Whats it like being an occupational therapist?

My mother, at 94, broke her wrist and was in rehab. The OT worked on things like putting on shoes (laces were replaced with elastic ones so that they could be slipped on), helping her use a fork to eat, brush teeth, get in and out of a chair…

In other words, teaching the chores of daily living. I think that you don’t need the kind of muscle that PT’s use. There are lots of devices and tricks.

When my mother got home, the OT came and taught her hand exercises with squishy balls, weight-bearing with soup cans, etc.

Go for it. People are living longer and needing more ancillary help.

I was in OT school for three years before I decided it wasn’t for me. But I think I have a pretty good understanding of it.. so here’s my take.
OT is definitely different than PT, although they might have some overlap, depending on what area you go into. There are three general areas of expertise: pediatrics, geriatrics, and psych. Peds you would likely be working in a school system or doing early intervention (birth to three years). Geriatrics would be nursing homes/long term care. Psych would be in a hospital or psychiatric facility.
What makes OT much different than PT is that it’s goal is different. While PT aims to strengthen a muscle/improve range of motion/improve an injury, OT looks at it from a different angle. OT aims to enable the patient to perform all activities of their daily life.. which might include doing some things that PTs do but the goal is much different. Whatever a person’s daily “occupations” are, that’s what OT aims to improve/ensure they can participate in. OT looks at the person as a whole, instead of just as an injury/impairment.
Physical strength is not really necessary. There may be a few jobs that would need it (although you would normally always have help if you needed it), but most jobs wouldn’t.
When I was in OT school the area that interested me the most was psych. Using therapeutic activities and skill building you can help mentally-impaired people live independent lives.
If you have any more specific questions, let me know!

@photographcrash – that is exactly what my wife said.

She said that the PT’s work to get as much movement and strength back as they can, OT’s try to get as much of their life back to them as they can.

My wife did it for one year in CA, Geriatrics, then we moved to the midwest and she stopped. She got tired of the managed care approach of seeing 8hours of patients with 30 min.s of paperwork every night for each patient. And only getting paid for 8 hours.

Interesting way of phrasing the question. “What’s it like being an occupational therapist?” Well, it’s great…and it kinda stinks. Let me preface my explanation by telling you that I have been a practicing OT for 9 years, primarily in the older adult area. photographcrash did a pretty good explanation of the basics but I’ll expand on it a little. Being an OT is kinda great because theoretically you can almost never get bored. Every client is different and may require a different method of addressing a problem. You see, I kind of look at being an OT like we’re troubleshooters…for people. Like the Dell Tech Support, but for your body. You get to use your creativity, imagination, knowledge of the human anatomy and kinematics to solve a problem that might just prove to be unsolvable in some cases. But at least you gave it your best shot…and the patients/clients you serve are usually pretty thankful you tried. That brings me to the other half of my explanation…why it kind of stinks. Well, not everybody can be helped, or wants to be helped. It’s just a fact of life that some people don’t realize assistance for what it is when they see it. Also, there are some things that you might have to do to help someone that will make you a little uncomfortable…like helping a client give themselves a shower or toilet themselves, sometimes even doing it for them when they can’t, despite their gender. Then trying to explain that you’re not just doing it to see them naked. Well, you get the picture. Another thing that deserves mentioning is the current state of health care in the the US. Reimbursement for services rendered is a fact of life and a lot of insurance companies just don’t always understand the value of OT. So an OT must be prepared to explain why he or she is valuable and you better darn well be convinced of it also. Because insurance companies can spot a lie like a fart in car…sometimes.
Hopefully I haven’t scared you off from OT, that was not my intention. It is a noble profession that will enable you to help many people do the things they never even realized were important to them. What other profession can claim that if you get tired of it one day you can just change where you work? For example, recently I got burned out with working in a nursing home. So I got another job as a director of rehab in a long term acute hospital. I could have just as easily gotten a job in an outpatient clinic helping people with hand injuries get back to their jobs or created a new job by helping build a community program that serves local needs that aren’t being met by conventional means. OT schools can teach you how to do these types of things and also about the science of the human body, how the mind works, how to make a splint or transfer a patient from a bed to a wheelchair. But they can’t teach you the most important thing about being an OT…caring and compassion. If you possess this, you have the makings of a great occupational therapist and can experience a rewarding and unique profession that is under appreciated but vital.
Furthermore, what kind of alumnus would I be if I didn’t give a shoutout to the university that helped produce me? Nova Southeastern University is a wonderful program and I’m proud to say it’s my alma mater. Go sharks! If you would like to read more about being an OT please feel free to visit my blog (www.goshthatsneat.com) or check out some of the links to other OT blogs from there. You’ll find that most OT’s you meet are pretty nice people. It doesn’t attract many unfriendly or petty types and the ones it does attract will be happy to share their thoughts. Good luck!