OT burnout

Any OT's experiencing burnout? Does anyone know of any job alternatives outside of clinic/hospital settings?

Steph in Houston, Texas said: Any OT's experiencing burnout? Does anyone know of any job alternatives outside of clinic/hospital settings?

If you want to move to Huntsville AL? We are looking for a occupational Health Specialist for a large manufacturing company. Do you have a LPN or RN certificate? email me if you want details mitzigreenhaw@spherion.com

Check out the forum on indeed.com under "Occupational Therapy Assistant". I think you will find it very interesting. Very lengthy though.

I am also in the OT assistant forum. I have burnout to the nth degree. I dread going to work.

How about home health? The money is great and the schedules are very flexible -- at least here in NYC.

You could look into psychosocial applications of OT, such as working in a PSR clubhouse. It would be a real change of pace and I think a cure for your burnout.

I googled PSR clubhouse. It seems that it is very limited and the pay scale for the O.T. manager is $20,000 to $29,000 a year. It would be great but just don't know if I could live on that.
Just guess I may have to go back to diapering and toileting old people if I want to make a living.

discouraged in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said: I googled PSR clubhouse. It seems that it is very limited and the pay scale for the O.T. manager is $20,000 to $29,000 a year. It would be great but just don't know if I could live on that.
Just guess I may have to go back to diapering and toileting old people if I want to make a living.

This is very interesting to me as this is a field I have been considering going back to school for, but I suppose I fear burn-out as well. It seems that the job can be incredibly rewarding, but can also exhaust you. Any ideas about how to handle that?

Steph in Houston, Texas said: Any OT's experiencing burnout? Does anyone know of any job alternatives outside of clinic/hospital settings?

just curious. i've just started working and i'm already stressed out. what causes the burnout for you? the ethical dilemmas? treatment planning? please let me know so i would know what to watch out for.

What about pediatric practice, you may have to take some refresher CE units to find an area that would spark your interest but there are OT positions in schools, in sensory integration focused clinics, in pysical disabilities settings. Or maybe mental health, OTs sometimes work in acute hospital settings as well as in clubhouses and community models. Also, refresh your thinking on what you are doing. Are you up to date on the latest research? Are you being as client and occupation centered as you could be? Are there continuing education units you could take to get you excited about a population or treatment modality again? Are you a member of AOTA and involved in their special interest forums? You can join email lists and bounce ideas off OTs from all over the country. Best of luck. What you do matters, try and reconnect with the power of occupations for yourself and your clients.

discouraged in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said: I googled PSR clubhouse. It seems that it is very limited and the pay scale for the O.T. manager is $20,000 to $29,000 a year. It would be great but just don't know if I could live on that.
Just guess I may have to go back to diapering and toileting old people if I want to make a living.

hi, i'm considering going to school for OT (instead of RN) but I was surprised to read your saying you may 'have to go back to diapering and toileting old people'. is that expected of OTs also? Please say no. Do you know if it's easy finding a job (i'm sure not like a nurse) or hard to come by? I'm planning to relocate to florida and i want to make sure i will be able to find a job down there. anything you can share is greatly appreciated! :>

"hi, i'm considering going to school for OT (instead of RN) but I was surprised to read your saying you may 'have to go back to diapering and toileting old people'. is that expected of OTs also? Please say no. Do you know if it's easy finding a job (i'm sure not like a nurse) or hard to come by? I'm planning to relocate to florida and i want to make sure i will be able to find a job down there. anything you can share is greatly appreciated! :>"

Hello Rose: I have been an OTR for 7 years. I have a specialty certification in pediatrics, however, and am now working at a SNF as a traveler (my travel assignment is with a contract company that also does out-patient therapy and has some school & Birth to Three contracts). I do work on functional transfers with toileting and ADLS; however, not on a daily basis; just to assess the patient and establish plans for the CNAs to follow to maximize patient independence. I love working as an OT and am constantly educating myself and the professionals I work with. I think variety and seeking out new learning opportunities has kept me loving OT. I also like switching between different settings; i.e. when I take my "permanent" job, I plan to work 4 days at my regular job and have one day off to fill in at other settings, volunteer, or do continued ed stuff. As for jobs, I have traveled all over the country and the shortage of OTs is getting more extreme. You will be able to find a job! Especially in Florida. Most important, seek out excellent mentors!!! For your fieldwork experiences and first job. It is better to make less money the first year or two out and work someplace with awesome mentorship. Best wishes and good luck! Heather =)

Thanks Heather, you're the best! :>

There will always be more jobs for OTRs then COTAs. There are also more opportunities and room for advancement for OTRs than for COTAs. Looks like the NBCOT and state/federal governments have failed to recognize the need for COTAs in specialty areas. I retired from OT five years ago as a COTA... I don't regret it.

