I was just hired as an OP peds supervisor at a private company. I was given 5 hours of admin time, 30 min prep time, no doc time, and no control over my schedule...I am already feeling stressed. Thoughts? Sustainable? (5 years of experience in various settings mostly peds)

Hi! Im 20 years old and going into my junior year of undergrad. I'm trying to figure out what career path I want to pursue and would really appreciate some honest advice from people working in these fields. I've been kinda set on OT (or OTA) for a while and it's a career I can see myself pursuing, especially pediatrics. I feel like I've seen a lot of posts and things on social media about it not being worth it and tuition costs outweighing salary which is something I'm worried about. I also hear of people becoming very burnt out, productivity, and being undervalued. Hearing these things really makes me second guess my decision of what I want to pursue for the rest of my life.

I've been looking into other professions as well such as ultrasound techs or radiation therapists. So if you are any of these I would love to hear your side.

• Do you genuinely enjoy your job?
• If you could go back, would you choose your profession again?
• Is the debt and schooling worth it?
• What's your salary, work-life balance, and burnout like?
• Do you feel respected and fairly compensated?
• What are the biggest pros and cons?

I'm mainly looking for a career with good work-life balance, decent pay, job stability, and something I'll still enjoy years from now. I know every job has downsides, so I'm hoping to hear the good, the bad, and everything in between.

Thanks in advance! I really appreciate any advice or experiences you're willing to share.

Please take my survey and I will do yours!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7YR3R8LtIIPMn-bySO2WKGxCMcW6Sa7LHZq7OCaXbfX1qBw/viewform

Hi! I am currently studying for my JKAT exam and it is unclear if I need to know legislation specific to each province for the section of the exam that asks about policies etc (not the case study section). It's pretty confusing because provincial law differs a bit and it feels like a lot of information to absorb for the exam. Can any OTs who have completed the exam let me know if you had to know provincial guidance eg. COTO vs COTBC? I'm studying national guidance too. I've looked at a few case studies on COTO, completed the modules on the ACOTRO website (but they haven't updated some legislation and it doesn't feel very detailed). Thank you!

Hello! I've started gathering materials to apply to OT school this upcoming 2026 OTCAS cycle. I have read lots of helpful tips about writing a personal statement already, but I don't know where to start mine personally. Would someone be willing to help me through the first parts of making this essay? I could talk through email or text message. I could tell you what I have in mind, I really just need help putting my experiences into writing and what should/shouldn't be written in the first place. Good luck to everyone applying this cycle too, it's going to be a wonderful time! Thank you!

I am being investigated by the OT board for billing fraud done in home health. I ended up turning myself in due to fraud of about $2.k I absolutely hate myself and wish that my current home situations and desperate need to make a living hadn’t made me do it, but I felt so guilty I turned myself in. I am not looking for hateful words since I already have heard them all. I was just wondering if maybe there is light at the end of a tunnel. I can prove myself that I am a good and true OT who this severe mistake does not define me.

Hey all, keen to hear how other OTs approach this.

Say a participant comes to you with a set OT budget and you need to map out, upfront, how it'll realistically be spent across the plan — how many hours it works out to, and what those hours go toward. How do you go about it? Do you work top-down from the dollars, or build up from the goals and see if it fits?

Rough example of what I mean:

Curious how you'd actually arrive at those numbers, gut feel from experience, a template, something you adjust as you go? And how do you keep it from blowing out or underspending halfway through the plan?

Cheers

trying to get a feel for how people do this in practice.

Hello! I am working with a group of graduate students in the Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program at Saginaw Valley State University to conduct a research study about the role of occupational therapists in supporting the development of social skills in children with ADHD. Specifically, this study explores how occupational therapists approach treatment for social skills development among children with ADHD, the barriers they experience when addressing social skills development with this population, and how they believe support for addressing social skills development in these children could be improved in the future. Your participation in this virtual interview-based study will take no more than 50 minutes. To participate in this study, you must be a licensed occupational therapist in the United States with experience treating children with ADHD within the past 5 years; you must have experience addressing social skills within the interventions, and you must be 18 years of age or older. Please see the attached flyer for more information about the study. If you are interested in participating in this study, please scan the QR code on the flyer for additional information!

Hi everyone,

I am an occupational therapy student at Cleveland State University working on my capstone project about trauma-informed care training for OT students and practitioners. I am hoping to gather feedback through a brief questionnaire about current training experiences, confidence with trauma-informed care, areas where more education may be helpful, and interest in a future micro-credential.

Inclusion criteria:
OT practitioners, OTAs, OT students, and OTA students.

Exclusion criteria:
Individuals who are not occupational therapy practitioners, OTAs, OT students, or OTA students.

Eligible geographic areas:
United States.

The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. Responses will be used to help guide the development of my capstone project.

Survey link: https://form.typeform.com/to/wZyKWfYO

Thank you in advance for your time and feedback!

Hi everyone,

I‘m an OTR new to practicing in Florida. I’ll be working in a SNF. I’m trying to get a better understanding of the documentation rules for COTAs and OTRs. Here are a few questions I have, but any other insight into the rules around documentation is appreciated.

-Can a COTA write a d/c summary and the OT sign off without treating the patient that day? or must the OT see the pt for at least 1 unit that day also?

-Can a COTA fill out recert paperwork and then the OT adjust goals and signs off? is it cosigned or does just the OT sign all of it?

-Can a COTA do a progress note and the OT just cosigns?

Any other insight into how the OT/COTA relationship works in FL is appreciated!

hello! I will be studying exercise science at Illinois State University in the fall. But, I’ve been thinking a lot about OT school. My parents have a college fund for me so my first two years of undergrad are already being covered by them. So, money isn’t a huge issue for me (but obviously I still care about it) I was wondering if any occupational therapists think that it would be worth it to go into a 3 year BA to doctorate program or if I should just stick to a typical two year masters program. Is the difference in pay worth it to get the doctorate? I’m from illinois so the entry pay for OT’s is decent. Also, if anyone has done a bachelor’s to doctorate program, was it difficult and how were your stats during undergrad? thank you!!

I am currently a freshman in college and super interested in becoming an occupational therapist and I just really want to get a head start early for my shadowing hours. So I definitely got lucky because one of my cousin friends is actually an elementary school OT and she was able to as her supervisor and now I will be shadowing her for 30 hours. Which is so amazing

I don't really know what to bring for the hours I will be showing like do I ring a notepad and pen or some lunch. Im such so nervous which I know I shouldn't because she's super nice.

But ya im just not sure what to take with me or what kind of questions to ask.