How to Get OT Observation Hours during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although most states are now easing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many prospective OT students are left with few options for ways to gain observation hours. Many medical facilities like hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient clinics are suspending volunteer services, strictly limiting visitors, and postponing, shortening, or canceling student placements. Additionally, schools have been closed for months and many OT practitioners have transitioned to telehealth settings with varying degrees of interaction with their students. Community-based settings have also been impacted as home-based providers have had to modify the ways in which they interact with and provide interventions for people in their homes or other communities.

If you’re a prospective occupational therapy (or other allied health profession) student, the situation may seem hopeless. Volunteer positions you lined up in OT clinics may have been canceled, volunteer programs suspended, or shadowing experiences shuttered – and with them your plans for earning the observation hours and experiences required by most programs. Fortunately, all is not lost!

The difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic have created a unique opportunity to highlight how your ability to think creatively and overcome unforeseen challenges in order to achieve your goal makes you even more prepared to work as an occupational therapy practitioner who will be doing the same with future clients.

Additionally, many if not all OT programs have modified their admissions requirements for the 2020-21 review cycle that takes into consideration barriers students face to getting observation hours during the pandemic. If you are currently applying to OT programs, it is absolutely crucial that you carefully review each program’s website for the most up-to-date information about program-specific modules/books/etc. that are required in addition to or in lieu of traditional observation hours.

If you are struggling with the loss of opportunities to obtain observation hours but you are still determined to become an OT or OTA, read on to learn how you can use creative avenues to learn about the profession and gain useful insights that will strengthen your applications!

How To Take a Virtual Tour of Potential OT Programs

If you are a prospective OT student, applying to degree programs in the middle of a pandemic probably isn’t the exciting experience you were envisioning. You may be stuck at home and unable to visit the programs of your choice due to travel restrictions, financial strain, family obligations, or other factors.

If that’s you – fear not! After reading this post, you will learn how to get the information you need from the comfort of your couch. Taking a virtual tour of prospective OT programs is a fun, flexible, and cost-effective way to get important information about the place where you might be spending the next two to four years.

By using my Four P’s of Virtual Touring and focusing on the Program, People, Places, and Payment for each academic institution, you can get an excellent sense of whether a program is a good educational, cultural, and financial fit. Start by reading the questions below to learn more about what to keep in mind when comparing each program using the Four P’s system. Then, highlight the questions that are most important to you, based on your personal needs and goals. For example, if your primary concern is saving money, focus on the financial aspects of each program. Or if you enjoy travel, consider choosing programs in areas near major transportation hubs rather than those in more rural settings. Would you rather attend a top tier program that will require you to live in a studio apartment with four roommates? Or would you rather attend a lower-ranked institution in a location with a more affordable cost of living? All things to consider as you coordinate your virtual tour! (If you REALLY want to get detailed, you can assign a point value for the responses to each question based on your preferences and tally the scores for each program to get a more “objective” look at how each one stacks up.)

Finally, use the infographic that follows to guide your virtual search through each program’s website, social media, LinkedIn, YouTube, and other resources. Good luck, and happy touring!

How to Handle Loneliness in Grad School Part 2: 13 Tips for Making Friends and Making it Through

The first post in this mini-series dealt with my experiences with loneliness as a first year graduate student and how I eventually overcame it. It was a difficult year, and I wish I knew then all the things I know now – I would have been a much happier, more social student! In any case, I made it through my first year as an OT student, and now I have several good friends both in and outside my program who have become part of my new friend groups.

If you are struggling with feeling like you don’t fit in or you’re having a hard time making friends, I hope these tips will help! After reading this post, I hope you’ll find that making friends as a graduate student is easier than you thought.

How to Handle Loneliness in Grad School Part 1: How I Beat the Blues

Psychosocial health is an important element of any person’s daily functioning, and it can have a significant impact on performance in many other areas of life. Loneliness is something that everybody has probably experienced in life, and it’s something that I often struggle with whenever I have to start over in a new social setting – for example, moving to a new city and starting grad school!

