As an OT you are on the backfoot as you do not know about all medical conditions in such detail compared to other health colleagues. This is very important to be able to do the job well. You are expected to be able to notice inconsistencies in any medication and any symptoms, which can be challenging when this is not something you have studied.
It can be tough when you are used to working in a patient facing setting and enjoy being hands on with helping others to recover. This is an office job and you can offer empathy and kindness over the phone but that is pretty much all.
- You need to go into detail about people's mental health, asking about self harm, sucide etc, and this can be hard as an awkward person who does not want to pry into someone's life if they are not forth coming with information.
- 2 cases a day has been a challenge, but when you get approved there is an expectation to do 5 a day, so it is good to be aware that this will be challenging and to really think hard about the ability to change from a patient facing role into a fast paced office job.