10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2011 - 9: Occupational Therapist

9. Occupational Therapist

Stress Rank: 35

Stress Score: 13.22

Hiring Outlook Rank: 8 out of 200

Hours Per Day: 6-8

Income: $70,193.00

Occupational Therapists help to develop individualized programs of activity for mentally, physically, developmentally and emotionally impaired persons and to aid them in achieving self-reliance. Growth and demand for occupational therapists is driven largely by the increasing aging population.

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The fish rots at the head

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 01/07/2012 - 04:56.

The fish rots at the head first. If management is poor, you will have a difficult time in any profession. I have been an OT for 15 years, mostly in pediatrics. Many OTs are dedicated and hard working, but there are also some who do the minimum (and cheapest) continuing education necessary to keep their licenses. These can be the "bad apples" who do not keep up with current research and best practices. That can make my job more difficult in a school setting, where I am trying to use evidence based practice and the rest of the OTs are just doing what they have always done, which doesn't. Necessarily work. The most stressful things for me are high caseloads with no defined limits, lots of evaluations, 30% student turnover, and high therapist turnover due to burnout. I try to keep the students in mind, regardless. Having a balanced life, which I haven't had for years, helps.

OT is a wonderful career, and like any job, certainly has its stressors. I would not rank it as low stress.

Stress

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/25/2011 - 00:41.

Any job can be stressful. The comparisons really make me laugh as I know people who can make life stressful no matter what is happening and those who have learned to take life as it comes and roll with the punches. As an OTR, I have to say I love my job and have for over 35 years. There are days I question why I do what I do but for the most part, it is a wonderful profession of which I am proud to be a part.

what?!

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 07/29/2011 - 05:21.

As a newly graduate OT I feel the stress. I believe part of it may be that I am a new graduate, however looking at my supervisor - his stressed too! What kind of OT's did they interview?( if any?) The Vocational Sector is very stressful, we have targets/quoters to meet, and that adds a heap of pressure. We have angry clients to face that hate the "system" thus hates you. With all this being said. I love being in this profession and I am glad a chose to become an Occupational Therapist.

Somewhere in Between

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 22:04.

OT can be very stressful. It is like any profession - there are challenges of all kinds - resources, time, personal energy, interpersonal relationships - you name it we have it. One challenge the profession faces is a somewhat low on the totem pole status. We're not exactly neurosurgery - and somewhat under PT, and Nursing, and a good number of other professions.

Our work is hands on, and requires great attention to detail and rules and laws and ethics. There is the risk of exposure to pathogens and there are parts of the profession that are emotionally taxing in particular.

It carries great opportunity for personal satisfaction and generally the working conditions are safe and clean. And you never have to work night shifts! Yeahhhhh.

Offended

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 05/19/2011 - 05:17.

As an OT I have to say I am offended by this. How did they measure stress? And who (if anyone) did they interview? With an increasing aging population, resources (including man power) are becoming more and more stretched. OT's are handling mountains of referrals, having to prioritize these referrals and continually confronted with angry and upset patients and families (like all healthcare professionals). Did anyone measure the stress level of "internet list compilers"? Probably not- because it's not a real job.

26 years in Mental Health OT and still love it

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 04/30/2011 - 00:53.

I worked for 26 years in mental health, in locked inpatient units - all different places, substance abuse, long term care facilities, geriatrics, therapeutic day school program and outpatient. I still love it today. Challenging? yes. Stressful? rarely. Most of my patients loved the OT program.

Rewarding Career

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 19:30.

I have been an OTR for over 35 years and I still love it! Yes, every job has it's moments, but it is not from the patients. I am the Director of Therapy Services and my OTs have been with me at a minimum of 15 years, and all still happy and loving their job. Look at it this way, if you get stressed, maybe it is job security that you are really needed.
Old Timer :)

OH YES, NO STRESS HERE

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 18:35.

Try working on a locked psych unit with patients who feel you are the enemy and "the enemy" is trying to tell them what to do. NO STRESS HERE AT ALL.....gimme a break.

RE: COTA outlook

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 18:15.

In your opinions are there still needs for COTAs? Do they work with the patients or behind the scene (ex. office work)?

need for COTAs

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 04/29/2011 - 19:36.

Oh, YES! There is certainly a need for COTAs. I work with deveolpmentally disabled adults who attend day programs. There is such a need for dynamic
COTAs to go in these workshops and work their magic! I assess and recommend activities and therapy, but there is not anyone who could carry these recommendation out like a COTA could!

