Occupational Therapist – Michelle Maclean

What do you consider the most rewarding and challenging parts of your job?

• Rewarding: The people I get to meet – clients, medical + allied health people, insurers, builders, equipment suppliers
• Helping them
• Working with them
• Often at their most vulnerable/overwhelming time in their lives
• The sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction with helping people achieve better health, independence and goals.
• Challenging: The juggle – balancing everyone’s interests, expectations and goals – Injured worker, employer, insurer, other medical and allied health staff.

 

If people were considering working as an Occupational Therapist what advice would you give them?

• DO IT! But don’t do it to WORK as an Occupational Therapist – do it because you want to BE an Occupational Therapist. I love what I do!

 

What qualifications or experience is required to become an Occupational Therapist?

• Bachelor Degree at University

o   4 year undergrad or 2 year grad entry masters

• I have also studied:

o   2 years – post grad diploma ergonomics

o   2 years – post grad diploma OH & S

o   Accredited mediator

 

What path did you take to become an Occupational Therapist?

• Obtained an OP4 (needed an OP 3 – for OT)
• Studied social work at UQ for my first year
• Transferred to OT in my second year at Uni when I could upgrade my OP

 

Were there any other careers you considered pursuing when you left school?

• Not really

o   I often thought I would enjoy being an ambulance officer

 

Can you see yourself remaining in this line of work forever?

• Yes – but expanding on my role and self as an occupational therapist eg mediator, driving training OT, Case manager OT

 

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

• In grade 10 – our career guidance counsellor gave me a huge book of careers to go through
• OT appealed to me by the type of work, options for variability working with paediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, mental health, community etc  + I really liked the long name it had!

 

What are your standard hours?

• Like any business owner – minimum of 4 hours/day up to 16 hour days. Mostly ~8-10hrs / 5 days a week
• Prep on weekends

 

Is there anything you can tell us about your job that people wouldn’t expect?

• Like any university degree – studying undergraduate OT teaches you how to learn – nothing really prepares you for your first patient, or your second patient or your third patient etc – each person is unique and different.
• Never stop learning.