<p>Originally I was going to school for pre PT, things happened and it's going to be very hard for me to get a 3.5 gpa or higher for the rest of my 3 yrs unless I start getting straight A's which is something I doubt will happen. I was going to transfer into a PTA program, work for a few years, and continue on part time to finish my BS, and then work a few more years before applying to a DPT program. My mother is not going to let it happen under any circumstance. She doesn't think I will ever go back until it is too late.</p>
<p>I heard from an OT in education settings that the job security is good, and the main difference between the two is that OT involves more psychology, and there is a perhaps. Her example was helping a person learn to move their arm to brush their teeth. OT students have told me it is slightly easier because you only take 2 Chem courses instead of 3, but instead you take more Psych.</p>
<p>What is the job like? I have read posts on other forums where people say they are like glorified CNA's but I would think that maybe those are the OTA's who are just helping. I would like to work with the elderly. Is it similar to PT where the OT makes a plan and if in a clinic or hospital setting the OTA carries out the plan? I guess what I want to know about it is the side no one ever talks about. I'm having problems finding one to shadow, but I'm going to ask my adviser to see if maybe I can set up an appointment with the Dean of OT program. </p>
<p>My school has a special BS program for OT and then you are guaranteed a spot in their MA program. Problem is normally students declare after freshman, or mid sophomore year because their pre req course is different. </p>
<p>Thanks for help!</p>
<p>Not an OT but one of my daughter’s just finished her first year of MOT degree. Yes, your perception of what OT’s do is correct. OT’s assess and develop the care plan for clients to be able to carry out their ADL’s (activities of daily living). They do work with the patients. If you wish to work with the geriatric population, you can do so through nursing homes and also home health care. My advice to you is if you can get into a program that guarantees a spot in the graduate program, take it. In my daughter’s class approximately 40% of the seats were taken by students with a guaranteed spot. Students from other schools who applied for the program had no idea that their chances for admission were much lower than what they appeared to be.
Most of the OT students in my daughter’s program had undergraduate psychology degrees. The science prerequisites were much less stringent than those for PT ( oldest daughter is a PT): only one semester of physics, no organic, one semester of bio and chem.
The job market is very good for OT’s currently and projections are that the demand will continue to be strong.</p>
<p>Not an OT but have worked with OT’s, yes they are similar to PT’s and no they are not glorified CNA’s. A couple examples, DD hurt her wrist playing her sport. The Orthopedic doctor sent her to an OT to rehab her wrist (pulled tendon) through massage and exercises but also made a brace for her to wear and worked with her to use her wrist properly while playing.</p>
<p>Another OT we worked with was an OT at an elementary school and she worked with the kids with learning disabilities of all magnitudes. She did some music therapy with our oldest son.</p>
<p>You might want to see if a mod could retitle the thread. OT is not common jargon.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl–but an OT would know what she is asking about :D. I knew what she was talking about without opening the thread.</p>
<p>"Is it similar to PT where the OT makes a plan and if in a clinic or hospital setting the OTA carries out the plan? I guess what I want to know about it is the side no one ever talks about. "</p>
<p>I am a PT and I have worked in many treatment settings including nursing homes. I have worked with OT very closes and I am very familiar with what they do. I really don’t understand what you are asking when you say you want to know about the side hat no one ever talks about. I’m not sure I know what side that is. But being an OT is not being a “glorified CNA” but you will work with patients on grooming, dressing, bathing and toileting. As a PT I also have work on all of the above except grooming depending on the setting. When you are doing these things it is in a teaching capacity. You are doing the activity for the sake of the pt learning to do it or as much of it as possible for themselves. When a CNA does this they are doing it for the patient so the patient can move on with the rest of their day. As for you designing the plan for the COTA to carry it out, yes, you will be coming up with the plan. You also may be executing the plan depending on where you work. In most nursing homes that actually staff a PT and OT they each usually carry a smaller pt load that the assistants and also do evaluations. In some (usually smaller) nursing homes they have assistants on staff. Therapists work on a part time or as needed basis to do the evaluations and support the assistants. I would say that anyone considering PT or OT should be comfortable with the execution. You are supervising the PTA or COTA, and as the supervisor, to be effective, you really need to understand what you are asking them to do. In either field, in a geriatric setting you can expect to be involved with bathing, dressing and toileting. If you are not comfortable with this than a geriatric setting isn’t for you. In either field there is enough diversity that you can find a specialty that will not involve this if that is important to you but the general geriatric setting isn’t that place.</p>
<p>I just took a stab at what you might be referring to when you discuss “what no one ever talks about” but please clarify if you meant something completely different.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, OT = Occupation Therapist, PT = Physical Therapist, CNA = Certified Nurse Aide</p>
<p>OTs often help/assess daily living skills, such as feeding, toileting, showering, dressing, fine motor skills.
