Occupational therapy is not only my profession but also my passion. This is my 6th year as a school-based OT and I love it! I wanted to work in the school system because I wanted to help students, of all abilities, access what was legally and rightfully theirs. I wanted to provide services that I expect my sister, Marina, to receive. This blog is going to highlight a few tips for a new school-based OT!
I’ve moved across the United States twice, and my OT stuff was always the first thing I carefully packed. I get so much joy and excitement finding and creating new activities. I have to admit, the first few years of being a school-based OT were a bit overwhelming
In my first school-based OT job, I worked for a private company that contracted with local schools to provide school-based services. The company was primarily SLPs. I learned a lot from the Speech Therapists I worked besides but as you know each profession is vastly different. That year, I really learned how to stand on my own two feet. Here are a few tips I wish I would’ve known and had done my first few years as a school-based OT.
Don’t forget to check out, Alyssa’s Blog here for some tips on how to excel at an interview!
1: Make Friends with the Custodians and Secretaries of Your School
One of the biggest lessons I learned from my grandfather is that no matter what someone’s job title is, everyone deserves the same level of respect. My grandfather, I call him Pa, owned a McDonald’s for years. I remember him waking up at 4 o’clock every morning to sip his morning coffee and then would get ready to go into work. He dressed in suit and dress shoes every day. My grandpa did every job at the store; he would work drive thru, work the grill, and clean bathrooms. When I was in high school, he had to sell his stores and the only job he could find was a job at a local grocery store. He still woke up early, dressed in his uniform with pride and gave it 100%. His goal was to provide for his family.
My first tip for a new school-based OT is to be respectful and kind to the custodial team and secretaries at your assigned schools. I love metaphors and I think of the custodial staff and secretaries as the people behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz movie. They are vital to a school operation and many times they go unnoticed or are taken advantage of.
The custodial team has made my professional life as a school-based OT a lot easier! Two years ago, I got the boot from the special education office space because they hired another full-time staff member. Inconvenient for me, but at the end of the day does it really impact the services I provide for my students? No. The question was, where am I going to do my ‘desk/paperwork’? The principal had a huge agenda and a workspace for the school OT, who comes once maybe twice a week, wasn’t at the top of the list. Do you know who had my back? Mr. Erik.
Mr. Erik found me a desk that had been in storage and placed it near a window in a secluded hallway for me. He found an office chair too. Mr. Erik is also the person I went to when one of my student’s adaptive lunch chair had a loose bolt. When something goes array at school, the custodial team gets either an announcement or a page on their walkie talkie. They have to stop what they are doing and go to the other side of the school. They do hard valuable work.
The school secretary is also a vital member of the school team who unfortunately is often taken advantage of. The school secretary runs the school from behind the scenes. When you want a key fab to get into the school building, so you don’t have to wait in the freezing cold, you know who you have to ask that favor to? When you need to find a student’s schedule or a teacher’s roster, the secretary is the one person who has it? Also if you want to order materials, you know who that email has to go to?
Ms. Donna was also a lifesaver after I had my daughter and needed a place to pump. She always made sure I had a space when I needed it. If you have ever been in that position, you know that is not always the case. I remember this one time, I had a conference at the Board of Education and I asked the secretary if there was any private space I could pump. She stated I would have to sign up and there wasn’t a space for another hour. Only an engorged breastfeeding mama with raging hormones knows the fury that I felt. It has been way over a year, and I still feel some hostility over that situation.
People are more inclined to take time out of their day to help people that are kind and courteous. I make sure to say hello, goodbye, and most importantly thank you to staff at my schools to say, ‘I appreciate your time’. I genuinely like to ask how their day is and also ask if there is anything I can do to help them. So my point is, one day you are going to need someone’s help; so build that relationship and mutual respect.
