Should I try occupational therapy?

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

Hello! I am freshman in college trying to figure out my life. Lately I’ve been looking into healthcare professions like OT and psychiatry. But I think I’d like OT better since I’d be more physically active (plus less schooling=less debt). There are a few things I want to ask about this profession. Some details about me: I’m an introvert but love helping people. I’m very idealistic and a big-picture person. I’m terrible at math but biology/psychology is okay. I want a stable career to support me while I work on novels. So I thought that being on my feet working with people would be a good balance for hiding away at home writing.

  1. Can introverts do well in this field?
  2. What is the work-life balance like?
  3. What is the paperwork-working with patients ratio?
  4. How hard is OT school?
  5. How physically and emotionally draining is OT?
  6. How many hours a day and days per week should I expect to work?
  7. Is this an overrated field to go into?
  8. What other jobs should I consider?

Of course, no pressure to answer all/any of these. Thanks everyone!

2

I’ve worked in the healthcare industry for a long time (I also taught allied health at a community college and a four-year university). Can’t answer all of these because I’m not an OT, but I’ll put in my $.02.

  1. Introverts can do well in the field, but you may want to work for a hospital instead of trying to start your own practice (as that requires a lot of marketing, entrepreneurialism, etc.). I know plenty of introverted OTs who practice, but not ones who run their own practice.
  2. The work-life balance, if you work for a hospital, is pretty good.
  3. Paperwork is tough for all healthcare providers.
  4. Don't know, not an OT. However, just looking at their curriculum, OT degrees tend to require a lot less math and "hard-core" science than med school, dentistry, etc. So you should be fine if you are generally a strong student and can handle anatomy & physiology.
  5. Don't know this either.
  6. At least 40.
  7. Not sure what you mean by "overrated." I will say that in general, the healthcare industry is very stressful at times. There is INTENSE pressure to improve quality while cutting costs. We're also now seeing reimbursement rates penalized for physicians who don't show "quality" (as defined by PQRS, and as reportable via your EHR). It's not quite as bad at the OT/PT level, but the paperwork is intensive. One of the biggest challenges you will encounter as an occupational therapist will no doubt be proving that your patients are continuously progressing. (PTs have to do this, too) You MUST do this to be reimbursed.

I’ve worked in basically two careers since graduation: healthcare and academia/admissions (sometimes at the same time). The latter is much more fun; the former is much more lucrative. You can help people with both.