As an occupational therapist, you’ve chosen a profession targeted on serving to folks of all ages achieve independence and reside higher lives. Whether or not you’re working to adapt your sufferers’ environment or determining inventive methods to assist them full each day duties, the work you do is significant and wanted.
Though changing into an occupational therapist (OT) is each intrinsically and monetarily rewarding, it’s additionally very expensive. The common Pupil Mortgage Planner consumer carries roughly $180,000 of OT pupil debt, with some pushing nicely over $200,000.
Because of this six-figure debt, many occupational therapists are turning to aspect jobs to spice up their revenue. Listed below are some high aspect hustles for occupational therapists to assist repay pupil debt sooner and attain different monetary targets.
Finest aspect hustles for occupational therapists
First, let’s begin by taking a look at some further roles that leverage your current occupational remedy license.
1. Choose up PRN shifts
Verify with native amenities (e.g. colleges, expert nursing amenities, personal clinics, dwelling well being businesses, and so on.) for PRN openings. PRN hourly charges are sometimes a lot increased than a full-time job charge as a result of the power doesn’t essentially have to offer advantages. Remember these assignments are sometimes on-call or comparatively brief discover since they’re on an as-needed foundation.
You can even ask your employer about any extra time or development alternatives that would present extra cash.
2. Be a part of the telehealth motion
With the COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals all around the nation noticed a giant soar within the want for telehealth providers (occupational remedy included).
Think about offering OT telehealth providers as a non-public practitioner, or discover an current observe with PRN or part-time choices.
This telehealth occupational remedy information could be useful when it comes to studying how the OT world is aligning extra with telehealth providers.
3. Turn into an occupational remedy guide
Given your broad coaching and keenness as an OT, there are a selection of routes you possibly can take as an occupational remedy guide.
Your skillset is already well-suited to handle a wide range of workplace-safety design problem points. For instance, a guide could be wanted to suggest removing of bodily obstacles inside workplace buildings, residential settings (e.g. an house complicated) and out of doors areas, like neighborhood parks.
4. Present dwelling security providers
Use your OT job expertise to assist modify houses for getting old people and folks with new disabilities. You’ll work to make sure their setting is free from potential hazards and suggest damage prevention measures.
Begin your individual aspect enterprise or hyperlink up with a company in your space that wants a guide for this specialty service.
5. Turn into an OT educator
Keep in mind how difficult OT college was? There’s all the time room for extra OT educators, whether or not it’s as a professor, adjunct teacher or as a tutor.
Attain out to occupational remedy packages and college students in your space or on-line. You can even contact your OT college’s alumni affiliation to community and keep within the loop on accessible alternatives.
Different aspect gigs to spice up your revenue
Right here’s some further aspect hustles for occupational therapists which are tailor-made to your skillset, however don’t essentially require an OT credential.
6. Turn into a contract author
In case you have a knack for writing, then freelancing is an effective way to earn further revenue. It permits for a versatile schedule and may rapidly grow to be profitable after getting a portfolio of occupational remedy running a blog clips to share.
Contemplating your intensive healthcare background, medical and well being subjects will seemingly come naturally. You can even area of interest down and supply written experience associated to occupational remedy. For instance, you could possibly pitch subjects associated to stroke restoration or residing with reminiscence loss.
There are countless writing gigs, starting from alternatives with nationally acknowledged organizations all the way down to small blogs run by a handful of individuals.
7. Share your information on-line
Even when you don’t notice it, your OT expertise may be become a model through the use of a weblog and social media platforms (e.g. Instagram, YouTube, and so on.) to share your information. You possibly can select to create content material that speaks to different OTs which are progressing by way of totally different phases of their profession. Alternatively, you possibly can churn out content material that gives sources to people and households in want of OT experience or providers.
For instance, pediatric occupational therapist Rachel Coley has created a profitable on-line enterprise, with tons of free and paid (e.g. programs, books, consulting) sources for folks with infants and toddlers.
8. Turn into a well being coach
Your profession already revolves round bettering the well-being of your sufferers. So, changing into a well being coach is a pure extension of serving to others study higher methods to reside a full life.
Individuals use in-person or on-line well being coaches for a wide range of well being points surrounding diet and health. However there are numerous different well being avenues to concentrate on, together with addressing considerations like stress discount or physique positivity.
Notice that relying in your pursuits, you would possibly want further teaching certificates or coaching.
A aspect hustle may also help you repay your pupil loans sooner
It looks as if everybody has some type of a aspect hustle today because it’s rapidly changing into the norm to stability a number of streams of revenue. However what’s your purpose for exploring aspect hustles for occupational therapists?
Are you having bother paying your hire or different regular payments? Do you need to save for a serious milestone, like shopping for a house? Are you increasing your loved ones within the close to future, or just need to rid your self of pupil debt?
Most pupil mortgage debtors are juggling a number of causes as to why they need or want further revenue. OTs are not any totally different.
If you happen to love being an occupational therapist, but in addition want to usher in some further money, there are tons of how to repay your pupil loans sooner and work towards different monetary targets.
You can even take a look at the Non-Medical Networking & Jobs for Rehab Professionals Fb group to community inside your career and achieve leads for OT aspect gigs.
If you happen to’d like skilled assist to make sure your major wage and aspect hustle revenue aren’t being drained needlessly by pupil loans, schedule a one-hour seek the advice of at present.
Our workforce of pupil debt specialists can information you to the most effective compensation technique to your distinctive mortgage scenario. Saving in your pupil debt would possibly even get rid of your want for a aspect hustle, which suggests much less total burnout.