7 things I wish I knew before starting OT school
I can finally say I did it
1. Student loans are not your friend
Okay, so this one is pretty obvious. However, as a new graduate student, I didn’t realize how quickly those loans add up especially when you are diligently focused on passing your neuroanatomy final. I remember how I would cycle from feeling “loan rich” and splurging on Wholefoods to the sinking, knots in your stomach feeling when logging in to view my current student loan balance. The interest on most student loans
2. Learn how to budget
It is impossible to know how much you really need to borrow in student loans without budgeting. Lucky for us, technology IS our friend and apps like Mint (which I personally still use to track my finances) help make this process easier. You can link your credit card, utility bills, subscriptions, and more to obtain a better picture of where your money is really going. It can be really eye-opening when you realize you have spent close to $100 a month on your coconut milk latte at Starbucks…or maybe I am the only one guilty of that?
3. Meet with your debt management or financial advisor
Many universities include some sort of financial assistance advisor or debt management service as part of their tuition to assist students with making smarter financial decisions related to student loans. Unfortunately, I did not realize this service was offered until graduation time and I regret not looking into this prior to ever taking out loans. Even still, after speaking with my amazing student debt counselor, I literally felt a weight being lifted off of my shoulders as he addressed my concerns and assisted me in selecting a repayment plan that best suited my needs.
4. Practice medical terminology
This is likely one of the most valuable undergrad courses for anyone beginning a career in the health care field. As an occupational therapist, you will encounter many, many medical terms either through documentation, literature reviews, case presentations, etc. Lucky for us, most medical terms can be broken down into two or
Ex: hepatomegaly can be broken down to hepato-meg-a-ly.
Hepato= liver. Mega= large.
Hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver.
My boyfriend is in his third year of medical school and after having to listen to his tangents for hours on end, I still surprise him with my skills on breaking down most diagnoses/conditions/procedures by their medical prefixes/suffixes and identifying their meaning. And for those of you that want a handy cheat sheet for those stressful, under-pressure moments during fieldwork, this free medical dictionary app is amazing to quickly look up that 4-5 syllable diagnosis that has you scratching your head.
5. Know your study style
Chances are that if you are reading this, you are a great student as you have successfully completed the pre-reqs in undergrad and have been accepted into
So since you are a rockstar, you know what it takes to be successful in terms of the way you study. Whether you are a beast in the library and can read for hours in total solitude OR if you prefer to study in groups by teaching and listening to your peers, this is something that you want to refine in the first few weeks/months of graduate school. More often than not, your study style remains static for the majority of your exams and veering into new territory is not something that I would personally recommend as this led to some serious last-minute stress for me. (I prefer to study alone but attempted to group-study on various occasions which led to chattering with friends and ZERO studying).
6. Get organized
This goes for EVERY. PART. OF. YOUR. LIFE. Your time in graduate school is a very demanding portion of your life which makes it incredibly easy to succumb to stress and burnout.
One way I learned to conquer this and stay sane throughout these past 2 years was to literally simplify and organize my life. Coming from someone that previously only used a planner for 2 days after the new year, this was a HUGE game-changer for me.
At the beginning of each semester, I utilized the syllabus to write in the dates and deadlines of all projects, exams, events, etc. Next and the most important of all, I scheduled times for ME. I blocked off at least 1 hour per day for personal relaxation, exercise, or writing which allowed me to de-stress and reset my [tired] brain after a full day of classes.
I simplified my life by selling or donating infrequently used items in my home and reducing clutter in general. This helped keep my apt clean and decreased the amount of time I needed to spend cleaning up which in turn, decreased my stress level! The extra profit didn’t hurt either 🙂
7. Research fieldwork settings
Okay, so this one might come in more into the first few months of occupational therapy school but definitely worth a mention. I remember the confusion I felt when selecting between various level II fieldwork (clinical internship) settings after only about 6 months into my Master’s program. Acute vs inpatient rehab vs.
So if you want to do your homework now and see which settings most interest you, I have included a few resources for you to get a jump on which settings most appeal to you!
-This OT settings blog by a young OTR -Shannen Marie- is amazing and provides valuable insights on various practice settings like acute care, intensive care unit, skilled nursing facility, and more from
-This fun quiz by NGOT will help identify which practice setting is most suitable based on your interests, personality, etc.
–YouTube has TONS of videos that give you an insider look on a day-in-the-life of an OT practitioner in various settings including school, SNF, hand therapy clinic, NICU, outpatient, etc.
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So there you have it! These are the things I wish I could transport back in time and tell myself before starting OT school. What do you think? Did this help you?
Please comment in the box below with any questions, concerns, or requests for future posts. I’d love to hear from you ♥