 

Although I am often described as a talkative, friendly, and outgoing person, I’ve had several experiences when I’ve felt extremely socially isolated and lonely, such as my first year of college and a job as a camp counselor. Although in these settings I was surrounded by people and opportunities to make friends and have fun, I spent a lot of time alone and struggling to find people to connect with. It’s a challenge I’ve continued to have in my adult life, but it’s also something that has helped me better understand myself and how I can be most successful as I continue to move around, start new endeavors, and meet new people.

 

This post was difficult for me to write, because it really puts all of the negative feelings, anxiety, and loneliness I experienced during my first year of graduate school out there. It’s not easy admitting that I had a hard time, and maybe to most people I seemed fine. But if I’m honest, my first year in graduate school was a challenging transition that I was not prepared for. Knowing that many of my friends from undergrad were also in the same boat (living/working in a new place without many friends) and talking to them about my situation made it a little easier, but I had to learn the hard way that life in grad school is NOT the same as it is in undergrad – or at least it wasn’t for me!

So You Didn’t Get Into OT School…Now What?

 

Not that long ago, you were busy getting observation hours, requesting letters of recommendation, navigating OTCAS, and submitting all your OT school applications. You had grand plans to move to a new town, start grad school, and prepare to join this profession you spent so much time reading, thinking, and learning about! So when you opened your inbox to an unexpected “We regret to inform you…” or “Welcome to the waitlist” email, you probably felt frustrated…disappointed…angry…maybe even heartbroken.

For the next few months, you’re stuck somewhere between hopeless and hanging on – waiting to hear whether you’re off the waitlist, watching other people get their acceptances, wondering whether you’ll ever get your chance. Although I got into OT school on my first try, I had a previous experience with investing a lot of time and energy into an application for a program I was desperate to get into…and then getting rejected. So I know how it feels, and if you’ve had this experience my heart goes out to you!

After getting rejected from that program several years ago, I spent a few days crying and wallowing. And then I picked myself up and tried again. My rejection from that program actually turned out to be a huge blessing in disguise; when I was accepted into a similar program the next year, it ended changing my life, introducing me to people who are some of my best friends today, and giving me opportunities to go places and do things I would never have been able to do otherwise! Life always has a way of working out, and once you get over the initial sting of rejection you will find a way to carry on.

Although it’s disappointing to learn that you are on the waitlist or you weren’t accepted at your chosen school(s), the tips below can help you make the most of this opportunity to strengthen your application and prepare yourself for the next application cycle.

The High Price of Becoming an OT

Hello all, and happy New Year! I’ve been out of the blogosphere for quite some time due to a series of very fortunate events in the past several months, including:

• Graduating from OT school
• Studying for and passing the NBCOT exam
• Getting married to my significant other of 7 years (and counting!)
• Going on an amazing honeymoon to sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico!
• Applying and interviewing for various OT jobs
• Traveling to visit family and friends
• Accepting a position as a school-based OT for a large school system

 

As you can see, I’ve been keeping pretty busy! But I’m hoping that in the new year I will get back to blogging more regularly and keeping anyone out there who cares updated on my transition from new grad to new practitioner.

On that note, I’ve been keeping a close eye on what it has actually cost me to get to this point in my career (or rather on the cusp of my new career, which will actually start on Thursday!). I did not include the cost of my OT school tuition/fees, as this number varies widely across programs. However, I have calculated exactly what I spent as I journeyed from student to practitioner over the past several months to give current and prospective OT students a realistic assessment of what it costs to become an OT.

Although I had a vague idea of what it would cost to take the boards, apply for a license, etc. I was still blindsided by how much money I needed upfront to actually become a licensed, registered occupational therapist. In the grand scheme of things the amount below might not seem like a lot, when it comes directly out of one’s shallow grad student pockets within a couple of days, it can be quite the financial blow. In hindsight, I recommend that OT/A students who are approaching the end of their academic careers calculate exactly what they will be spending and begin saving for (or set aside) the necessary funds to cover these costs.

*The procedure for transferring exam scores varies by state, so confirm with previous program graduates or professors to ensure you are paying for the correct service in your state.

**Students in my program receive this book as a graduation gift from program faculty. Because it is so widely used by OT students preparing for the NBCOT exam, the value of a NEW book with digital resources (CD) is included here.

