10 Occupational Therapy settings you should know about

In this video, I discuss common and less common occupational therapy settings and certifications. I also explain what it's like working in these fields. I hope this helps you get a bigger picture of what OTs do.
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00:00 Intro
00:20 Pediatrics
00:54 Acute Rehab
01:36 Acute care
02:00 Mental Health
02:44 Neuro
02:58 Hand Therapy
03:18 Less common specialties
04:54 Low vision
05:28 Ergonomics
06:20 Hospice care
06:50 Home health
07:50 Other specialities

[@stellamariesanchez3392]

Thank you for this video! Very helpful!

[@otfocus]

Thank you!😊

[@MelisJoy]

Excellent video 😊 thank you

[@otfocus]

Thanks Melissa!

[@jennysunderland5676]

What do you think about using music in ot? Also...Have you heard of people working with musicians? (Pianists and string players are often injured)

[@otfocus]

I’ve heard of OTs incorporating music in their therapy sessions and I’ve heard people also doing it with hospice patients. Sometimes I do it when working in acute to have some background noise. And yes, when I was working in hand therapy I would sometimes see patients who had been injured playing an instrument. It’s rare but it does happen.

[@ROSE-jb5gt]

I'm interested in prosthetics - is there a specific area to specialize where you can work with people to adapt to prosthetics?

[@otfocus]

Possibly but I’m the wrong person to ask about this. I almost thing this would be a separate field.

[@Anonymousrespectfulrep]

Are there OT’s that can work in pediatrics and geriatrics?

[@otfocus]

You can work at a hospital that has a Nicu and also work with the regular patients. You could also work too different jobs.

[@colin10974]

0:14 media offline

[@otfocus]

Thanks

[@Doingmybest700]

I noticed you mentioned OT’s do similar things to PTs. Why is it that PT is more popular? I’m a student trying to decide between PT and OT and every time I ask someone about OT they never know what it is but they’ll know what a PT is

[@chlobeurmusic4082]

Occupational Therapy is a more holistic approach that looks at many different areas of a client rather where PT's focus more on the biomechanical/anatomical/ gross motor movement in a client. OT is much different because they can work in many different settings and in each setting, do different things with different focuses. We are trained to look at both mental and physical components of a client. PT's will focus on strengthening muscles and Range of Motion to help the client physically function. Occupational Therapy focuses on getting clients back to function within the daily function of life through the use of the seven occupations. Most people don't know what the area of occupations are, and because it's so well rounded it is harder to explain simply what OT is in comparison to PT. OT helps people in making sure they can function in their daily life in ALL areas of life, not just the anatomical side.

[@chlobeurmusic4082]

There are 8 areas of occupation not 7. I hit the wrong button, my bad!

[@Doingmybest700]

@@chlobeurmusic4082 wow thanks so much for the detailed response! I’m honestly torn between the two because I really want to rehab injuries and have it as my main focus. However, I do see that OTs address mental health as well, which is another thing that I am passionate about. Was OT school very difficult for you?

[@otfocus]

Great explanation!

[@chlobeurmusic4082]

@@Doingmybest700 Hi I'm sorry, I am just now seeing this! I actually am currently in school to be an OTA which is an associates, while an OT goes to get their masters/doctorates. I know for a fact both OT and PT work in rehab. For me, the reason I chose OT was because I wanted to focus on the mental health side due to my skill set. I think I would've done great in PT, I just was less interested in the anatomy/ movement side of things and more interested in the holistic approach that OT's had to offer through the use of functional activities! They work together and both OT and PT are EXTREMELY valuable for a client! They just focus on different things is all!