Occupational Therapy Students Advice ?!

Hi I’m 18 and staring uni in 2022. I am interested in Occupational therapy and have a passion to help people. I think Occupational Therapy is great as it has lots of aspects and different sectors. I’m predicted As and Bs in Alevels including biology and psychology which i believe are good subject for this course.

My fear is once claiming this degree I am stuck in a dead end career.

Is there opportunities to advance to a high pay? Would I be better doing a general degree like psychology? How do you find the course? And which Unis would you suggest??

Thankyouu

Reply 1

Mayhee54

Are you thinking OT is a ‘dead end career’ because of salary limits?

I’m from the US, and being an OT here can be a quite rewarding as well as a well-paid career. I’ve been working in jobs that are either connected with OT or would benefit from the knowledge and experience of an advanced OT degree, so I’ll be starting an OT MSc this fall because it’s very clearly the next step in my career path. I chose a program in the UK because of the more global perspective, as well as the opportunity to experience universal healthcare, both the positive and negative aspects.

I’m still learning about how the NHS works, but my understanding is that OTs start at band 5 (£25000-£31000) and could work up to band 7 (max £45000) salaries. I don’t know if those are actually liveable salaries in the UK or if that’s why you are concerned about choosing OT as a career. I’m from Seattle, and even £45000 would be a tight salary here because of the cost of living (as well as needing to pay back student loans). OTs are in really high demand here, so starting salaries are around £45000 right out of school and go up to £86000 with experience. That may seem excessive, but it fits in the middle of salary range here.

I’m not sure where I want to end up or what kind of OT job will be best for me- I’m not taking a course to guarantee a high salary, but I do want to make sure I can find employment and afford my cost of living and loan payments after finishing my masters. I’ve decided that it’s worth the cost to get this degree and work in this field. I’ve chosen OT because it’s work that I love and keep coming back to over and over again.

I’m not sure what careers you are considering with a degree in psychology. I imagine there are a lot of options, just like the range of specialities in OT. But I would recommend that no matter what you choose, you do something that you love and find rewarding and fulfilling. Jobs that involve caring for others are really demanding, and I know from experience that it’s important to care about your work and your clients/patients, not just your salary. I also have learned that it’s important to feel compensated appropriately for the work that you do, so if a career in OT is going to constantly feel underpaid and over worked, then consider what else would work for you.

I hope some other folks already practicing OT will chime in here with their experiences since mine is mostly speculative right now, and I’m happy to share more as I learn more in the next two years. Hope that helps you get started!

Reply 2

orenjikas

Original post by Selenaw111

Hi,

I am applying for OT for 2022 after my first degree in Psychology. Psychology is very oversaturated and the higher paying jobs usually require further specialist training, which is very competitive (e.g. Clinical psychology, iapt therapist).
Personally I wish I knew about OT earlier in life.
I don't think it's a dead end job, it's so diverse, and because it's a professional healthcare qualification (generic psychology degree isn't) you have so many options for further development or jobs outside healthcare. Only downside is that not everyone is as familiar with what OT is, unlike psychology.