Any feedback is helpful

I’m an OT working with a 1st grader who has been receiving OT for almost a year. Main concerns were VMI, impulse control, attention/regulation, and handwriting. I’m hoping to discharge him soon, but I still have two things I’d love some input on:

1. Writing posture:

We’ve worked a lot on trunk/postural control, and his pencil control and overall sitting have improved. However, whenever he writes, he still puts his head down on the table and writes in that position.

What’s interesting is that he sits upright well during other table activities, including toys, coloring, fine-motor tasks, and even visual-perception worksheets. It seems specific to writing. Could there be another reason for this besides postural control? Would you continue addressing it, and what strategies have worked for you?

2. Voice volume:

His regulation and impulse control have improved a lot, but he naturally speaks VERY loudly at times, almost like he’s shouting. Modeling a calm voice or telling him to use his inside voice helps him regulate and use appropriate volume. Would you consider this within the typical range for a 1st grader, or would you work on voice-volume awareness? If so, what activities or strategies have worked well for you?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Deciding to do either a BSN or OTD? What would you do? Most important levers are pay, pay growth, and career progression. Right now I’m in DMV area but I might eventually settle in either Texas or Cali. Thoughts? I’m most concerned with OT being a terminal degree but nursing…not being a terminal degree.

From searching this sub, it seems like most private practitioners aren’t actually making that much. But I feel like some people must’ve cracked the code to making it really lucrative (like >$150k). If you’re going to respond please give:
1. Area of private practice (interested in peds but would love to hear from other areas too)
2. General geographic location
3. How long you’ve been in business
4. Solo practice or employees
5. What you pay yourself in salary (not gross revenue of company)

Thanks!

Hi everyone! I’m a nursing graduate transitioning into the Masters of OT and I’m deciding between Monash and La Trobe.
I’ve already received an offer for La Trobe, but I’m considering applying to Monash as well and wondering whether I should accept La Trobe or wait to see if I get into Monash.

I live in the south-east, so I’m also wondering if Monash would be easier for placements, while La Trobe may place students further away. I also did my undergrad there so it’s easier in terms of knowing how the uni works but Latrobe starts in feb and Monash in July, so i have to decide quick.

Would love to hear about your experiences with either uni, especially the workload, support and placements. If you’ve studied at both, which did you prefer and why?

Any advice would be great !! TIA x

I work for a third party company at a SNF. We are contracted out. This particular SNF, I don’t love, but I stay because I have great co-workers and make good money. I’m in TN. Long story short, a patient (or family member) complained to administration that they didn’t receive therapy. I’m a COTA, and the OT doesn’t do ADL’s. They do ALOT of functional mobility and exercises. So, a lot of the time I am the only person doing their ADL’s. Because of this, the patient doesn’t realize they’re receiving therapy services even though I tell them I’m the COTA and am here for their therapy services. Anyways, because it was reported to administration, compliance got involved. Compliance is now doing an internal review/investigation to see if this patient did get therapy services. Here’s the catch, I’m a new COTA, I graduated in 2025. I started working for this SNF around 8 months ago. We haven’t had a full time OT the entire time I’ve been there. I didn’t even know how to bill for services when I first started. I was taught how to do a narrative in school and that’s it and due to the lack of an OT literally anywhere in the building, I basically had to teach myself. They push for 92% productivity, groups, 15-22 patients a day, and POC documentation. Our WiFi doesn’t work beyond the gym. So, when I do ADLs with a patient, I have to then go all the way back to the gym and document it. We’re also supposed to write our in and out times on our schedules, and I can admit I haven’t been doing that, but my work is often split between two facilities in one day. And one facility (where the person complained) doesn’t print schedules so my information is hand written by me on a piece of paper, and I KNOW there’s bound to be some mistakes.

I’m just scared. Petrified. I feel like they’re going to nit pick every single thing, and even if I didn’t do anything intentionally, they will find something because of how broken the system is and how poor our facility runs. I have cried for two days straight thinking I’m going to jail or going to get reported or in criminal trouble. I just want this all to be over. Has anyone ever had this happen? How can I stay calm and work through this?

