Any Occupational Therapist Out There?

I have a son-in-law who is working as an Occupational Therapist. There seems to be a demand for this work especially with older patients. Here are some ways to get more info:

www.indeed.com - a website of job postings that also gives numbers of open jobs and salary range

www.iseek.org - a website for career change information including schooling needed, forecasted demand for this field, and salary range

I am a certified occupational therapy assistant (for 8 years now). OT is a great field to go into, because there are so many options. I started working at a school, and did part time/on call work at a skilled nursing facility (SNF) on weekends and school breaks. Then I switched to working at a pediatric clinic, and now I'm working in acute care at a hospital, and at a rehab hospital.

Demand is high, especially in SNFs. I am getting several postcards for jobs every week. The other nice thing is the flexibility. I started out full time. When I had my daughter, I went to part time and did that for years. Now I only work a few weekends a month, and during summers. I can basically pick and choose when and where I want to work. It's great!

I plan on going back to school when my son is a little older to get my masters in OT.

If you have any specific questions, email me at jenfredrick73 at gmail.com.

I'm an Occupational Therapist, just graduated this summer.
The jobs are varied, I personally work in a SNF (skilled nursing facility--post acute, long term health center like a nursing home). There are many jobs also working with children in developmental areas, schools, and sensory integration clinic.
The pay varies, of course, but it is good and reliable.

You could make an appointment with Gail Fisher at UIC to take a tour! She helped me 3 years ago. You can also shadow many OTs to see their daily lives at work.

It is a demanding and rewarding career, and it is my 4th :) Good luck with your decision.

I am a physical therapist, I work with several OT's. There is definitely a demand for this profession. There are many different areas you can work in from a hospital, to pediatrics to hand specialty to nursing homes to outpatient practice to home health. So the nice thing about this, is if you don't like what you are doing, just change the setting that you practice in and it is almost like a career change!
I have been in the field for awhile, so I am not completely sure, but I believe the starting salary is about $50,000.
You can visit the OT association website at www.AOTA.org for more info on the profession.