2. Document It All
My second tip for a new school-based OT is to document everything! You have probably heard the saying during your OT coursework, ‘If you don’t document it, it didn’t happen’. If there isn’t a truer statement, I do not know what is. I remember my first year, I would see 20+ students a day, session after session. At the end of the day, I just wanted to pack up and go home. However, you know what stinks, documenting a session that happened a few days ago. Looking back I can’t even remember what I cooked for dinner two nights ago; how am I going to accurately remember 1 out of 40+ sessions that week?
It will seem tempting to just document a few sentences and sign your name. Throw in a percentage or trial data and call it done. Detailed notes not only help you in the long run when deciding service times, completing present levels on an IEP, or when completing a re-evaluation but they are a huge CYA.
If you are ever called to mediation or your records are requested during an audit, would you want a few sentences to cover your butt? Don’t risk the license you worked so hard for! Your license didn’t come cheaply financially or through the hours of work, you invested in earning it. Personally, I do not like to document/type while working with a student. I have a clipboard and a chart I created. I have a box for the student’s name/time of the session, accommodations/modifications utilized in the session, and a box for data. It is really simple and easy to jot notes down while in a session.
During a break, after a session, or when students leave for the day, I will look back and type my notes. I would rather work through my lunch, listening to some wifi hip hop/jazz in the background versus staying late after work.
Documentation, in my opinion, should state what the student said during the session, the level of assistance needed, if they were using their AAC device, the activity and why I was using it, and how many prompts they needed etc. I document every session like I would bill it to Mediciad. Clear, concise, but detailed. Soon it becomes second nature.
If you ever cover for another school-based OT, it is always nice to see what they were doing with the student and the level of support they need to be successful. It makes it so much easier for you to do your job and provide that student with the service they deserve.
3. Make a List of Your Students & Services
Tip number 3 for a new school-based OT, is to make a list of your students and services! I am a very visual person. I have to write my to-do lists down or I will instantly forget about it. It probably drives my husband nuts, but I have to send him a text with the thought or idea when it pops in my head or I will completely forget unless he brings it up (He probably receives a handful of messages with little blurbs of my random thoughts).
I work for the county, and they utilize an electronic documenting program. If I log on, I can see all the service dates I provided and the times but that is time consuming. When you are only at a school a few times a week/month, you don’t have extra time to go through every student to see if you met their times.
At the beginning of the month, I will create/update an Excel spreadsheet (still can’t get used to Google Sheets) and list every student (last then first name), their service time, and an empty column so I can check off each time I completed a service. I will usually make a separate list for each school or chunk each school. Personally, I print mine off, so I can quickly glance at it and plan my day. I love checking off service and then crossing a name off when I completed the service.
The thing about printing the document is you can’t forget about HIPAA. Don’t leave it out on your desk or somewhere where it could potentially fall out/get in to the wrong hands.
I love clipboards with storage! Check out this one here! (affiliate link)
4. Ask For Help
I grew up with the thought process, that if you asked for help you were weak. If you wanted something bad enough, you, and you alone would figure out how to achieve it.
I remember when I went to college and I had to take a research and statistics class my junior year. That was probably the hardest class I have ever taken, graduate work included. I remember spending hours and days on an assignment. I felt confidant when I turned it in but cried when I saw the grade I had received. The only way I was going to pass this class (a pre requisite for grad school) was if I went to office hours and asked for help.
I remember sweating uncontrollably waiting for the professor in her small, closet-sized office. How I felt ashamed I couldn’t do it. Low and behold, you know what, there was a line of people after me, waiting for help. I signed up for office hours regularly to figure out how to complete the assignments and in the end, I passed the class. Sometimes you can’t do everything alone.
Regardless of years of experience, you are never going to have all the answers. I think that’s one of the beautiful things about being a school-based OT, and OT in general, everyone looks at situations through a different lens. Evidence-based research is always coming out on how to approach situations differently for better outcomes. Different experiences directly correlate to how to handle current situations.