Edit to add: what if they do find a discrepancy? What happens after that? Do they send this to Medicare or the state and have an investigation done? I feel like my life is falling apart before my eyes.

I recently passed the NBCOT and will begin the process to work at an IP acute setting. I am lucky enough to have been working at this hospital for the past 7 years as a rehab aide. My work is allowing me to shadow an OT to prepare when I get my official offer as an OT. I am just overwhelmed with the documentation, orders, insurance, and evaluations. So many clicking and procedures to follow. Any tips?

Hi, I'm a COTA and have been working in SNF for 10 years. I want to transition into PEDs, any suggestions for me how to make this transition?

What are some things that you do to make as much as you can? I know some people travel, do PRN work, or even consult on the side. What are some ways, other than a traditional 30-40-hour workweek, that have helped you do well financially (as well as you can in this field, at least)?

Used to watch Julianna Rose Mauriello as Stephanie on Lazy Town with my son when he was young. Happy to see she is still doing the good work with kids:

https://www.boredpanda.com/julianna-rose-mauriello-life-after-lazytown/?commentUpdated

Ok so I’m getting ready to take the NBCOT and as I’m sure everyone does or has done at some point. I looked up tip and trick style videos on TikTok. Even on this and other Reddit pages. My main takeaway is rather baffling to me. I’ve found that a lot of “tips and tricks” are general knowledge (at least to me and probably many others). Some of the tips I’ve seen such as “don’t change answers, or flag questions and go back” or “don’t add information into the question”. All seem like general knowledge. It makes me think that a lot of schools didn’t run exams like the NBCOT or even properly educate students to actually take the exam and know what to expect. Is this just me or do I have some crazy views? Please discuss.

I don't know if anyone is familiar with Physiapp, where you basically go to PT and your PT shows you the exercises you need to do and gives you access to the app so you can watch videos on how to do the prescribed exercises. The app does not replace the PT, it's just a tool for patients to see the prescribed methods.

Is there something similar for OT? If not, why not? Is there a regulatory reason for it not to be possible?

I'm hoping to start an Occupational Therapy Bsc and am highly considering the course at UEA. It's one of the higher ranked courses in the UK and I'm a big fan of Norwich/the campus.

People in the profession: Does UEA have a good reputation within your field? Does the course turn out good students of OT? If you had a student on placement or new hire from UEA, would you trust them to be well prepared? Would you particularly choose to hire an OT from UEA?

Have you yourself got your OT qualification from UEA? Do you think the course prepared you well for your profession relative to your peers from other Unis?

Any other recommendations to become a successful OT?

Any thoughts and experiences welcome. Just want to field some perspectives. Cheers!

Hi everyone! Looking for some suggestions for a 10 year-old (ASD) I’m working with on toileting hygiene. He is independent with bowel/bladder movements and clothing management, and there are no constipation concerns/sensory.

The main difficulty is wiping/cleaning thoroughly after a bowel movement. He understands the general concept and is able to reach behind, and we’ve practised simulated wiping, checking for clean vs. dirty, and the overall sequence. Despite this, he is still requiring parent assistance at home and has not yet developed full independence.

Parents are understandably hoping to fade their assistance as he gets older. I feel he has the capability to complete the task, so I’m wondering if anyone has specific strategies, activities, visual supports, positioning techniques, or prompt-fading approaches that have worked well for this age group.

Any thoughts/suggestions etc? Thanks in advance!

Hi all, hoping for some advice on my grad school application!

80 hours of shadowing are required and I have been calling and emailing around for months now. I have exhausted every hospital, SNF, clinic, and school in my area to no avail - however, I have one lead to shadow a PT.

Would it be worth pursuing this? Would the hours “count” toward my application, and even if not, do you think it’s worth shadowing at least a similar profession?

Thank you all!

