Should I choose a career in Occupational Therapy? Any regrets for OTs out there??

I am currently in a OTA program. I absolutely love the field. I would suggest going and doing a little bit of volunteer work with an OT to see if you'll like it. You will more than likely have to have a certain amount of volunteer hours anyway before being accepted into a program. The route I am taking is to be an OTA first because it is not a bad paying job and it is only a two year program. OTAs (in most cases) do the actual treatment with the patients. You get more actual hands on approach, instead of a ton of paperwork and evals. After a couple of years, I plan to start a transitional OT program. I have found a few universities that offer a weekend master's degree program. It is one weekend a month for 2 or 2 1/2 years. This way you can still work full time and also work on your master's and if you live in a small town like I do, OTs are hard to find and a lot of rehab companies will pay for your schooling if you sign a contract saying you will work in a rural area for 3 years, I think. I would encourage anyone who loves to be around people and enjoys helping them. The first time you see someone smile because for the first time in a while they can put their own shirt on, it is all worth it. We sometimes take advantage of the small things we can do, and doing occupational therapy will make you appreciate things a lot more.

Tiffany N
I am an OT and have been for 9 years. I have no regrets at all. There is so much demand in the field, jobs are easy to find and you can earn a pretty high salary. I have worked in nursing homes in the past and am currently working in home health and a rehab hospital. Both jobs are very flexible - I set my own schedule for both (I am PRN (as needed) at the rehab hospital and I just tell them when I can work). I do recommend what the previos OTA suggested and do some volunteer work. About 15% of my graduating class decided to go into different fields after OT school. Turns out, after fieldwork and all the classwork, they realized OT was not for them. If possible try to observe in a few different fields - outpatient, nursing home, school setting, rehab hospital, acute hospital, mental institutions, group homes, and home health are the typical settings for OTs.
Good luck!