I am proud to say I have worked as an OT for a hospital for 13 years(primarily outpatient, but inpt. and SNF as well). I have always loved my work. However, a year ago I quit my hospital job which had a rigid schedule for family reasons and began working PRN at a SNF. However, now that my family situation has resolved I am shocked to find that even as an experienced Outpatient OT I can't find an outpatient OT job in a hospital anywhere. (I have looked for a year!) Currently, I work at a private PT practice which has very little equipment and I dream of the day when I can work for a well established hospital rehab department with fellow OTs, OT equipment and an established referral base again! AM I going crazy or is the market for experienced Outpatient OTs suddenly flooded? I would love to hear from other OTs. Proud to be and OT in Ohio.

Danielle... what you may be seeing is what has been happening her in California. More and more hospitals are doing away with their inpatient and outpatient programs and sending them to SNF/LTC facilities. It's just more cost effective to place a patient in a nursing home for therapies then the keep them in a hospital. Yes, outpatient clinics are being flooded by OT/COTAs because everyone is burnt out on all the politics of SNFs where productivity rules the kingdom. I am not sure how long you have been out of the mainstream, but many things have changed over the last several years. I lost my job in a hospital here in So. Cal. a year ago because so many hospitals are closing their doors. The SNFs here are horrible, but I have to have a job so I just deal with it. Most OTRs here are starting their own practice or going to the school system where the money is much better.

Brian, I have noticed the same thing with hospitals pushing patients out quickly & sending them to SNFs. I began working as a traveler in 2004 and noticed then the SNFs in AZ were getting younger & more acute folks and more insurance vs. MCA. I then worked overseas for 18 months in pediatrics; when I returned I accepted another travel assignment in Seattle, WA for 4 months (this past summer). I was amazed at the number of patients, whom I considered "traditional acute care/hospital patients", being admitted to the SNF I was was working at. Most of my patients at the SNF were NOT Medicare Part A; many were in their 50's however, I had several in their 30's & 40's and 2 in their 20's (severe MVAs). My patients generally were in car accidents, work accidents (construction workers), amputees, shoulder, knee, & hip fractures, acute TBIs... many times in traction, with halos, IVs, etc. I only had one patient over the 18 months over 90! It was a great experience and I learned a lot this past summer. I think many insurance companies prefer to pay the SNF rates vs the hospitals and they are a big part of why people get D/C'ed from the hospital so quickly.

Hi OT's,

Is anyone out there working in as school based OT? I was working in a SNF and transferred to school based a couple of years ago. I am getting burnout working with the a group of unhappy parents who want OT to cure their child. The area where I work has many litigious cases. Does any one else want to share their thoughts, feelings?

I have been thinking of working with TBI patients. There are not too many jobs in the area in this field. Does anyone have experience with this population? If so, did you enjoy it?

Thank you.

Jan,

Sorry to hear the you're feeling so burnt out. I've worked in a county hospital outpatient TBI/SCI clinic in the so cal area and it's great. I started out in the acute section, but requested a transfer. I think that TBI patients in an outpatient setting are both challenging and rewarding. Not to mention, the stress level and workload are much more manageable than what I've heard about school based OTs. From what my friends who work school based say, you gals (and guys) are expected to do way too much.

Dear S,
Thank you for your feedback. The main stress is the many litigious cases. It's good to know that TBI/SCI is rewarding. It seems with TBI patients you can work on many areas, ADLs, BADLs, cognitive skills, etc.

