Is being a physical therapist a stressful job?
A 2010 job survey from CNNMoney.com and Payscale.com rated physical therapy jobs, occupational therapy jobs, and speech therapy jobs as having "average" stress levels, but increased demand by patients, battles with insurance companies, and changing government legislation have many therapists feeling more stressed than ever.
Are occupational therapists protected from stress?
Occupational therapists may in fact be protected from some stress and burnout factors. Further research is recommended to clarify the nature of stress experienced by occupational therapists and to identify both risk and protective factors characteristic of the profession.
What are the duties and responsibilities of an occupational therapist?
As an occupational therapist, you may lift patients and provide physical support while exercising. Most of your shift may also require you to be on your feet. Since many occupational therapy patients experience some hardship, working as an occupational therapist can be emotionally demanding.
Is it hard to get a job as an occupational therapist?
Fortunately, most rural parts of the country have a desperate need for occupational therapists. You can certainly find a position, whether permanent or travel, but you might have to make the choice to leave a bigger city.
Is occupational therapy a low stress job?
Occupational therapy in general made it on the top 16 least stressful jobs according to US News in 2021.
What are the disadvantages of being an occupational therapist?
What are the Challenges of Being an Occupational Therapist?1 – The Medical Field is Emotionally Stressful. ... 2 – Occupational Therapy is a Physically Demanding Job. ... 3 – Institutional Barriers May Prevent Desired Results. ... 4 – Long Work Hours Are Common. ... 5 – Learning New Techniques and Technology.More items...
Is occupational therapy a happy career?
OT Has a Positive Job Outlook The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates that employment for the profession will grow by 32% between 2019 and 2029. With so many different practice areas and occupational therapy settings, the demand for well-rounded OTAs will continue to grow.
Is occupational therapy a stable career?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 17.5 percent employment growth for occupational therapists between 2020 and 2030. In that period, an estimated 23,000 jobs should open up. Occupational therapists work with patients to build or restore their abilities to perform the daily tasks of life.
Is being an OT difficult?
Being an occupational therapist can be stressful. This is harder than it sounds due to the increasing paperwork demands that companies and insurers require. Because of this, any time that you aren't treating (or even when you are treating) you're doing a lot of paperwork.
Is occupational therapy tiring?
OT is Physically Demanding But some days I can have some very heavy patients and even with the proper form, I go home with some major low back pain or neck pain. This exists at almost every adult-based OT job, even outpatient/hand therapy at times.
What is the least stressful job?
Least-stressful jobsHairstylist: 6.72.Audiologist: 7.28.University professor (tenured): 8.42.Medical records technician: 8.52.Jeweler: 9.Operations research analyst: 9.09.Pharmacy technician: 9.19.Massage therapist: 10:39.More items...
What career is the happiest?
The 10 Happiest and Most Satisfying JobsDental Hygienist.Physical Therapist.Radiation Therapist.Optometrist.Human Resources Manager.
Who makes more a PT or OT?
Do occupational therapists make more than physical therapists? Physical therapists earn a higher median annual salary than occupational therapists. The BLS reports physical therapists earned $91,010, as of May 2020, compared to occupational therapists, who earned a median annual salary of $86,280.
Is occupational therapy in demand?
Based on the numbers, OTs are in demand, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which states job growth is expected to increase 17% from 2020 through 2030, which they note to be “much faster than the average for all occupations.”
Is there a shortage of occupational therapists?
On the basis of current trends, demand for OT services will outpace the supply of occupational therapists within the United States. Shortages are expected to increase for all 50 states through 2030. The number of states with a grade D or below will increase from 3 in 2010, to 18 in 2020, to 37 in 2030, respectively.
Why is occupational therapy so fun?
Other reasons that occupational therapists may perceive the profession to be less stressful and less prone to burnout include autonomy, the meaningfulness of work, flexibility, and my personal opinion, OT can be fun!
What is hand therapy?
