General Admissions & OTCAS Question about Work?

[anthonyrizzo]

Hey guys,

So I am currently working part time (about 25 hours a week) at a well known rehab clinic (Athletico) as a rehab aide. As an aide, I am getting awesome hands on experience working with patients, talking to therapists, and learning the ins and outs of an outpatient clinic. The only thing is, the clinic that I am working at has only PT's and no OT's. Will this job benefit me on much on my application for OT school? I feel that it is great experience and should but I'm just not sure.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wiscOT]

I currently work as a physical therapy aide, and although I occasionally work with occupational therapists, the majority of my time is spent with physical therapists. I would definitely consider these experiences valuable, as we are learning about the responsibilities of physical therapists, who we will be working close with as OTs. I feel like your position will definitely benefit you, or compliment other parts of your application at the least.

 

[WiscoWannabeOT]

You can talk about how it has given exposure to PT and a good understanding of the differences, and then why you prefer to ultimately go into OT. Work experiences and shadowing don't really mean much unless you can say what you've learned/taken away from it. Focus on that.

 

[NPULFC]

Yes it will.

Four or five in my cohort now have worked at Athletico, myself included.

 

[PNW_OT]

Hey guys,

So I am currently working part time (about 25 hours a week) at a well known rehab clinic (Athletico) as a rehab aide. As an aide, I am getting awesome hands on experience working with patients, talking to therapists, and learning the ins and outs of an outpatient clinic. The only thing is, the clinic that I am working at has only PT's and no OT's. Will this job benefit me on much on my application for OT school? I feel that it is great experience and should but I'm just not sure.

I've been working as a PT aide and emphasized in my personal statement how this benefits me in terms of interdisciplinary perspectives and how it has helped me appreciate each role in an interdisciplinary team.

 

[slpOT]

When I had a few interviews for schools, 3 of them included, "Why do you prefer to go into OT instead of PT?" as a question. I'm like 98% positive that PT students don't get asked the opposite, which just goes to show that OT still has a way to go until it reaches the same "social status" as PT. Like some others have said, use it to compare with why you're more interested in OT and how you can appreciate the separate but similar scopes of practice. While you're still working, if you haven't already, start thinking about how your treatments are helping them with their occupations outside of PT: if their hip AROM flex has increased 15 degrees, ask them how they find putting on their socks and pants in the morning; if their arm still hurts with pronation, how much typing at the computer can they tolerate?