- First off, I am adding new links to the right. I have some good links for parents that I have stumbled upon and some new Autism-related links.
- Secondly, I had some great talks recently with patients and family members about preventing occupational deprivation in the elderly. I am planning to make a handout to post on OT Advantage.
- Third, my husband has helped me conquer some occupational deprivation of my own, and took a day off work to pack cranky-morning-me off for an awesome canoeing trip. I used to spend my whole summer on the water, but OT school KILLED that, and it was great to get back to something I really love to do.
- And finally, I had several questions from Melody in an earlier post and I realized that I could shed some more light on my situation.
Just wondering about two things outs of curiosity. 1. do you work in a school based/clinic/hospital setting? and 2. How do you feel working with children when you have child/ren of your own?Answers!
I'm considering either peds or acute physical when I'm graduating but Im planning a family as well and my mum rechons working with adults would be more of a relief.
Whats it like for you.
PS do you teach sign language?
1. I work in a small hospital which houses a SNF floor and several acute care floors, with a freestanding outpatient clinic where I see the pediatrics. I have a handful of OT/OTA coworkers.
2. I do NOT have kids. (This is actually a sore subject when asked in person, as a patient or a coworker speculates at least 1x/week that I am pregnant. No hard feelings for the online ask, but people who see me in person should note the complete lack of baby bump.) Actually, after my first neuro class in OT school, I don't know that I could make it through a pregnancy, as I am incredibly predisposed to worrying over everything. I am involved with activities that are typically reserved for parents (girl scouts, VBS), but it is because I believe in spending the extra time I have trying to give back now and then to organizations that were meaningful to me.
2b. As for the job I will have when/if I have kids, it's hard to say, as my goals for the near future aren't so clear. Adult rehab can be very physically exhausting, and a salaried job can be exceptionally time consuming in the day to day. I know of a lot of therapists who got into school system practice to schedule more time with their own kids. There's advantages to both sides, but I'd say that what OT parents are really looking for in a job is: flexible hours and good insurance. By flex hours, I mean that you can take days off without giving lots of notice, get vacation time (especially if you get school holidays), and know that you won't be asked to work a lot of weekends. I could be wrong- anyone in this situation can comment with their real thoughts.
And 3. I don't teach ASL, though I did take a semester in college and worked with a child (in a non-OT way) on baby signs. I know some basics for working with my speech limited kids (colors, OT-related actions). I would love to be totally fluent or at least generally better, but there is no way to do so without a lot of time devoted to practice.
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