How to get an OT degree

DVOM

Tue, Dec 27 2016, 9:08 pm

Slateblue, thanks for responding. Your post was really helpful!

We are both really committed to DH's education and career... growing up in Israel, my husband received an eighth-grade education. He came to the states not knowing how to read or write, though he had pretty decent conversational English. He came home from his first A & P class, and told me that he'd never known what cells are. I can't tell you the amount of effort and sweat that he's put into getting to where he is today. He's overcome so many obstacles and worked so hard. I'm really confident that he can do this. I do find it helpful though to know exactly what to expect.

I had known that the class schedule changes with each semester, but I hadn't realized that internships change so often. Is there any effort on the schools part to place students close to where they live? Do students have any input into their internships? Can they arrange their own internships? Because of all the volunteer/observation hours he's put in, he has some really great relationships with local hospitals, schools, and OT practices.

Regarding written assignments, my husband was very upfront when applying to schools that he is not a native English speaker (or writer). The school he was accepted to has a writing lab which is open to grad students; he used the writing lab a lot for his undergraduate assignments, and is hoping that this will be helpful. He also has some really great software that lets him talk to his computer and it types up what he says. And he's also got me to check his grammar and punctuation Smile

! He did really well on his written assignments as an undergrad. He is nervous though about the sheer volume of written assignments, and it seems that you're saying he has good cause to worry. We were just talking over your post; He's going to ask a friend whose wife is an OT if he can look over some of her grad school essays and assignments. That might give him a better idea of what he's getting himself into. Stretching out his schooling over 4 years sounds so long (and we're still not sure if this will be an option in his school), but in the end, it might be the smartest way to go.

amother

Navy

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 10:38 am

OP, things are basically the same but some details differ from program to program. Course schedules differ from semester to semester and he may not have options for short Fridays as easily as you expect. He shoukdvwaig till he gets there to discuss so he's not marked as a "problem student." There are not many frum students at that particular program, though there have been some. Also the previous poster was talking about clinical rotations, not internships. They aren't the same thing. A clinical rotation would be maybe 1-2 days a week for a set number of hours with classes the rest of the week. He'all be able to rank hisvpreferences (probably), but he won't really have choices. He may need to commute to suburbs, NJ, etc, depending on the program's contracts. It's doable but will take some figuring out the logistics. However, anyone who works as hard as he has shouldn't find the actual academics difficult. He sounds like a dedicated , motivated person. Good luck to you both.

Note: if you can afford it, live in Baka Cynwyd/Merion area. Shopping is easy and you'll find a huge community of frum wives with husbands in medical fields.

DVOM

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 11:15 am

Navy, its sounds like your familiar with the school (first person we've come across whose ever heard of it!!) Are you an alum?

Luckily, his first semester doesnt have any holidays in it (its over the summer) so he should have a chance to get to know the school and have them get to know him before he has to ask for special accomidations for shabbos and holidays. He's a really likeable, charming, enthusiastic, intelligent, lovely person; It makes sense that once they get to know him they'd be more willing to be flexible. He certainly would not take advantage of thier accomidations. He always made sure as an undergrad to make up any classes and class work that he needed to miss.

With clinical rotations, I guess we'll just have to roll with the punches. It would be nice to know he had a set schedule so that I could know when I could depend on him for childcare. Right now I'm working full time, and he does some of the drop offs and pick ups for our kids to and from daycare. My work is really flexible though, so for next year I'll just have to work around his schedule.

We are looking into a couple of communities in the Philly area. Bala Cynwyd seems to be out of our budget, but we've heard really nice things about Cherry Hill, and possibly Bensalem. We're still looking into all our options...

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Dec 28 2016, 12:01 pm

At the beginning of each semester you should know his schedule so you can plan accordingly, but it will change semester to semester. In this type of program, if you have children, one spouse needs to be the flexible one to pick up the slack. He really can't take off if a kid is sick or needs to go to the doctor or to drop kids at school. Punctuality is taken very seriously and is considered professional behavior. Lack of professional behavior will count against him. I think you should plan not to rely on him at all for drop offs and pick ups and plan your work schedule accordingly.
I agree that he will need to be prepared to go to clinicals and internships wherever he is sent. Schools have contracts and arrangements with specific facilities, and those are the ones where he will be sent. Some of them can really stink in Terms of quality or location, but it would reflect very badly on him to complain or seem rigid about it. Part of professionalism is demonstrating your ability to handle all kinds of situations and work environments, unpleasant people and supervisors, and unpleasant commutes and scheduled as well.