Other OT-Related Information Teaching to Occupational Therapy

Started by purplegold86
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purplegold86

purplegold86

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I was wondering if there was anyone who was a former teacher (special ed in particular) who was successfully admitted into an ot program. Do they take having a full time job into consideration? I am seeing people with 100+ hours when I only have 40 but in my field of work, I communicate with the OT consistently and work with children with disabilities. I am already crazy busy trying to complete my pre-reqs and working a full time job so I am not able to complete more hours.
 
Hi there! I am a former high school special ed teacher turned OT. I wouldn't fret too much over observation hours as long as you hit the requirements. I had a lot of hours but they were almost all in a school setting. I would definitely recommend highlighting your experience as a teacher, specifically skills you've acquired or honed that will help you be a successful OT and stand out from the crowd of applicants. For example, you mentioned collaboration. This is such a big part of what we do as therapists and what you'll practice as an OT student. Sped teachers also spend a lot of time writing goals, documenting, and educating/training family members, all huge aspects of OT. Similarly, you should be able to clearly articulate why teaching wasn't for you and how OT is a better fit. Good luck! Teaching was very tough to give up (mostly for the vacation), but it was easily the best decision I ever made. 🙂
 
werdna said:
Hi there! I am a former high school special ed teacher turned OT. I wouldn't fret too much over observation hours as long as you hit the requirements. I had a lot of hours but they were almost all in a school setting. I would definitely recommend highlighting your experience as a teacher, specifically skills you've acquired or honed that will help you be a successful OT and stand out from the crowd of applicants. For example, you mentioned collaboration. This is such a big part of what we do as therapists and what you'll practice as an OT student. Sped teachers also spend a lot of time writing goals, documenting, and educating/training family members, all huge aspects of OT. Similarly, you should be able to clearly articulate why teaching wasn't for you and how OT is a better fit. Good luck! Teaching was very tough to give up (mostly for the vacation), but it was easily the best decision I ever made. 🙂
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Thank you so much! I made sure I highlighted the points that you mentioned in my personal statement for OTCAS. It is really hard giving up teaching because I love my students but as you can understand, I need to make the change. Which school did you get accepted into?
 
purplegold86 said:
I was wondering if there was anyone who was a former teacher (special ed in particular) who was successfully admitted into an ot program. Do they take having a full time job into consideration? I am seeing people with 100+ hours when I only have 40 but in my field of work, I communicate with the OT consistently and work with children with disabilities. I am already crazy busy trying to complete my pre-reqs and working a full time job so I am not able to complete more hours.
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I'm not a teacher, but I'm a regular ol' admin assistant in oil & gas. I have no background in healthcare and have only 40 observation hours. I was accepted my first attempt, so I'm sure there's programs that take your schedule into consideration.
 
nOTeworthy said:
I'm not a teacher, but I'm a regular ol' admin assistant in oil & gas. I have no background in healthcare and have only 40 observation hours. I was accepted my first attempt, so I'm sure there's programs that take your schedule into consideration.
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That gives me hope thank you! Which school did you get accepted into?
 
purplegold86 said:
Thank you so much! I made sure I highlighted the points that you mentioned in my personal statement for OTCAS. It is really hard giving up teaching because I love my students but as you can understand, I need to make the change. Which school did you get accepted into?
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UIC and Rush in Chicago!
 
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