Jan

Hi Jan,

If it's the parents you're burning out on, and not the kids, have you considered the possibility of working as a private practitioner? Please forgive the self-serving plug here, but I am the business manager for Kidspace ( www.KidspaceTherapy.com ), a San Francisco-based pediatric therapy facility. We have a long waiting list of families seeking treatment and we're always eager to talk to experienced therapists who are interested in the flexibility and income potential of private practice. My wife (who is an OT) and I started Kidspace as an alternative to the paperwork/productivity/bureaucracy headaches of hospital or school-based practices. Please feel free to call or e-mail for more info. (See website for contact info.) Thanks and good luck with whatever direction you choose to go in.
-- John

I am working in School based OT. and have been for may years. I am however thinking of doing some PRN private practice OT if poassible ijn part to help me with my income tax, and in part to earn extra money over the summer. Is there a legal requirement(besides qualifications) to taking on private patients, or working as a private practitioner at a Skilled NUrsing Facility? Also, would it be a big stretch to re educate myself for that population? Thanks Sharon on NE OHIO

Sharon Handley in Akron, Ohio said: I am working in School based OT. and have been for may years. I am however thinking of doing some PRN private practice OT if poassible ijn part to help me with my income tax, and in part to earn extra money over the summer. Is there a legal requirement(besides qualifications) to taking on private patients, or working as a private practitioner at a Skilled NUrsing Facility? Also, would it be a big stretch to re educate myself for that population? Thanks Sharon on NE OHIO

Hi Sharon,
I don't know anything about private practice OT at a SNF, I have always worked for them directly as a per diem therapist. As a private practice therapist you need insurance which is only $100-$200 per year.

Do you have alot of litigious cases doing school based practice? Or is it mostly in California?

Jan

Jan: Thnaks for you rcomments. No, we do not have a lit of litigation in school base paractice, ie none that I am aware of. Sharon

Hi John and wife at Kidsspace,

I am an OT looking to start private practice in Florida and I need some advice. Would you and your wife be kind enough to answer some questions related?

Steph in Houston, Texas said: Any OT's experiencing burnout? Does anyone know of any job alternatives outside of clinic/hospital settings?

I am so burned out that I cry every night. I was able to take a break from the OT field but I ran out of savings and now I have to find work.I have been in the field for 23 ears. I hate it I hate it I hate it but I have no motivation to change because going back to school after 40 is not appealing to me. I would rather live in a cave, off the grid with grizzly bears...maybe that's what I'll do. I do have to say, burn out is an insidious creature, it catches you and it just seemed to creep in and rob me of my passion. See ya in a cave.

OTinNJ in Englewood, New Jersey said: I am so burned out that I cry every night. I was able to take a break from the OT field but I ran out of savings and now I have to find work.I have been in the field for 23 ears. I hate it I hate it I hate it but I have no motivation to change because going back to school after 40 is not appealing to me. I would rather live in a cave, off the grid with grizzly bears...maybe that's what I'll do. I do have to say, burn out is an insidious creature, it catches you and it just seemed to creep in and rob me of my passion. See ya in a cave.

What caused you burn out? Is the job physically demanding like PT? I am 35 with a masters degree in nutrition planning to go back to school next fall for an MOT. But I am so scared that I will not like that job either after spending $70,000 in student loan and 2 years of school without pay.

Do nursing homes contribute to the burn out or do find burn out even in hospitals and home health? I am just confused and I am wondering if there is one area with less burn rate, pediatrics, hand therapy, school based, agency etc.

I do not know exactly what caused the burn out that I experience, I only know that so many of us "get it". I have had students who have affiliated with me and they last less than an average of 5 years in the profession. I think it has to do with the what they have termed "compassion fatigue". It comes to a point in many of us in the health care profession where we just can't "muster" up the compassion needed to help our fellow humans. I graduated in 1984 and I have seen the profession change. Most jobs are in nursing homes and pediatric. There is big money to be made in nursing homes. I think that is why OT's do it. It's sad. The patients are sicker and come to OT with tubes coming out of every orifice. I am not being obnoxious here, its just true. I think health insurance changed the profession with all those rules and "CPT" codes and all the crap you have to write these days and how you have to write it in order that the facility gets "paid". Its like anything else corrupted by humans and greed. Personally, I was an idealistic kid from the "70's who wanted "to help people", sometimes we just grow up and become cynics.I feel like crap that I am so cynical. I struggle inside and wonder "where did the idealistic kid go? Where is she? Can I find her again amoung the middle age madness and the disappointments of life. I think that it is really important that if you really want to get a masters in OT, to find some OT's who are still fired up about their jobs. THEY are out there. Then really make the life decision for yourself. Any healthcare job takes it's toll...it's just part of it. It's really, really sad. Good luck to you, I hope you find your way.

