How to become an Occupational Therapist - needing a career change

[acupofteamakeseverythingbetter]

I’m at the end of my second maternity leave and am looking into a career change. I’m early 30’s but don’t think I can do my office job for another 30+ years! I think I’d like to be a Paediatric Occupational Therapist. Does anyone do this for a job? If so could you tell me a bit about it and how you got into it?

I will be returning to work 4 days a week and have two little ones so am worried I’ll be spread too thinly with working, being a mum and studying. There is also the added pressure of the cost of it all. I haven’t broached the subject with DH because I fear he will say we can’t afford it.

In terms of studying, I’ve seen the Open University do an access course Psychology, Social Science and Wellbeing which looks right up my street. Would this be a good course to do before an OT degree?

Any light shed on the route to being an OT would be a massive help - thank you.

You need to do a degree in OT, either a 3yr BSc or 2yr pre-registration MSc if you already have a relevant undergraduate degree or a good level of work experience (degrees are usually sciences or or other healthcare degrees).

If you are going for the BSc route, you'll need to have relevant science A-levels or possibly an Access course, if it's been a while since you were in study. Access takes about a year to do FT. I would recommend a face to face to version in college rather than an online one, to get you back into the swing of things. If you Google OT degrees they will tell you the entry requirements. If you have specific questions, email the admissions office (usually [email protected]), the address will be on the website, or attend the next open day for the course and ask the student reps.

You can do OT apprenticeship degrees now too.

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/allied-health-professionals/roles-allied-health-professions/occupational-therapist

Like all healthcare degrees, it is full-on. It isn't easy to work alongside. You will be required to spend a certain number of hours in professional placement.

The MSc is more intense than the BSc because you are compressing the knowledge by a third but obviously it assumes you already have certain relevant study skills (critical thinking, academic writing, understanding of evidence based care, time management planning skills etc).

There are some areas who employ occupational therapy support assistants so you could learn skills and more about the work. There are also some (rare) OT apprenticeship opportunities.

Yes. I think they are few and far between and there are limitations on eligibility. They are usually offered as a progression route to people already in post as OT assistants (who also have the right level 2 & 3 qualifications).

OT is one of the courses that offers a £5k a year (non-means tested) grant for students too. It's part of the NHS learning support fund. Students who meet other criteria can get an addition £3k annually. It's not going to cover everything but it helps.

@acupofteamakeseverythingbetter Hello, I am 3 weeks from finishing my OT qualification.

The first poster is incorrect - you do not necessarily need relevant science A levels! There is a huge mix of people on my course - some with unrelated degrees and some without any degree. Some people did a year long foundation health and social care course prior to the degree (which my university runs) - this is mostly for people who have limited formal education or have been out of education for 30 years or similar. I have two unrelated degrees (BA and MA) and no relevant experience and was accepted for the degree and did not have to do any other courses prior to starting. If you want to private message me I can tailor my advice specifically.

As far as I know, apprenticeships are for people who are already employed as an occupational therapy assistant. So you continue with your salary from your employer but also study.

You couldn't work 4 days a week and train as the training is FT (usually 4 days a week but of course not always full days) and you go on 3 clinical placements. You do get a 5 grand a year NHS bursary (non-repayable) and can apply for a maintenance loan. My DH earns 60k and I get about 4.5 grand a year from student finance. So this may be similar to what you get from PT work?

In terms of paeds, great with kids as you could work in a school and have school holidays off. I have loved my training and start interview for roles this week - I am looking to work in psychiatric services. Feel free to message me for any other info :) Good luck!

Apologies @ihaterunning111. Admissions criteria will vary between universities, check with the admissions departments of the ones you are interested in.