I am a COTA who specializes

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 23:53.

I am a COTA who specializes in geriatric rehab and long-term care, and in my field, COTAs do almost ALL of the patient care. Our OTRs generally do more evaluation and management stuff, and we carry out the plan of care. So yes, I would definitely say that the COTA is thriving! And I feel COTAs are very uinderutilized in school systems and EI- hopefully this will change in the future.

Not quite relaxing...

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 23:35.

I absolutely love my career as an OT, but it is far from relaxing or not stressful...Try spending 8+ hours per day working with infants/children/adolescents/adults/families with disabilities and impairments. Though rewarding, it is extremely challenging and exhausting...and then tack on all of the paperwork and dealing with insurance companies.

Being an OT is a fantastic

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 18:45.

Being an OT is a fantastic position to be in. I have been an OT for 10 years and for me I make it what I want. I work with families and their children. If one day this becomes "stressful" then I will happily change my focus and perhaps work in a different setting as an OT. Usually the "stress" comes from the politics and drama from colleagues but this seems to be the same across professions.

This is a highly stressful

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 04/24/2011 - 23:27.

This is a highly stressful job. Don't be fooled by CareerCast. Ask the people who work in this field. They will tell you how depressing it can be! The sick people we work with rarely get better, no matter how dedicated the therapist. Once in awhile you get lucky, and they are able to actually walk again, but most of the time our patients end up in a wheelchair for good.

WOW

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 14:18.

Being and OT for 11 yrs, this reply makes me wonder what kind of OT services you are delivering. As an OT you should not be focusing on whether or not the patient "ends up in a wheelchair for good" but on how you can help that patient to be as independent as he can be from that wheelchair. Being in a wheelchair is not the end of your life and I in fact know a COTA who is a paraplegic and treats patients from his wheelchair. This is not the best attitude for a therapist to have to get the most out of your patients and certainly not a good one for advocating our profession.

Your post is depressing.

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 17:33.

As a current OTA student, just finishing my first semester, I've already witnessed the rewards of occupational therapy just by shadowing OT's during fieldwork experiences. I'm positive that this career has challenges, as any other, but the rewards are out-of-this-world! The OT profession has many possibilities from the "cradle to the grave." By the sound of your post, perhaps checking into a different area of work might be a feasible idea for you. It may help refresh your mind and keep your outlook more positive!

Occupational therapy seeks to

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 17:17.

Occupational therapy seeks to achieve many goals beyond just "walking" again, which is usually a priority of PT anyway. Quality of life is relative to each individual person and OT works to improve that quality of life through meaningful occupation. Further, perhaps you should take a look at yourself and not use slang descriptors such as "sick people" to describe your clients/patients. Also, "rarely get better" is a quite an INCORRECT global statement for the field of OT because if it were true that individuals rarely experienced benefit insurance companies would not reimburse. I leave you with that.

wow...nice outlook. seems

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 16:52.

wow...nice outlook. seems like you need a vacation.

Not True at All

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 16:43.

I am not sure where you work or what your experience has been but it is unfortunate that you would represent our profession in this manner.

Of course MANY of our patients get better, but even in a setting like mine that includes a palliative care unit where the focus is on preparing patients for a gentle death, occupational therapy practitioners help people live their lives to the fullest!

Patients in acute care, cardiac rehab, inpatient rehabilitation, school systems, work rehabilitation programs and on and on improve, get better and benefit from OT!

YES, it can be stressful, but if you see your work as depressing, perhaps YOU are not cut out for health care!

re: this is highly stressful

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 16:31.

Really? Our patients rarely get better? I know that my success rate of returning my patients to prior functional level and often community re-entry is definitely better than rarely. In a time when we as a profession are fighting for recognition and to prove that what we do is necessary and important, it is statements like yours that hold us back. I am by no means saying that we don't have stressful jobs because I think that with health care changes, reimbursement issues constantly arising, family dynamics, and a whole host of other issues do create stress. I love my job and I love the fact that I am an integral part in someone's quality of life improvement.

What??!!!

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 09:04.

You have to be kidding! Working with severely disabled people, family who think the person is going to recover fully, wheelchairs/beds/hoists breaking down, acting as an intermediary between patients, families, suppliers, carers - who wrote this????? Obviously someone who has no clue about health care - or something against health care! 6-8 hrs a day????