OT

Usually by the time it gets to the end of December, I’m ready for a new year. I’m done, over it, ready to move on. But 2019 was a really good year and I wouldn’t have minded if it lasted just a little bit longer.

2019 started off with the very last semester of my BS/MS OT program. Semester 10/10 and the end was finally in sight. During this semester, I applied for OT jobs and accepted one. And in May, I graduated with my Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and finally got to add the letters MSOT at the end of my name.

I then took off to Nashville for a few days to celebrate before coming back and holing up in the library with my therapyed book and AOTA pdfs.

I took the biggest test of my life (the boards) the first week of June and waited the longest week of my life to find out that I passed!!! I quickly got licensed in North Carolina, making me an OTR/L.

I spent the next month packing, refinishing furniture, and going to the beach before making the big move for my first OT job.

In July, I packed a moving truck, my parent’s minivan, and my car to the brim and headed south to North Carolina. I moved into my first apartment and started started my first OT job all within a week (talk about adulting).

And I spent the last 5 months of the year working, exploring my new town, and making friends. I am blessed to have amazing coworkers who have quickly become close friends. And I am so happy to have found a church home that welcomed me with open arms. And of course I can’t forget the most important part-I’m an OT and get to help people every single day.

All in all, 2019 was a pretty gosh darn good year. One that I would’ve happily help onto a little longer. But I’m ready to see what 2020 has in store.

I visited Nashville with my mom following my graduation. We went for 3 nights which I feel was the perfect amount of time. I wanted to share more about where I stayed, where I ate, and what I did during my trip.

Where to Stay:

Hotels in Nashville can be really expensive, especially if you want to stay downtown. To save money, my mom and I chose to stay in an AirBnB. We picked a tiny house which was adorable. It was the perfect size for 2 people. The host was amazing and gave us a ton of restaurant recommendations. It was located in a cute neighborhood within walking distance of a few places and a short uber/lyft ride downtown.

• The link to the tiny house is: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13098951?source_impression_id=p3_1560296687_UyUR%2Boc3nRTG1svI

Where to Eat:

Nashville has a lot of great food options and we tried to make a point to check out a popular restaurant for each meal (except one where we were on a time crunch and ate at the museum cafe, Here are my favorites my trip-

• The first night we went to Monell’s for dinner (they also do breakfast &lunch) which was amazing. The food is served family style and included meat plus a bunch of side dishes. My mom and I were seated at a table with 10 ministers who were great company. They have 3 locations and I went to the one in Germantown. Their prices are also really reasonable, ranging from $15-23/adult depending on day and time (and it is all you can eat). I would call this a must do! You can find more information at https://monellstn.com/
• The next morning we went to Puckett’s where I had a strawberry pancake the size of my face and a yogurt parfait. It was really good but I wouldn’t consider it a must-do. Their website is https://puckettsgro.com/nashville/
• We just picked something out in the museum cafe for lunch because we were on a time crunch but then we went to an Italian restaurant called Mangia for dinner. I hadn’t heard about it but it was walking distance from where we were staying so we figured it was worth trying. And it was so good. No pictures were taken of the meal because it was eaten so quickly but if you go-get their homemade chips & dipping sauce as an appetizer. I highly recommend eating here if you are nearby. Their website is https://mangianashville.com/
• We went to the Five Daughters Bakery the next morning and it was amazing. If you only eat one place in Nashville, this should be it. They have so many different donut flavors, including a whole case for those with dietary restrictions. I recommend getting a 100 layer donut. My mom and I ordered 2 different flavors and shared. They were so sweet and fluffy. I would go back to Nashville just for these donuts. Go check out their menu at https://fivedaughtersbakery.com/
• We went to Martin’s BBQ for lunch. I usually am not the biggest barbecue fan but decided to just order something and go for it. My mom and I both really liked our sandwiches. Also, the staff was super nice and they have a ton of seating. Check them out at https://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/
• For dinner that night we ordered from Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, which was within walking distance from our AirBnB. Once again, no pictures were taken because it was that good. Nashville is famous for their hot chicken and I would highly recommend having it while in Nashville! There are a few different places that have hot chicken but Hattie B’s is really good. I recommend ordering a plate which comes with chicken (you choose the heat level) and 2 sides. Their website is https://hattieb.com/
• Our last meal in Nashville was at Fenwick’s 300 which was a really cute, kinda retro, diner. I ordered french toast which came with fresh berries and was delicious. You can find them at http://fenwicks300.com/

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What to Do:

Nashville is known for country music. My mom and I are both country music fans so we made sure to check out the country music attractions. But I will mention a few things to do that aren’t related to country music below-

