You sound pretty negative and as people have explained that is not the perception everywhere. It is not really helpful to the OP or anyone else. It sounds as if the OT team is chronically understaffed but perhaps that is a reflection of the service you work in not valuing OT or the people in the service not valuing OT? I don’t think I would want to work with you with your attitude
I agree it’s not the perception everywhere, and I haven’t said it’s universal, merely shared my experiences and those of my OT friends.
I don’t mean to sound negative about the profession in general. Merely realistic. Entering any profession with rose tinted glasses is a risk.
It’s possible the OP could have 4 wonderful placements then a great job or rotation and love every aspect of OT. But also possible she may encounter an MDT who are less enthusiastic about the OT role. Understanding why and being prepared to facilitate change are qualities of any good clinician.
If the MDT and the service users don’t value a particular OT service, something isn’t right... is it fair to automatically blame that on the MDT? You get competent OTs and incompetent ones, just like any other job. Some people choose OT thinking it’s an easy job, some have little compassion, some can’t access the supervision and support they need to progress. Other OTs are deeply committed and passionate about helping people and improving services.
Clinicians from all disciplines need to work together. OT as a profession has suffered a chronic identity crisis for decades (according to my OT friends this is covered in training), but doesn’t seem to help itself by using mysterious jargon and over complicating basic concepts.
I disagree it’s unhelpful to the OP (or anyone else thinking of studying OT) to point out the negatives as well as the positives, looking back at the history of the profession and how it can be perceived today.
Every profession (mine included) has its challenges, it’s downsides, and understanding them is the only way things ever change for the better.
Blaming the MDT for not ‘valuing’ the OT is no more helpful than an OT using OT-specific jargon to other disciplines. It just causes confusion and creates a culture of mistrust.
Even my OT friends laugh at some of the OT jargon and say it dates back to when OT wasn’t perceived to be a true science, and the profession over-compensated (apparently they even teach about this paradigm shift on the Masters course nowadays).
As I said upthread, I’m not talking about a single MDT or single OT team. I’ve worked in many different hospitals and trusts over the years (including a number of locum jobs). My experiences don’t reflect a single MDT but closer to 10 different MDTs, each with OTs. Still that’s a drop in the ocean considering how many hospitals and community centres we have. But I find it significant my OT friends have faced similar misconceptions and negativity about the OT profession, even the one who made it to OT management.
I’m not trying to put anyone off being an OT, and as I said earlier I’ve met plenty of OTs who love their jobs. I’m just advising you research the profession very thoroughly before committing to years of expensive study. And by research I mean get as much hands on experience as you can, ideally working with OTs and activity workers in a range of settings, so you know it’s the right career for you.