Occupational therapy

Hi, I was just looking for some advice. I’m currently studying physiotherapy but have recently considered taking a year and changing to Occupational therapy as it aligns with my aspirations for work more and I believe I would enjoy it more. Does this seem like a wise decision or would I just be wasting time

Reply 1

Cammy1982

Original post by amymccrea

Have you worked with any OT during your course so far, nothing wrong in changing career direction just do your research into the difference between the roles.

Reply 2

BrunelStudentUG

Original post by amymccrea

Hiya @amymccrea

I currently study Occupational Therapy, so happy to answer any questions you may have.

What are your main reasons for switching over? What makes you think you'd prefer OT to Physio?

There's a couple of people on my course who have switched over from Physio to OT so it's a totally valid pathway!

Sophie
Brunel London Student Rep

Reply 3

amymccrea

Original post by BrunelStudentUG

Hiya @amymccrea
I currently study Occupational Therapy, so happy to answer any questions you may have.
What are your main reasons for switching over? What makes you think you'd prefer OT to Physio?
There's a couple of people on my course who have switched over from Physio to OT so it's a totally valid pathway!
Sophie
Brunel London Student Rep

I think OT aligns with what I want out of a career more than physio does. When i was applying for uni this time last year I felt very under pressure to pick a job which would lead to a career at the end and due to personal circumstances thought physio was the best way to achieve it.

However after being in contact with OTs through my course I think i have a greater interest in it. Also spoke to another OT and they said it was less science based than physio.

Would you agree that it’s not really “sciencey”? I understand anatomy is involved but at a lesser degree than in physio

Reply 4

BrunelStudentUG

Original post by amymccrea

I think OT aligns with what I want out of a career more than physio does. When i was applying for uni this time last year I felt very under pressure to pick a job which would lead to a career at the end and due to personal circumstances thought physio was the best way to achieve it.
However after being in contact with OTs through my course I think i have a greater interest in it. Also spoke to another OT and they said it was less science based than physio.
Would you agree that it’s not really “sciencey”? I understand anatomy is involved but at a lesser degree than in physio

Yeah that makes sense! I would say it is less science based than physio however we do still learn basic anatomy and use it to inform our practice. It also totally depends on the specialist route you go down. For example if you were to choose neurorehab you would be expected to have an understanding of the different parts of the brain. Also a lot of OT roles are mental health based which obviously is less anatomy based.

OT is great though and is so varied in the different career paths you can take!

Hope that helps 🙂

Sophie
Brunel London Student Rep

Reply 5

Cammy1982

Original post by amymccrea

I think OT aligns with what I want out of a career more than physio does. When i was applying for uni this time last year I felt very under pressure to pick a job which would lead to a career at the end and due to personal circumstances thought physio was the best way to achieve it.
However after being in contact with OTs through my course I think i have a greater interest in it. Also spoke to another OT and they said it was less science based than physio.
Would you agree that it’s not really “sciencey”? I understand anatomy is involved but at a lesser degree than in physio

They actually call OT, Occupational Scientist and the role follows a lot of research based theory. This is different science to physio which mainly focuses on muscles and movement. OT considers cognitive, neuro, mental health and frailty among others to help enable people to do the things they want and the thing they need.