Why No Older OTs?

[westcoastot]

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Hello,

I feel as though I do not see many older (i.e. 40 and above) OTs in the field. This is scary, as it looks like there is potential for burn out...I have been volunteering at a pediatric clinic and there are only 3 of maybe 12 OTs that are older than 40. I realize that peds may not be realistic of the whole field, but I wanted to pose the question: is there a reason why there are fewer older OTs? Or is my experience simply not sufficient?

Any help or thoughts would be great! I'm thinking of applying to school next fall and want to resolve this question ASAP.

Thanks!

 

[OTK]

You have a very good point - I will be starting an OT program this upcoming year and I have been wondering the same question. I'm currently a rehab tech and work with about 12-14 OT's, almost all of whom are younger than 35, most under 30. One of the OT's that I work with has mentioned that she thinks that it is due to a new and growing demand in the Occupational Therapy field. She explained that in the last 10 years, there has been a HUGE increase in the number of positions/careers developing for OT's, so many of the OT's that we will see are going to be younger.

Additionally, in a pediatric setting, I think that there is a greater chance for burn out - it's a lot of energy and work to keep the kiddo's on track, keep them interested and entertained enough to want to partake in the exercises, motivated to work towards goals, all while being actively engaged in therapy,. I've gotten to see some really amazing and phenomenal therapists, and they even have days where they need an extra cup of coffee after a particularly hard therapy session!

 

[FutureOTjunkie]

I agree that there are alot of young OT's but I too am a rehab tech and the oldest OT is in her mid 50's. The other two are in their 40's. I do see alot of OT professors who are older. Maybe that helps

 

[prodigiousflame]

at the pediatric setting I observe, all the PT's and OT's are over forty. One of them however said he might be wanting to transition from treating to teaching. I don't think it's because he's too exhausted to keep treating but he's been doing it for so long he may be looking for a change of pace.

 

[bebob]

At my volunteer place, there are 3-4 OTs in their 40's and 50's. The majority look fairly young. I've noticed older PT's though.

 

[OTlove88]

Yeah I'm curious too - I did see some older OT's during my observations but the majority were younger but I doubt OT burnout is that bad. I did however see many, many older OT's at the OT conference here in IL this past November.

I mean, we see older nurses all the time and I'm sure burnout in nursing is a lot higher. I'm thinking that maybe at a more advanced part of an OT career maybe many people go into academia, hand therapy, or home health?

 

[klaysan]

At the hospital setting I observed at, mostly all of the OT's were younger. When I observed at a hand therapy clinic, it was the other way around. I asked the OT I was observing why that is, and she said that in the hospital setting where you are actively working with patients, lifting them and moving them around, that it can get exhausting as you age and that she became 'bored' with the repetition. Therefore, she decided to move into a more specialized form of OT and became a certified hand therapist. I guess when you're starting out as a fresh new OT, working in a hospital is easier because there's lots of other therapists there to help you out every step of the way. As you gain more experience and knowledge of the field, you tend to stray to different and more specialized areas because you want something new. That's what I heard from some of the therapists I shadowed. As for nursing, it is definitely the opposite and there are a lot more older nurses out there because the profession is much older than occupational therapy and many places just require an associate's for nursing, although this is rapidly changing. I work at a hospital under nurses and they are definitely stressed on a daily basis and are prone to burn out.

 

[pherrera]

I agree with a lot of the people here.
There has been a quick change of demand for OT's so a lot more people are going to school for that now. It's also a relatively "newer" field. A lot of ppl have heard of PT's but not really OT's because PT's have been around for so long and that's why there are older PT's.

 

[Reformed Squid]

Pediatrics takes a lot of energy, that's why you generally see younger OTs in that setting. I've seen some settings where everyone is over 40 and others where most are right out of school. Usually, those settings that have a lot of young people generally have higher turnover rates as these settings like to get kids right out of school. After a couple of years, most get tired of the pace and look for something a little more "relaxed".

 

[Reformed Squid]

I agree with a lot of the people here.
There has been a quick change of demand for OT's so a lot more people are going to school for that now. It's also a relatively "newer" field. A lot of ppl have heard of PT's but not really OT's because PT's have been around for so long and that's why there are older PT's.

OT is actually older than PT by a couple of years. They were originally called Reconstruction Aids and they helped injured WWI veterans regain functional performance. The National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy, now called the American Occupational Therapy Association was created in 1917. The reason it is a lesser known field is because the "Hollistic Hippies" in charge have been horrible at marketing the profession.

 

[pherrera]

I didn't know that. Makes sense. Awesome!!! Thanks 🙂

 

[Johann00]

There is also a possibility that many older OT's have moved on to managerial-type positions or have earned their doctorate to focus more on the occupational science/research side of the field.

I don't think burnout is as big of a problem as people seem to think. I'm guessing that those who have gotten tired of the profession are just the most vocal about it.

All of that being said, however, I do know that within the last 10 years, insurance companies and Medicare have become much more demanding of the documentation that they require. Also, hospitals have become so money driven in recent years that almost all OT's have a "billable hour" quota that they have to meet. Perhaps for OTs who were in the profession before those changes occurred, the shift was just too difficult. For those of us who will be accustomed to that mentality from the beginning, though, I don't think it'll be too hard to manage.

 

[reb0rn75]

Actually, most of the OTs I shadowed were older...at least 3 of them were old enough to be my grandmother. Most of them were hand therapists, but some of them worked with adults with developmental disabilities in a clinic.