OTinNJ in Englewood, New Jersey said: I do not know exactly what caused the burn out that I experience, I only know that so many of us "get it". I have had students who have affiliated with me and they last less than an average of 5 years in the profession. I think it has to do with the what they have termed "compassion fatigue". It comes to a point in many of us in the health care profession where we just can't "muster" up the compassion needed to help our fellow humans. I graduated in 1984 and I have seen the profession change. Most jobs are in nursing homes and pediatric. There is big money to be made in nursing homes. I think that is why OT's do it. It's sad. The patients are sicker and come to OT with tubes coming out of every orifice. I am not being obnoxious here, its just true. I think health insurance changed the profession with all those rules and "CPT" codes and all the crap you have to write these days and how you have to write it in order that the facility gets "paid". Its like anything else corrupted by humans and greed. Personally, I was an idealistic kid from the "70's who wanted "to help people", sometimes we just grow up and become cynics.I feel like crap that I am so cynical. I struggle inside and wonder "where did the idealistic kid go? Where is she? Can I find her again amoung the middle age madness and the disappointments of life. I think that it is really important that if you really want to get a masters in OT, to find some OT's who are still fired up about their jobs. THEY are out there. Then really make the life decision for yourself. Any healthcare job takes it's toll...it's just part of it. It's really, really sad. Good luck to you, I hope you find your way.

That pretty much sums up life or work in a SNF. It's all about the money....salary and reimbursement. I did get into this field wanting to help people but agree that healthcare has changed and its difficult to adapt.

OTinNJ in Englewood, New Jersey said: I am so burned out that I cry every night. I was able to take a break from the OT field but I ran out of savings and now I have to find work.I have been in the field for 23 ears. I hate it I hate it I hate it but I have no motivation to change because going back to school after 40 is not appealing to me. I would rather live in a cave, off the grid with grizzly bears...maybe that's what I'll do. I do have to say, burn out is an insidious creature, it catches you and it just seemed to creep in and rob me of my passion. See ya in a cave.

Oh my. You sound so exactly like me I cannot believe it. I actually do not cry every night anymore because I think I am numb to to situation. I try to think about the money only and not the degradation of the job, but that is more difficult than I imagined it would be. I am also older and have tried other jobs but with an OT degree you are not prepared for any other job except OT. When people ask me what I do, I just say I am in health care because I do not and cannot describe what I do, and nobody believes me when i try. This field is OK for young girls who want to save up some money and then quit when they have babies. They are propably the majority of people in this field from my experience. At the end of the day I am so tired I just eat dinner and go to bed. What a life is that?

Wow, you both feel this down over your job? I am an OT, and it can be a challenge at times, however, is also very rewarding and fun. I work in a SNF and am learning new things all the time. Yes, there are things I don't like (insurance, billing, RUG levels, internal politics of the facility), however, the patients make it worthwhile, as do my co-workers. My question is to you: have you had a depression screening done? You may be suffering from depression. Hormone level change as we age and some women suffer from major depression episodes. Your writing sounds more than job dissatisfaction. It sounds like someone suffering from depression. Best wishes to you. Be kind to yourself and take care of YOU first. =)

Heather in Manitowoc, Wisconsin said: Wow, you both feel this down over your job? I am an OT, and it can be a challenge at times, however, is also very rewarding and fun. I work in a SNF and am learning new things all the time. Yes, there are things I don't like (insurance, billing, RUG levels, internal politics of the facility), however, the patients make it worthwhile, as do my co-workers. My question is to you: have you had a depression screening done? You may be suffering from depression. Hormone level change as we age and some women suffer from major depression episodes. Your writing sounds more than job dissatisfaction. It sounds like someone suffering from depression. Best wishes to you. Be kind to yourself and take care of YOU first. =)

Thanks for replying and saying something posotive about OT. I am determined to make a career change to OT no matter what. There will always be people dissatisfied withtheir careers. I will work hard when I am young such that by the time I am in my 50s I don't have to work too hard hence avoid the burn out.

How long have you been working in OT?

I am also wondering which is the best area to start out so that you get the best orientation and build skills. I would finally like to go into hand splitting.

Best wishes on becoming an OT! I have been an OT for 8 years. My mom is an OT assistant and has been one for 34 years. You will have several fieldwork experiences in school and will be able to try various treatment settings. There is no one perfect first job. It is whatever you are interested in. The most important thing is for the first year or two make sure you have strong mentorship from 1 or 2 people you respect and trust. Best regards, Heather =)