PTs often refer to/assess physical functions, like walking, balancing, stretching, moving.</p>
<p>limabeans and OP: In my experience which is over 30+ years the deliniations aren’t all that clean. For example. PT’s often do “toilet transfers” while OT’s work on " toileting". The reality is that in life you do it altogether. When I went to school both PT and OT did dressing but the trend has gone toward OT doing the dressing. I’m a PT and if my pt is in bed and not dressed we work on dressing. The"PT" focus would be on mobility, balance, safety etc. I might document it differently than an OT but chances are good I wouldn’t approach it differently and the bottom line is the patient gets dressed. Working on this sort of thing in a nursing home is not only common, it is expected, by both disciplines in many facilities. Sometimes the lines between OT and PT are drawn between upper and lower extremities, sometimes between fine and grossmotor activities. In my experience OT has done more uppers and more fine motors but it isn’t a perfect split. Most important, especially in a nursing home, flexibility and meeting both basic and therapeutic needs is essential. When working with individuals who are cognitively impaired it is particularly crucial. These people will do what is important to them at that moment and it is very rare that doing a perscribed protocol of exercise will be what is important to them. The lines are blurred in many settings.</p>
<p>I’m not an OT, but I’ve worked pretty closely for them in years. I work in a school setting, and I feel as though our OTs have the best job in the building. They work on a variety of skills, and get to do a variety of different things. The kids LOVE going to OT, which makes it very rewarding, and the science behind what they do is fascinating.</p>
<p>BTW, these days if I were a student considering PT as a profession I would look at OT very closely to see if an OT career didn’t offer what I was looking for. In some instances it may not but for many the two can be very comparable and with an entry level MA vs Doctorate the choice could be a no brainer. OT may not be right for every perspective PT but it is definitely worth exploration! Salery in most settings I have worked in recently is equivilent.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice! When I said the side of it no one really discusses I meant paperwork. lol Sorry for the confusion. My professor address the class in that manner, and said when most people think of PT they don’t realize all the paperwork that they do, which in some cases can be 50% of their day.</p>
<p>I figured there would be some bathing, and grooming needs that would have to be addressed if I want to work with the elderly, or anyone really. My Grandmother got help from her PT with this when she had an accident during their session. Both her knees were replaced at the same time. She is my inspiration for wanting to go into either PT or OT. After hearing more about OT this semester it became interesting especially since my Grandparents were in a horrible accident this past winter and my grandmother couldn’t bath on her own, but wasn’t comfortable with any of my Uncles helping so she wouldn’t say anything until one of my Aunt’s were there.</p>
<p>I will probably go visit my adviser again to see if she has any idea about where I could shadow, and about changing my intent to OT because I much rather know I have a guaranteed spot somewhere then playing the guessing game.</p>
<p>Haha, thanks for clarifying. Yes there definitely is more paperwork than we would like but I think most would say 50% is way more than typical. I couldn’t give you a good estimate since these days I work PRN at a number of facilities which isn’t the same as regular staff. In the facilities that I work at the paperwork demands are similar between both PT and OT. If you are home for the summer you could probably contact facilities in your area and ask about volunteering in a department or just shadowing for a couple of days. You will probably have some limited access but will have a chance to ask questions and get a better feel. My experience is that most department directors are very willing to assist potential students. You would probably do better speaking directly to the Director of OT or Rehab than going though the human resources department which are often way more structured. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Thank you! I was in the works to shadow a PT in a hospital but they lady still has not gotten back to me after informing me that I would need to go to a new location. </p>
<p>My plan was to see if I could find anything out on websites first, and then maybe go to a local clinic if needed. One of my participant’s at work did offer to let me shadow her, but she is in the educational system so she wouldn’t be able to do much until Fall in that regards plus we aren’t really suppose to be too “close” with them so I don’t know how my boss would feel if I ever told him. </p>
<p>I just read that on average they have 80 applicants for 40 spots in the BS degree so I will need to retake Psych at least and see what tips my adviser has from there. They say a 2.75 is min but I am sure there are way more qualified students. I also need to have completed 70 hrs volunteering in a setting with disabled citizens 2 years before applying so I will have to see how that works out! That means I wouldn’t be able to apply until 2014 if I start now unless I am mistaken and they mean if I apply 2013 then my 70 hrs should have been done in 2011, or 2012. Not sure but these are all questions I will ask my adviser this week sometime. I am considering holding off on next semesters Chem and instead taking some of their electives.</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone!</p>