OT STUDENTS ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS | OT school Q&A

[@petrichoralyssa]

Thank you so much! I just discovered this career track and I'm loving the sound of it so far and this is very informing :)

[@itscristalj6447]

no problem!! Glad it was helpful! :)

[@tadbit822]

Make sure you shadow OT's in different settings.

[@lizzyzap98]

I love this! I will be a second semester senior next semester. I am a sociology major with a minor in applied youth development. I took a course this semester called meeting childrens needs through movement and it was taught by an occupational therapist. I fell in love with the idea of becoming a pediatric occupational therapist, but was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to because my major is somewhat unrelated. This video gave me so much hope!!

[@itscristalj6447]

yassss! You can major in anything and still go to OT school as long as you take the pre requisite courses! :)

[@lizhe2914]

I'm from Canada and I'll be starting my MOT program in August and I'm really excited! This was super fun to watch :)

[@itscristalj6447]

Thank you so much! Good luck with your program :)

[@MizzesSmileys]

Great idea! Loved seeing the perspectives of all your classmates, I definitely learned a lot :)

[@itscristalj6447]

thank you!! glad it was helpful! :)

[@mathildaandmike]

How fun, such a cool video and it was interesting to see that all your classmates have such diverse backgrounds!

[@itscristalj6447]

thank you so much!! :)

[@emdotem]

Thank you and your classmates so much for their varied insights!

[@paulaluz6823]

I love the effects that you guys put! Hilarious and totally on point. So relatable. I had to say this with the pandemic happening and all. I miss OT school and learning in person especially the practical skills

[@itscristalj6447]

Paula Luz yes!! It’s definitely not the same experience with online classes! Hang in there ❤️

[@lexigerten8660]

Such a great video to get more perspectives on all the info about grad school!! I loved watching and thank you!!

[@fatimaandsasha6018]

i love this video thank you 4 years later

[@craveCherryBlossoms]

I’m so happy I stumbled across this video it was so helpful! Thank you 🙏🏼

[@itscristalj6447]

thanks so much for your support! Glad you found it helpful :)

[@m.patrick9469]

I just graduated from undergrad with a kines major and changed my mind to be go into the OT field during my last semester..my main question is what is the difference between OT and OTA

[@alluneedislove7460]

Great video!!!! Thank you so much ❤️❤️ you guys are amazing keep up the great work🥰

[@susmanmcnugget747]

This was a great video!! Thank u!!

[@laurenkim6878]

I am so grateful to have found your videos! I am looking into doing Pediatric Occupational Therapy and I was wondering if you did Honors in college and if so did that benefit in any way when applying to grad school?

[@oxoxpinkieoxox]

Thank you for this video! I am an exercise science major and thinking about doing OT.

[@itscristalj6447]

Juliette Savvy that’s awesome! A lot of people in my program definitely felt like their exercise science background prepared them for OT school :)

[@bryanreyes8687]

Very informative!👌🏽

[@itscristalj6447]

thank you!! :)

[@trenycenotice5038]

This was very entertaining

[@itscristalj6447]

thank you!! :)

[@carleelankford2634]

This is making me nervous, been off school for about a year and a half or so, so I’ve been working full time and will be finishing up undergraduate here this next year and idk how I’ll manage my job and school 🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@GRACEFULL_433]

Very helpful!!! I do have a question, is there a preferred major and minor when going into OT school ?

[@itscristalj6447]

Hey! I actually answer that question in this video :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/aICal6qvj81_n7s

[@haleyshomemade]

How do you make money to pay for bills if you can’t work during OT school? (Genuine question, not trying to be rude). I’m looking to go into an OTA program soon but I’m not sure what I’m going to do about expenses!

[@kimberlyxo2358]

Did you find a program?

[@omologo9197]

1.)What's your advice for someone looking to work in a SNF 2.) what's your favourite setting?

[@itscristalj6447]

Hey! I don't know much about SNF's but from what I hear it's one of the highest paying settings... on the downside it also has super high productivity rates and some SNF's may make you do things that are unethical so you just need to be careful because at the end of the say it's your license on the line. Not saying all SNF's are like this, just passing on information I've heard. My favorite setting is inpatient rehab :)

[@itscristalj6447]

@TruckerHerold I don't necessarily believe this is true :) There are MANY other settings in OT besides home health and SNF's! You just need to be open to other opportunities within the field. I do agree that the job market for COTA's isn't great though /:

[@itscristalj6447]

@TruckerHerold I'm glad you were able to find a career that fulfills you :) I've seen many people with filled bank accounts yet miserable with what they do. I'm a big advocate for doing what makes you happy and being passionate about what you do. Personally I never came into OT thinking about the money (although I recognize it's important), it just wasn't my priority.. I wanted to be able to wake up in the morning and genuinely love what I do. OT did that for me, but I do recognize it's not for everyone.

[@itscristalj6447]

@TruckerHerold Thank you! :) I'm currently a new grad and in no way do I think this journey is going to be peaches and rainbows. Nothing in life really is, (especially if you choose to work in healthcare where you're required to be selfless). But we pick and choose what we think is worth struggling for. Hopefully when I'm in the thick of it I can look back at my own words for some encouragement lol

[@lee_rayyy58]

@@itscristalj6447 inpatient rehab is the only shadowing I was able to do before I started my program

[@jackie3968]

Yaass! Psychology!!!

[@itscristalj6447]

in the house!!

