The Psychology Majors Handbook by Tara L. Kuther gives a list of positions that Psychology majors can obtain with a bachelor’s degree. This list is helpful because only one-fourth of psychology majors go to graduate school immediately following graduation (Kuther, 2015, p. 170). Among this list, the occupation that caught my eye was that of an Occupational Therapist. Though one cannot be an Occupational Therapist with a just bachelor’s degree, one can be an Occupational Therapist Assistant with a bachelor’s degree. With other training and licensure, an individual with a bachelor’s in psychology can work in the field of Occupational Therapy because psychology educates one to obtain human service skills. Employers may not understand why a psychology …show more content…
3). For this specific position, there really is not a more desirable degree than an associate’s degree due to the fact that one cannot obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Although, if one were to get a bachelor’s degree in psychology, this would put one on the right path to becoming a licensed Occupational Therapist (OT Plan, 2015, Three Steps to Occupational Therapy section, para. 1). In order for one to call oneself an “Occupational Therapist Assitant”, one must be registered or licensed and pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy test (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014, How to Become One section, para. 11). At the bachelor’s level of education for this field, the most desirable majors would be sociology, anthropology, or psychology (OT Plan, 2015, Three Steps to Occupational Therapy section, para. 1). Again, a bachelor’s degree will only be beneficial if one’s goal is to become an Occupational …show more content…
Although, there are a variety of opportunities for employment in this field. An OTA may be employed in a hospital, an area or nursing or residential care, or private practices of Occupational Therapist (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014, Work Environment section, para. 2). In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the employment outlook for this occupation is above average with a growth rate of 41 percent. From the years 2012 to 2022, there is projected to be 20,500 job openings for Occupational Therapist Assistants (O*Net Online, 2014-2015, Wages and Employment Trends section, para. 4). The salary is dependent on the area of employment, but annual salaries range anywhere from $43,330 to $57,840 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014, Pay section, para. 4). Benefits for any occupation within the realm of health care usually include a benefits package that contain things like health insurance, life insurance, a 401k plan,
Psychology is the study of the mind, its biology, and behavior if the individual. The father of psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, used objective measurement and controlled analyzing to find and emphasize separation between psychology and philosophy (McLeod). Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879, using his background in physiology to study reactions and sensations (McLeod). There is no doubt that he, along with the later help of Sigmund Freud, launched what is now modern psychology. Psychology and its research helped the world understand the inner workings of the mind and how it affects everyone around us.
My results for my high school career quiz displayed many careers that I did not believe were for me, however there was one that I had never heard of that sparked my interest, Occupational Therapy. At the time, I had no idea what this career consisted of, but as time went by and I participated in various volunteering opportunities and shadowed several therapists, I began to realize that this career really intrigued me. Occupational therapists assist individuals across the entire lifespan in participating in daily living activities. They work with individuals with physical and developmental disabilities, those who have previously sustained an injury and need to regain their abilities, and the elderly population who may lose the abilities to perform certain tasks. This profession contains many important responsibilities that involve aspects of social psychology including evaluating the abilities of the patient, increasing independence of patients with
When searching for a career, many people want a job that will be rewarding. One job that fulfills this need is an occupational therapy assistant. An occupational therapy assistant, also known as an “OTA,” is someone who makes it possible for people to achieve everyday tasks which they normally could not do. These tasks include eating, getting dressed, bathing, and many more “typical” tasks. It is not easy to become an OTA. There is a long process that needs to be completed. This includes, difficult college classes, applying to an OTA program, licensing, training, and certifications. Many other factors come into play when deciding if being an occupational therapy assistant is the right career such as, salary, job outlook, job opportunities,
I find occupational therapy to pique my drive to teach people valuable life skills as well as learn from those people and their experiences. Being an occupational therapist would allow me to have one-on-one interactions with patients and establish meaningful relationships over the course of time. It would also give me the dutiful privilege and responsibility of instilling confidence in others and helping them realize their full potential in self-suffiency. All of my personal experiences, challenges, educational backgrounds, and professional interactions have guided me toward pursuing my goals of gaining experience working in all populations, enabling patients to thrive in their daily lifestyle, and spread public awareness of what OT has
Occupational therapy made its first appearance in a modern-day setting during the 18th century; however, occupational therapy dates back to 100 BC. The United States medical system adopted occupational therapy in the 19th century. In 1910, occupational therapy became a realized profession. Then, the main focus was working with individuals to get them to a fully functional state. Around 1930, standards of practice were developed for occupational therapists (OT’s). The career continues to evolve and change as new illnesses and disabilities arise. Even with all the changes, the main focus remains intact: helping people.
