretty much be only reimbursed for inpatient services? Do you think the other OT jobs will be hard to find?

Just getting people's opinions. I am considering a career change at age 34 so I have to think about the commitment of school, money, and the industry's future.

Thanks!

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[sailing09]

Since I have not received any replies to my post it is making me nervous. Is it because others fear the same thing?

 

[SDgirl858]

I am not too worried about the future of OT. I know it's a recession proof job and is in high demand. In the next few years I heard there is going to be a shortage of OTs. I am sure there will be more job openings and more opportunities, as you may know the job itself is growing and more and more ppl start to know about OTs. The profession is becoming more well known and popular. I am in the same boat as you. I started off as an accoutant and didn't like it to much now I am back in school pursuing OTs. I don't think it's too late to change career.

 

[sailing09]

Thanks for the reassurance! I used to do marketing and worked in corporate America but I am looking for something more meaningful.

 

[asianlad]

OT is a growing profession. Baby boomers are retiring and sadly autism is on the rise, which means that there will be a lot of OT jobs in the near future. OT is expected to grow 26% within the next few years.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/19.html

 

[freds3ws]

In the next few years I heard there is going to be a shortage of OTs.

THere is a huge shortage already! I am currently employed but we were thinking of relocating so I sent out resumes to another state. I literally got phone calls 3 hours after submitting my resume in some cases and never more than 36 hours after submission. As a new grad, it can be a little harder to pick and choose your position but once you have experience (15 years in my case!), it is not hard to find employement.

 

[TedB]

OT will still be in high demand. No one is really sure what the new legislation will do, but there are lobbyists in Washington working for our best interests. I am a first year OT student and I have already had recruitment calls asking me to come work for them. OTs will still be in the school system, private pay facilities, outpatient rehab, home health, and ergonomics. The great thing about OT is that it can be broad! Good luck, I think it will be a great profession.

 

[lizzo76]

I do think it's a growing field... care for the elderly, in particular, will be on the rise.

BUT, I would, in general, be wary of any claims of a mass exodus from the profession due to retirement of baby boomers. I already have one masters degree, in a field related to higher education. I was fortunate to have no problems finding jobs in that field, because I had a lot of earlier non-professional experience in it. But, "they" have been saying for as long as I can remember... 1996 or so... that there will be a huge number of openings in the near future, as older professionals retire. This has turned out to be one huge lie... well, early on, I think the claim "made sense" but as it has turned out not to be the case, both professional organizations and grad schools in the field continue to perpetuate that myth... so I think it's now a huge lie. More and more people flocked to the field because there were articles about how it's a "hot career" and that only made things worse.... more and more people are coming out of the grad programs, while no one is retiring, so most of the newbies can't fnd jobs. (And I am not just talking about the current economic situation and people holding off on retiring for a few years because of that. In general, fewer people are retiring at the usual age, and that has been the case since I started hearing claims of retirements back in 1996.)

So, while I agree that OT is a growing field because there is a growing NEED for OTs (which is different from my other field) I am wary of claims of retirements. And with OT getting as much press as it has been, I am worried about too many people graduating with OT degrees several years down the line. Eventually, things will level off and there won't be jobs.