• Our first night we went on a Hearse Ghost Tour which definitely sounds weird but was really fun. We didn’t see anything creepy but our tour guide was great and told us a ton about the history of Nashville. The tour started at the Union Station Hotel which is a really cool, old, converted train station. If you are nearby, I recommend checking out the hotel. If you want to do something out of the ordinary, you can find out more information (and about their other tour options) at https://amerighost.com/
• We went to the Ryman Auditorium the next day which was great. It was fun to learn about the history of country music and see where so many big stars performed. More information at https://www.ryman.com/
• We then went to the Country Music Hall of Fame which is huge. I loved seeing all the outfits that different celebrities wore. Their website is https://countrymusichalloffame.org/
• Within the same building as the Country Music Hall of Fame, is Hatch Show Print, which has made posters for the stars for years. My mom and I took a tour and got to make our own posters with the printing press. Check them out at https://hatchshowprint.com/
• We then made our way to the Grand Ole Opry for the Backstage Tour which was really fun. You get to see the dressing rooms where the celebrities get ready. You also get to go on stage which is really cool.
• We went back to the Grand Ole Opry at night for a show which was amazing. Kelsea Ballerini and her husband, Morgan Evans, performed as well as a bunch of other country singers. While I didn’t know all of the performers, they were all amazing. If you are in Nashville, make sure you get tickets to the Opry. Tickets for the Opry, as well as the backstage tour, are available at https://www.opry.com/
• We also went to the Johnny Cash Museum. While, I did not know a ton about Johnny Cash before the trip, I really liked the museum. I wouldn’t call it a must-do, but worth checking out if you have extra time. You can learn more at https://www.johnnycashmuseum.com/
• See the Honky Tonks. You can’t go to Nashville without seeing the honky tonks the city is known for. My mom and I just walked up and down the streets, listening to the live music, and going in and out of the bars.
• Check out all the murals. I happened to stumbled upon the #whatliftsyou mural. The “I believe in Nashville” mural is next to Draper James.

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If you find yourself visiting Nashville, I hope you find these recommendations helpful & enjoy the city as much as I did!

Starting your search for an OT job can be a daunting task so I decided to make a list of what I looked for so that it could possibly help others.

Some things that were important to me-

I knew that in my first OT job I wanted mentorship. While I wasn’t picky about how much or what type, I just knew that I wasn’t quite ready to be thrown to the wolves and would be a lot more comfortable if I had someone to give me advice/guidance/answer questions.

Setting is a huge factor (and probably the biggest factor for most people). I, luckily, loved both my fieldwork settings so I was open to applying to both SNFs and outpatient pediatrics. The only settings I knew I didn’t want to start in home health or a school just because that usually involves flying solo.

I always looked for a job that provided benefits. Oddly, some jobs I looked at did not, but I need health insurance…

I also knew I wanted full-time hours. Some people might start their OT career working part-time or PRN and there is no right or wrong way to go, it just depends on what best fits your needs. I personally was looking for a full 40 hours a week.

I also wanted to work somewhere that offered services other than OT so i would have a chance to work with other disciplines. I really liked collaborating with PT and SLP during my fieldwork placements and learned a lot from them. I wanted my first job to provide similar opportunities.

No required evenings or weekends. One of my fieldwork placements had be there until 8pm some nights and I learned that it is much harder to run good treatment sessions at that time. I also applied to one job that had Saturday morning hours.

Opportunities for continuing education. Continuing education is required so a job that includes continuing education or a stipend to cover part of it would be great.

Some things that were not as important to me-

Location was not a huge factor for me. The county I grew up in has 2 hospitals, 1 outpatient center offering OT, and the school system (aka not a lot of job opportunities for OTs). I started my search by looking at jobs within a couple hours of home but ended up applying to some farther away as well.

I was also not too concerned about salary. I knew that I wold be able to support myself on the average OT salary so this was not really a factor as I searched for jobs.

Resumes are tricky. You are supposed to summarize your education, work history, and extracurricular activities in 1-2 pages to convince employers that you are 100% the person they need to hire.

Have you been staring at your resume for way too long and need a fresh set of eyes?

Are you a new grad and have no idea where to start when it comes to resumes, cover letters, and references?

Are you looking to change jobs and need to update your resume?

Or just want to keep your resume up to date?

If any of the above apply to you then you may benefit from a resume review.

If you would like me to review your resume, you can contact me on instagram at @beckyb.ot or by email at beckyb.ot17@gmail.com (just put “resume review”as your subject line)

I charge $15 for a review of your resume, cover letter, and reference page and accept payment via Venmo and PayPal.

I just need to know:

• If you are an OT or OTA
• New grad or experienced practitioner (and # of years of experience)
• If you are looking to work full-time, part-time, or PRN
• If you are applying to a specific setting
• If you would like me to review your resume, cover letter, or reference page (or all 3!)
• And if you have any specific concerns

If you don’t quite have a resume ready then you can check out my teachers pay teachers store for tip sheets and sample resumes, cover letters, and reference pages at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Becky-B-Ot

After I have time to review your resume, I will return a revised copy with a document where I detail any changes I made as well as general comments!

I know how stressful creating a resume can be and hope this service can be of help to others in the occupational therapy community!

I usually try to do these posts at the very beginning of the month, but here we are 2 weeks in. Oh well.

May was a very exciting month as I graduated with my Master’s in Occupational Therapy!!

After graduation, I went to Nashville (longer post on Nash coming soon) and then buckled down for boards studying.

And now it is June!

I decided to do one quote for the summer, instead of one for each month.

So my quote for the summer is:

This summer will include boards, moving to North Carolina, and starting my first job. A lot of unknowns. However, I am going to remind myself to embrace it as I will only be at this point in m y life once.