In my first few years of being a school-based OT, I was nervous to reach out for help because I didn’t want people to think I didn’t know how to do my job’. That sounds absolutely ridiculous as I type that statement out now. It was exhausting. I work with 47 OTs presently. It is so nice to be able to collaborate with someone on a current case. It feels great to have established working relationships with previous OTs I have worked with and send them an email or Facebook message asking a question. Joining different OT groups on Facebook has also been really beneficial to me to ask questions to a broader group of people from all over the world. I also enjoy listening to OT podcasts while I drive to work to expand my view and help me find potential solutions/strategies for current students on my caseload.
In my previous blog about working with members of your school team, when you form solid working relationships you are able to work as a team and collaborate with people who directly know the situation. You are able to work as a team to find solutions for your student. Check out the blog here!
I emailed my school team last week regarding a student I am having increased difficulty engaging virtually. I was able to problem-solve with the SLP and special education teacher on things they have found successful or have trialed. By reaching out to them, my following session with the student went a lot better. Team input made the difference.
5. Find a balance between work/home
I still struggle with finding a balance, especially during this virtual learning phase. I find it hard to separate the roles of OT, Mom, and partner. They’re all blended together at the moment. I think finding that balance between your private life and work life is so important for your mental health.
I worked for a travel company for two years at a school out west. My caseload was high and honestly draining. My life was work; I went to work early and stayed late. I did work when I got home and I did work on the weekends. It was a never-ending cycle. In the beginning, it always felt good staying afloat but then I started to feel burnt out. The quality of my work was decreasing. I would wake up in the morning and feel physically ill from my anxiety and dread for the day. In the end, I wasn’t the person or partner I wanted to be. I wasn’t the OT my students deserved. When the balance is skewed, all aspects of life are affected. Life to me is a circle and everything is somehow connected.
I ended up quitting that job and moving back east. Life is too short to wake up unhappy and not feel fulfilled. If your job doesn’t support your well-being and that balance in your life, you have to ask yourself, is this where I want to be? So, I quit. Sometimes I think there is shame and stigma attached to leaving somewhere. The notion is that you couldn’t push through it. You’ll never find happiness if you stay put. There’s no award for staying somewhere where you are miserable. I have been at my current school-based OT job for three years and I wake up every morning with this spark for OT. Sometimes I need an extra cup of coffee for that spark to shine a little brighter, but that passion is still there. My supervisor regularly states that family always comes first.
It is often hard to find that balance. You can start by leaving your workbag in your car or in your mudroom. Don’t take your work things in your living space like a family room or your bedroom.
When I had a really hard time establishing a healthy balance, I deleted my work email off my phone. On Saturday mornings, I would do something that I loved (pre-children) like read or my husband and I would do a lot of hiking. On workdays in the evening, instead of writing reports, I would just spend time with my family and at night I would watch a program that had nothing to do with OT or school. Work emails can always wait. Set boundaries with your team; sometimes I’ll get emails right at four asking if I can review this document. It’s okay to say, ‘thanks for sending this to me! I will review it and send it back to you tomorrow morning’. In most cases, it is even okay not to answer the email until you get back to work. You’re only getting paid for x amount of hours.
I read this quote and it went something like, you are replaceable at work but you aren’t at home. It is true. There are pools of school-based OT candidates for my job. An indeed post is already created for when related service professionals quit/leave, but you know what doesn’t have candidates lined up for an interview; you as a parent, you as a partner, you as a family member, and you for yourself.
Passion and Determination
The important thing also to remember is just because you have limited working experience’ doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable things to bring to the table. You studied so hard for your license. You have the knowledge and a different perspective to bring. Take a deep breath and believe in yourself. I don’t like the quote ‘Fake it till you make it’. If you truly love what you do, you don’t have to fake passion. You don’t have to fake determination and drive. And really what is making it? Working ten years? My friend, Allison, is a new school-based OT and I have learned so much from her. She is my go-to person to collaborate with. On days that are challenging, take a step back and remember why you wanted to be an OT. Remember your professional values. Most importantly, remember who you are as a person!!