Pediatric OTs

[AlmostThere01]

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Any pediatric OTs here? I'm looking to become one myself and wanted to know what the experience was like for those that are already there.

So how do you like it? What are some of the duties you're required to carry out? Pros, cons?

 

[Shelby029]

I'm not a ped's OT but that's where I have done most of my shadowing. Since no one is responding I'll give you what I saw. The main thing is to remember that you can read a million different things on the internet about OT but it doesn't compare to the first hand perspective of actually being there in the environment, which I'm sure is not even anything like being a therapist because they have a million more things running through their brain at the time.

In the ped's setting I have shadowed in two private outpatient clinics as well as a daycare specifically for special needs kids. I really liked the clinics because they seemed as if they had many resources and more individual time where as the daycare therapists seemed sort of frazzled because they had a huge caseload and limited equipment. I'm not sure that holds true across the board but that was my experience at the places I went.

A ped's OT will evaluate a child over several areas (seeing an eval really shows at all the aspects an OT looks at because they look at so many areas of a person). Depending on the evaluation the OT will decide what activities to do with the child to promote development in the areas they are lacking. For example (just a tiny example of what I saw) a child with fine motor difficulties the OT might set up a puzzle board and the pieces on opposite sides of the room and the child would get on a scooter board and lie on their stomach and have to use their arms to take the pieces one at a time across the room to put together a puzzle. The activity would strengthen the arms (which is important to do all the fine motor tasks) and help with practicing fine motor with their hands.

They did so many different things with kids who had entirely different diagnosis' which I would say was positive. Most of the time the kids enjoyed it as well and they got to see improvement.

The cons I notices were paperwork (quite a bit on each child, but I sort of seemed that each therapist did it at a different pace so I suppose you figure out how to get it done quickly after a while), also parents that don't comply, children that throw tantrums occasionally.

Hope that helped a bit and that you get a real OT's answer!

 

[AlmostThere01]

Thanks for replying, Shelby029. I'm surprised there aren't any other aspiring or current pediatric ot's on this board!

Yeah, I also volunteered in Peds in the hospital I was at. I loved seeing the therapists work with the toddlers and infants, especially those with torticollis. However, it was usually a PT who did most of the work with those patients and it seemed fascinating. Would an OT work with a patient with torticollis or is that strictly a PT thing?

Also, I was interested in seeing what it was like for OTs who work with both children and adults. Which area is more rewarding to work in? Is there diversity in working with both groups? I also heard that Pediatric OTs make less money than OTs that work with adults.

Questions like that lol.

 

[exrx]

Thanks for replying, Shelby029. I'm surprised there aren't any other aspiring or current pediatric ot's on this board!

Any pediatric OTs here?

It is mainly because this is SDN (a student forum).

 

[Shelby029]

AlmostThere01 I watched some PT's as well, I did shadowing in that area first because that is what I was originally planning on pursuing. I enjoyed watching the PT sessions with the little ones as well! I really think it depends on where you work if you would be treating things like that. I asked an OT I shadowed about it and she said that for babies PT and OT look a lot alike but when they hit toddler age they start to differentiate in treatment.

I would assume if the child had just torticollis and no other delays or diagnosis they would only receive PT, but if there were other things they had delays in possibly both. One of the PTs I was watching treat a baby with torticollis said she often sees it caused in babies that were in the NICU for a while (all the action, or machines are positioned to one side causing a baby to look only one way). So if it was in the NICU or prematurity or another condition it may need any combo of PT/OT/Speech.

Like I said this is only from my observations, am I most definitely not a professional (yet)! I would love to hear from someone with experience working in ped's though!