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On this week's episode of of Real Work, Real Life, I’m talking with Tracey, a pediatric occupational therapist. One thing Tracey mentions is that a lot of people don’t know what OTs actually do. Occupational therapy enables people of all ages to participate in daily living. Occupational therapy intervention uses everyday life activities to promote health, well-being, and the ability to participate in the important activities in your life. This includes any meaningful activity that a person wants to accomplish, including taking care of yourself and your family, working, volunteering, going to school, among many others.

I’ve talked to a few different people in the therapy field and they all seem to have some degree of the same issue: the work is in high demand but the pay has not kept up, meanwhile the education requirements and cost continue to increase and you’re often required to complete an unpaid internship before beginning work. Despite these challenges, it can be incredibly meaningful work. If you’re interested in hearing other related interviews, I talked to Dawn, a therapist in private practice, Kat, a physical therapist assistant, Alison, a social worker, and Samantha, a music therapist, which I’ll link in the show notes. 

Another theme that has come up in quite a few interviews is people finding that they are best suited to a speciality in their field that they actually did poorly in or didn’t like in college. I think probably the message there is to keep your mind open, liking or doing well is something in school is not always an indication that it will be right for you as a job, and of course, vice versa. 

Other episodes you might like too:

Social Worker: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/social-worker-in-canada/id1673653251?i=1000608593635

Music Therapist: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/music-therapist/id1673653251?i=1000631717144

Therapist in Private Practice: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/therapist-private-practice/id1673653251?i=1000619359028

Physical Therapist Assistant: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/physical-therapist-assistant/id1673653251?i=1000615135619

If you want to learn more about Tracey:

• Website: https://peds.thinkific.com/
• Website: https://parentnicuconnection.com/
• Email: [email protected]

If you like the show, please rate and review on iTunes and Spotify  (linked below) and please share with a friend! You can also follow the podcast on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Tiktok. And if you’d like to be interviewed here, or there is a particular job you’d like to learn about, please reach out at [email protected].

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-work-real-life/id1673653251
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Cp0w2BjOtS8NWfj0NhmIg?si=ece5b6ad45274b73

Transcripts are now available here: www.realworkreallife.com