[@knomesarecooliguess5928]

What OTD and MOT?

[@madeautonomous]

No engineers? lol seems like a cool potential for combining OT..

[@apasehmaunya2124]

Omg that's truuee

[@chelseasimcox1701]

Columbia University seems to be rehabilitation based. Is this accurate?

[@itscristalj6447]

I would say it's a mix between mental health and rehab! We definitely get the full OT experience and learn about every area though (peds, older adults, research/grant writing, etc.) :)

[@evak9887]

Hello! So are you doing a masters in OT but for your Bachelors you majored in a completely different field?

[@itscristalj6447]

yes :) OT programs are only masters or doctorate programs so you need a bachelors degree before you apply. Some schools have a pre-OT major but most don't. As long as you take the prerequisite classes to get into a program you can major in anything you want!

[@evak9887]

@@itscristalj6447 ooh I see. Thanks for responding!!. It is a bit different in other countries, it makes sense now:))

[@lizpopovich7748]

What is the acceptance rate at Columbia?

[@Rannbo]

I have a bachelors in exercise science. Thinking about going to either PTA or OT school. How does the reimbursement program affect OT's? (PDPM).

[@itscristalj6447]

Rada I’m honestly not too educated on that subject but from what I’m hearing it’s mostly only affecting OTs working in Skilled Nursing Facilities. LovelyyOT has a video explaining this so you can head over to her channel since she’ll give you a much better explanation than what I could give you!

[@ishikarewatkar13]

How much fees is there for masters in occupational therapy in USA???

[@reyislora262]

🙏👍

[@itscristalj6447]

❤

[@coolguymarch3328]

hi :) what were you adn your classmates GPA when applying?

[@itscristalj6447]

everyone had different GPAs when applying but for the most part I believe most classmates were above a 3.5 :)

[@gracemuppidi1075]

Hi would you recommend doing an OTD or an MOT right after a bachelor's in occupational therapy? :)

[@itscristalj6447]

Hi! Personally I would recommend getting your masters since there is no pay difference and there aren't any immediate benefits to having an OTD over and MOT. But like my classmates said, its all up to the individual and what your goals are. In my case an OTD is something I would assess later in life though :)

[@gabrielarrendale869]

Can i get in contact with the guy from Chicago?

[@itscristalj6447]

Sure! Send me an email and I'll send you his contact info :)

[@Walkinthepark305]

You can help people for free 🤷‍♀️

[@itscristalj6447]

Marcus Roque yes you can 😊

[@itscristalj6447]

@@Walkinthepark305 thank you for the information :) we do learn about TBIs, their outcomes, and what we can do to aid in the rehabilitation process in OT school but you can never have too much information :)

[@Walkinthepark305]

@@itscristalj6447 ah that Intersting i never got aid i just got back into reading and doctor banned me from sports enjoy this one stay safe kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5mWXmWFd9NkmJY

[@truckerharold1151]

Occupational Therapy is a dying field. PDPM and PDGM has left thousands of therapists unemployed and jobs few and far between. Glad I walked away from OT when I did.

[@Chris-fi3mw]

Hi, I was wondering if I can get your experience with this? I'm in my third year undergrad of kinesiology and OT is one of the fields I was contemplating, but I've only recently found out that it's not nearly as "pretty" as the universities would have you believe. Are there any alternatives you would suggest? Thank you.

[@truckerharold1151]

@@Chris-fi3mw I would only go into OT if your heart is really in it. The pay cuts and productivity requirements are insane, pay has decreased over the years, and jobs are difficult to find. There are stil jobs in the School systems, but they are competative. I gave it up because my hours were being cut along with pay (no job security). Jobs growing in healthcare are Surgical Tech and Nursing but there are no guarantee's there either. Lots of Physical Therapists are leaving and getting into Marketing and IT Tech. The Feds just don't care about therapists anymore. It's going to get worse for COTA and PTAs in the next few years with them being phased out. I make 115K a year with free healthcare benefits as a trucker and I love my job with great job security. Now you know why I left OT.

[@Chris-fi3mw]

@@truckerharold1151 Alright I see what you're saying, thanks for the insight!

[@LLCoolBeans86]

I would like to link with you, the Filipino sis who is interested in pediatrics, and the mom. I took a huge gap 7 years, I am a mommy of a toddler, and I'm super passionate about children and working with them. Please let me know your/their LinkedIn info if you are willing to connect.

[@itscristalj6447]

Hey! That's so awesome that you're thinking about OT :) Only one of us has an active LinkedIn but we all have Instagrams if you want to chat with us through there. Mine is in the bio and once you find me I can private message you theirs!

[@cheezybred]

Sounds like a lot of debt for these jobless students. As an OT, I worked straight through my program and paid for it as I went. 100+k of debt is not worth it.

[@itscristalj6447]

M Safrons you’re not wrong... lol

[@cheezybred]

ItsCristalJ just be careful, I have had plenty of colleagues drowning in debt for years after graduation, especially the ones who went to prestigious universities.

[@itscristalj6447]

@@cheezybred thanks for the advice! although it's a little late for me haha. I already graduated (with all the debt). The plan is to do travel therapy for a little while to try and make a dent in it :)

[@cheezybred]

ItsCristalJ I would recommend to keep the same lifestyle as you did as a broke college student, if you lifestyle creep now that you will be making some money it will be too difficult to chip away at it. You don’t want this looming over your head for years to come.