Hand therapy is a specialty of occupational therapy that focuses on providing well, hand therapy to clients. Responsibilities include evaluations, the use of PAMs, fabricating/modifying splints, dressings and wound care, and rehabilitation. This setting is also less physically demanding than others such as acute care or acute rehabilitation as there are no transfers involved. Clients are often very friendly and the setting is often perceived to be relaxed. However, some settings may have high productivity expectations with back-to-back client sessions. Productivity is less of an issue in private practice settings compared to larger healthcare systems such as hospitals, e.g., Kaiser. While creativity may be integrated into practice, most of hand therapy is protocol-driven. OTs are more likely to have a better work-life balance due to fewer chances of ‘bringing your work home’.
Is acute care a low stress setting?
According to this Reddit thread, many OTs find acute care to be a low-stress work setting.
Is acute care more stressful than other jobs?
Based on these comments, it’s important to remember that even within the same settings, some positions may be more stressful than others depending on the expectations, company, client population, work environment, funding, culture, etc. So one acute care position may be low stress while another may be high stress for the same OT who compares the two positions. Potential stressors include high productivity demands, poor work-life balance, lack of OT appreciation and support by other staff, and feeling the ‘grind’.
Can an OT transition into acute care?
More difficult to get into this position if not trained during fieldwork. OTs often transition into this setting from acute care.
Is PT more valued than OT?
Potential poor support and appreciation depending on work culture (e.g., PT is more valued than OT)
Is acute care a good setting for OT?
While this article provides a general overview of settings that may be lower stress, each specific setting can have a lot of variation and your experience may vary. Overall, many OTs report acute care to be a good environment for lowering your stress levels compared to say, SNF. There are many settings not mentioned in this post that are also good candidates for low-stress occupational therapy work-settings. Some of these are harder to get hired in such as adult day programs, but may also be hiring as well if you look hard enough.
Is occupational stress a human service?
Occupational stress and burnout have been studied extensively in the human services. It has been suggested that healthcare professionals in particular are at risk of stress owing to the caring nature of their work. Articles related to occupational therapy and work-related stress were reviewed in reg …
Is occupational therapy a risk factor?
Occupational stress and burnout have been studied extensively in the human services. It has been suggested that healthcare professionals in particular are at risk of stress owing to the caring nature of their work. Articles related to occupational therapy and work-related stress were reviewed in regard to practice in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and Sweden. Although the empirical literature is relatively weak for occupational therapy, it has been argued that occupational therapists in health care share risk factors with other healthcare professionals. These risk factors include repeated exposure to distress and difficult behaviour, prolonged interventions and uncertain outcome. Issues such as professional status, staffing issues and the nature of the profession have been identified as additional risk factors for occupational therapists. However, empirical studies that enable burnout rates of occupational therapists to be compared with those of related occupational groups suggest that this may not be the case. Occupational therapists may in fact be protected from some stress and burnout factors. Further research is recommended to clarify the nature of stress experienced by occupational therapists and to identify both risk and protective factors characteristic of the profession.
How much does it cost to become an occupational therapist?
If you’re going for the OTR (Master’s or Doctorate) route, you can expect to pay anywhere from $40,000 to well over $100,000 for your degree. Less expensive state schools are harder to get into, so you may have to choose a private school and pay an average of $80,000+ for your Master’s, ...
What is the focus of OT?
With rehab-based occupational therapists, a big focus is transfer training. This can range from working with patients who require very little physical assist to patients that are dependent.
Why are big cities saturated with OTs?
Because more people are wanting to become occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, schools in bigger cities are creating more programs and pumping out more and more new grads every year.
How much does an OTR make?
Lastly, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average salary for OTR’s is $84,640, the average for new grads is quite a bit less ( tens of thousands of dollars less ).
Can I speak for OTA?
I can’t speak for occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs. But as someone who has experienced the stresses of applying to OT school, I can tell you: Master’s and Doctorate programs are very competitive.
Do more OTs equal more jobs?
More new OTs does not automatically equal more positions being created to meet the demand, so many new grads are faced with the fact that they might have to move away to find a job.
Is it a good career choice to work in a variety of jobs?
The job flexibility and variety combined with knowing you are truly making a difference in peoples’ lives makes it a great career choice as long as you’re prepared and you know the potential drawbacks you might encounter.