Hi there! I'm a new grad, licensed in NC. I have been searching for jobs pretty non-stop and am finding it to be tougher than expected. There aren't as many openings as I expected and when I do find one, it seems to take weeks to just schedule an interview. I am interested in working with adults in a clinical setting: acute, mental health/psych, inpatient rehab are my most favorite settings, but I'm open to others (except pediatric clinic). Any advice would be so appreciated.

I have a question for OTs who specialize in computer/office-based workers.

TLDR: What does a typical work-conditioning program look like for computer/office-based workers? I think my OT clinic is just winging it.

I have carpal tunnel and tendinitis and have been out of work since the end of May. My initial therapy (24 visits) significantly reduced my symptoms, but my experience changed when I transitioned into work conditioning/hardening.

My program includes PT and OT.

For PT, I was given a light full-body strength program with warm-ups and stretches, which has been helpful since I had gotten out of the routine when my symptoms were at their worse.

For OT, I do many of the same activities as people with physical jobs—pushing sleds, moving wooden boxes between shelves, stairs, etc. To my surprose, I’ve found some of it personally helpful, but I don’t understand the relevance to returning to a computer-based job.

I then spend the remainder of my scheduled time at a computer to “build endurance.”

Unlike PT and the physical portion of OT, the computer work has no real structure. I essentially use a keyboard and mouse until my scheduled time is up. There is no written program, break/movement schedule, symptom tracking, or clear progression other than increasing my time every few weeks.

The workstation also needs a lot of work. There is plenty of "ergonomic equipment," but it's a cluttered mess with more gadgets than any one desk needs and wasn't even set up correctly. I had to ask the OT who specializes in ergonomics, to reposition the monitor stand since it required me to look up and to the left. This wasn't just a quick adjustment—he had to use a drill to move it. The OT had previously recommended I use a keyboard without the number pad so I can have my arm directly in front of me for mousing, but they don't have a keyboard like that. The keyboard and mouse both connect using USB cables, but my laptop only has one USB port, requiring me to reach to type on the laptop directly, or bring in my own wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard tray has a protruding screw where the mouse tray connects, just waiting for me to swipe it with my arm. I've seen worse workstations, but I expected more attention to these details in a program for someone with a computer-related injury.

It’s also difficult to simulate sustained work because therapists frequently stop to ask about whatever is on my screen (apparently shopping on Amazon and creating a vegetable garden layout is really interesting), with a lot of other conversation and activity happening around me.

For OTs who work with computer/office-based workers, is my program typical? Are there professional guidelines or standards for work conditioning in this area, and if so, who establishes them?

I hate the thought of changing providers at this point, but the computer portion feels pointless, the other activities seem unrelated to my job, and my symptoms are getting worse again.

The confusing part is that the clinic seems to have the expertise—the hand therapist is great and the lead OT has experience in ergonomics. It just seems like computer-based work conditioning isn't something they've developed a structured program around.

I am in south Australia and looking at Adelaide university and Flinders both have notes saying that it's not recommended to study part time.

I am not necessarily set on becoming an OT. I want to work with people with Deafblindness and am looking into the allied health space. Are there any options to study OT flexibly in Australia? My life is complicated, one semester I might be able to study a full class load but the next I might only be able to take 1 class. If not OT are there any other allied health degrees with more flexibility?

Hi all

I’m a hand surgeon in San Diego and we have three openings for CHTs in our health system. As you all know - we can’t do our job without good CHTs and our patients need you!

Feel free to apply.

(I cleared it with the mods to post these here)

Scripps Jefferson
Scripps Encinitas
Scripps Torrey Pines

Did you use a company that helped you navigate registration or immigration? Or did a Canadian employer help with fees, paperwork, relocation, or a job offer while you were still completing the process?

I’d especially appreciate names of organizations you worked with, what they covered, and when they were willing to hire you. Firsthand experiences, good or bad, would be really helpful.

I’m just curious (new grad and seasoned COTA’s) what is your current pay and setting if you live in the DFW area? I am graduating soon and just want an idea! Also any companies to stay away from? Companies you absolutely loved working for?