 

POTENTIAL COSTS

In addition to my actual costs to take the NBCOT exam and apply for licensure in my state, I could have paid hundreds more if I had purchased additional study materials, such as:

• $150 – AOTA NBCOT Exam Prep Online Resource
• $325 – TherapyEd Exam Prep Course ($245 if TherapyEd book is already purchased)
• $60-800 – Pass the OT Exam Prep Resources
• $10-60 – NBCOT Exam Prep Tools (flashcard, study guides, online exams, etc.)

Other possible (but easily avoidable) fees are those charged for switching exam dates ($50), arriving late or bringing the incorrect documents to the testing center ($175), or failing to take the exam within the time allotted after the issuance of the Authorization to Test Letter ($75-175).

Because I mostly used “free” resources provided by my OT program faculty and a friend’s subscription to an online study tool, my actual out-of-pocket cost for study materials for 1.5 months of studying was only $46 – and I passed the exam on the first try! Depending on the type and amount of study materials you purchase, your costs may be more or less than mine. And while I can’t tell you how much is the “right” amount to spend on study materials, I do think the rates some of these services are charging are ridiculous and borderline unethical…

I believe that most OT/A programs are graduating students who are well-prepared to take the exam, even if they might need to spend time reviewing specific interventions, developmental stages, measurements, etc. to answer some questions. While I wasn’t 100% cool, calm, and collected on the day I took the exam, I did feel confident in my clinical reasoning skills, practical knowledge, and overall ability to pass.

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Ultimately, actually becoming a licensed, registered OT isn’t easy or inexpensive. I spent the bare minimum on study materials and exam costs, and still it was almost $900 when all was said and done. I’m thankful that my family was able to help me cover some of these costs and help me complete the final steps in becoming an occupational therapist, and I’m proud to say that I am now Lauren Jones, MS, OTR/L!

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Update 6/12/17: If you are making the transition from student to practitioner soon, check out this post from the OT Potential website for useful tips and resources that will help you find the right OT job for you!

 

The 8 People You Meet in OT School

 

After two years of being in class with the same 21 people every day, I think I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on my classmates’ strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. Some are more laid-back, and some are more high-strung. Some try to find the positive in every situation, and others have a more pessimistic point of view, but everybody excels in different ways and has something unique to offer!

 

Anyone who’s been in OT school before can probably tell you about the classic personality types you’ll encounter as an OT student, but if you don’t have anybody to ask, read on to find out what you have to look forward to!

Funding Your OT Education, Part III: During OT School

This post is Part III of a four-part series to help occupational therapy students and practitioners find ways to fund their OT education.

This post is full of tips, advice, and resources for current OT students who are looking to save money as they pursue their degrees! In case you missed them, you can read the first two parts of my Funding Your OT Education series for advice about how to find funding for OT school and what you can do before starting OT school to make the most of your money.

Read on to learn about ways you can save as an OT student!

Funding Your OT Education, Part II: Before OT School

 

This post is Part II of a four-part series to help occupational therapy students and practitioners find ways to fund their OT education. You can read Part I here.

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People who are applying to OT school are often in the difficult position of deciding which program they will attend before they have a 100% clear understanding of what their financial situation will be at each institution. It’s a tough spot to be in, but these tips will help potential OT students avoid as much debt as possible from the start of the application process onward.

Note: These tips are primarily geared towards students applying to graduate level occupational therapy programs, which are generally more expensive than occupational therapy assistant programs. However, much of the information still applies no matter which OT degree you are pursuing!

Funding Your OT Education, Part I: How to Find Funding

This post is Part I of a four-part series to help occupational therapy students and practitioners find ways to fund their OT education.

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Welcome to Part I of the Gotta Be OT “Funding Your OT Education” series! The goal of this post is to introduce you to my tried-and-true method of identifying, organizing, and pursuing funding opportunities for your OT education. Whether you are a prospective student, a current student, a new graduate, or even a veteran therapist with student debt to repay, this series will help you understand how you can get off on the right foot or get on track with your educational expenses.

 

The diagrams below represent the way I recommend conceptualizing and organizing your funding search process. The pyramid structure represents the relationship between the level of funding and the number of competitors you’ll likely have for that funding. (The smaller the segment, the smaller the number of competitors, and vice versa.)