The Department of labor says that by 2020 occupational therapy is estimated to be one of the most in-demand job to be (htt1) . The salary ranges for entry-level vary from about $56,000 to $72,000. The Occupational Outlook Handbook shows that in 2009 the median varied between $ 72,520 per year, which is an average of about $35 an hour (htt). In otherwise the job market for Occupational therapy will be full of opportunity.
My path to becoming a physical therapist starts with a bachelor's degree. This program will cover a lot of science topics, such as anatomy and pharmacology. After I complete a bachelor's degree program, I won't be qualified to work as a physical therapist until I complete the Doctorate degree program. In a Doctorate degree program, I will get to work in clinical situations, participate in internships and gain the necessary skills needed to become a licensed Physical Therapist. Licensing is done through the state that you wish to work in. If I wish to advance my career and go into teaching or research, I will need to complete a doctoral degree program. Regardless of whether I complete a doctoral program, I will be required to take continuing
Good jobs for psychology majors are available for those who have earned a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree. Psychology courses train individuals to work effectively with others, conduct tests and assessments and correct behavioral problems. There are opportunities for psychology majors to work in clinics, schools, early childhood centers, business, health clinics, hospitals and correctional institutions.
One job that would be available to me upon graduation would be a social service manager. To be qualified for the job as a social service manager one must obtain a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in psychology. This career is appealing to me because it would allow me to work closely with the demographic I am interested in. Social service managers work with groups such as, veterans, homeless people, and children. They can work for government agencies and social service companies. The typical job setting social service managers often work in are offices, shelters, and clinics or hospitals. They focus mainly on helping people with certain challenges, such as hunger or unemployment. The duties of a social service managers may vary by employer. If
While growing up I had many ideas of what professional career I wanted to obtain, although until recent years, occupational therapy was not even a thought. It was not until my grandmother had a stroke that I even knew what occupational therapy was or entailed. I watched my grandmother participate in therapy leading her to learn how to tie her shoes again, and the things I thought were so simple as to dress herself again. It was during that time as high school graduation was approaching that I realized I wanted to be apart of that. I wanted to have a role helping others learn and exceed as she did because I seen how much joy it brought her. This experience opened my eye to the things we so often take for granted, that some people lose the ability of doing or lack the ability of doing. Throughout her journey of facing and overcoming these problems, it led me to a yearning to pursue this
My immediate goals after obtaining an Occupational Therapy degree include gaining clinical expertise through a practice of my choice and motivating as many people as I can to achieve their goals. I plan to participate in evidence-based research in order to improve patient outcomes while spreading this knowledge through community education and prevention programs. After establishing myself in the field and gaining the necessary resources, I intend to collaborate with a team of like-minded
“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”-Marla Robinson. Occupational Therapists guide and support their patients in a planned treatment program to help them to learn how to live a daily, independent life. Occupational Therapists employ a substantial amount of leisure and social skills. This is an excellent profession to look into. I chose Occupational Therapy because growing up I always admired my mom’s career as a speech therapist. I would go to work with her and help her as much as I could as an eight year old child. As I have grown up now, I realized my dream to be in the therapy field is just in my reach. I plan to job shadow an Occupational Therapist and look into therapy courses at nearby colleges to get my dream on the right track. Occupational Therapy includes a rigorous course of study and excellent benefits for those who wish to promote skills for independent daily living.
Lawrence gave a great example of what you can do with your psychology degree, whatever you want to do within that field, never give up and push toward your goals as a counseling psychology, social psychology, or even a Cognitive Neuropsychology. While doing the interview with Lawrence, he really does appreciate his job and the studies he had done changed him to have a better view of becoming a counseling psychology. I learned that here in Hawaii, it takes awhile to be licensed in psychology since you need the amount of hours; however, as what Lawrence said, sometimes you are not able to the hours if they are not many clients coming into therapy, and the therapist only cover a few hours a day or even once a
Must least have a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, which takes about 4 to 5 years to receive. However, to move forward with your education all depends on person’s career goals but for me I would like to move forward in my education. The highest being a Master’s Degree or PhD. To obtain a Master’s Degree it would take an extra 2 to 3 years while PhD is about 4 to 5 years both gives more opportunities to work in different area such in hospitals, schools, and private practices. Though it is also require to be licensed or certified and a 1-year of work training and experience. From this information it tells that my specific graduation for
The definition of psychology is as follows: “The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.”(Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, 1828) There are many fields of psychology an individual can go into, whether its clinical, forensic, or otherwise Psychology is a very broad field of scientific study that affects many aspects of our lives. There are people who study this science in schools, hospitals, private practices and more. This science also interests me as well. I have already taken psychology in my junior year, and I am currently taking AP psychology in order to gain some credits for college. The study fascinates me; the reason being that it explains our behavior and what makes us different from any other species on this planet. It goes in-depth of the analysis of humans’ greatest accomplishments and lowest behaviors. It turns our