#ot talk

[vintagedolan]

how long does it take to be a pediatric ot? i’m still deciding on whether i want to fully commit and go to medical school or just do PA.

OT currently requires a 4 year bachelors degree, followed by a 2 year masters degree. However, entry level is moving to the doctoral level in 2027 with an OTD so theres 2 or 3 years added onto that as well now! also, your undergraduate degree can be in pretty much anything haha, some colleges dont have a specific OT related undergraduate degrees. For me, I got my Bachelors of Science in Occupational Science, which is the study of what occupation is as a whole, the theories that OT are based off of, etc etc :)

[vintagedolan]

This all sounds so cool lol. What would you say is the hardest part of what you’re studying?

hehehe it IS so cool and so underrated, we learn so much about advocating for our profession and what we do.

in terms of actual material, I think that my neuroanatomy and advanced human anatomy classes were the most challenging content wise, because it’s breaking down the inner workings of the body to a cellular level. advanced human anatomy was every muscle in the body, where it originates, where it inserts, what it’s innervated by, etc etc. my conditions class in graduate school was also a doozy because OTs treat literally all conditions so it was like... everything that can happen to you wrapped up into one class

but the actual hardest part for me at least is seeing people struggle. It’s part of it, and I am so grateful to be in a position to help people gain their independence (thats why I do what I do) but it can be emotionally draining seeing people who have gone through so much, from gunshot wounds to strokes to major car accidents. but seeing them progress and grow is absolutely everything, and it makes it so so so worth it

[vintagedolan]

Hey babe have I ever told you how much I worship you as an OT? I won’t go too into it but at one point in my life I had a team of OTs, PTs, and trauma specialists and without them I wouldn’t be moving today (literally). You are going to help so many people and make their lives better. I hope your clients really appreciate having someone who is not only creative but incredibly kind to help them in their journey.

the way this made me actually cry real tears 🥺 I love you cat, and I’m so glad you were able to make such an amazing recovery!! be super proud of yourself for that cause you’re the one that put in the work!!

[vintagedolan]

those classes sound so science-y omg i would FAIL gn 😭 i took a basic anatomy course once and it was so hard to remember all the things how do u do it omg

they were indeed quite science-y haha my ‘college’ within my university is the college of health sciences. it was a lot of work I’m not gonna lie, I fought tooth and nail to keep my 4.0 but it was so worth it. 

My best tips are: figure out if you study better with friends or alone (or what specific friends you actually study well with because you will not study well with all of them and you’ll shoot yourself in the foot if you try to), drink coffee, write and rewrite your notes, and come up with little tricks that you can remember in your head for certain things (example: I came up with a song to remember the spinal tracts to the tune of introducing me from camp rock lmao)

[vintagedolan]

How did you find out about OT? I look into professions but I never find the specific one that I know would actually work for me and then I get scared when I think about doing it for the rest of my life.

My dad’s best friend is an OT and had mentioned it before, so I did a little research and stumbled across a youtube video of a man who had his arm amputated. He talked about how every morning for 20 years he got up and made his wife eggs, and how all he wanted to do was be able to make her breakfast again (cue me, sobbing in my kitchen) and his OT adapted his environment and gave him the tools and skills to do it and I was like holy shit, I want to be able to help people do things that mean something to them (which is basically the definition of OT)

as far as doing it for the rest of my life, that’s actually one of the major draws of OT for me. It’s so versatile that if I get bored in one setting, I can basically have an entirely different career within my degree. if I decide I don’t wanna work with adults anymore? cool, I’ll go work in a pediatric hospital. decide I wanna be on the same schedule as my kids some day? great, I’ll go work as a school OT. theres so many options its crazy, and that flexibility put my mind at ease because I know I can change my mind down the road without all my hard work being thrown out the window, yah know?

[vintagedolan]

i didn’t even know pediatric ot was a thing omg that sounds so fun 🥺🥺 i feel bad for asking u so many questions lol but thank you so so much for answering, you have no idea how much i appreciate u 🥺

don’t feel bad love!! I love talking about it, thank you for asking! it’s my biggest passion (alongside writing haha) so I absolutely love answering questions about it!!

[vintagedolan]

Please tell me more!! I’ve just graduated school and I have no clue what I want to do so I’m considering all my options (but OT is the only thing I’ve looking at specifically)

this is a great little vid if you want a little pediatric and general overview!!

[vintagedolan]

omg that sounds so interesting!! i was thinking about specializing in something that is heavily involved w kids but i’m kinda scared that i’ll get too emotional/too attached if that makes sense? idk im v empathetic and i always feel others ppls emotions intensely but i also really really want to be able to help other people lol im in a pickle

pediatric OT is a blast!! my pediatric sensory integration workshop on tuesday involved rolling up into “mat tacos”, playing with orbeez, shaving cream, climbing under the tables into a little fort, swinging on a log, etc etc haha peds practice is basically tricking kids into doing therapy while playing haha. it’s so much fun, and I think it’s super important to be empathetic! the boundaries between your emotions and theres come with learning and professional practice :)