Wait… Why are we in Washington??

As a new graduate occupational therapist, I took a big bold step into the world of professional practice: travel therapy.

In February of 2021 I began wondering what I was going to do after I graduated. I followed several travel therapists on Instagram and aspired to travel someday but figured I would do it after practicing in a permanent position for a few years. I decided to reach out to some recruiters just to see what the travel therapy market looked like, and if it would be attainable as a new graduate. I “clicked” with my amazing recruiter, and she began searching for pediatric jobs for me. One day, she told me about a super awesome school district looking for a travel OT for the entire school year. I went ahead and interviewed for the position (because, why not?!) and they hired me!!! I had to accept or decline the position by the next day, so I spent the night weighing pros/cons and talking logistics with my mom and Ryan. I accepted the position in early May two months before I would even graduate with my Master of Occupational Therapy.

The most difficult aspect of taking this job, by far, was the logistics. I had to graduate, pass the NBCOT exam, get my OT license in Washington State, and move across the country before my start date: August 30^th. After graduation and my last day at field work, I began a strict study regimen in the hours after work. I took the NBCOT exam on July 23^rd and found out that I PASSED on July 29^th. At this point, we were officially moving to Washington, so we packed up our old apartment (putting most of our belongings in storage), packed our cars full, and left for the west coast. On the day that we left Pennsylvania my Washington OT license was still pending, which was incredibly nerve wracking, but it was approved and issued at some point along the road trip.

I began my job here on August 30^th, as planned and am absolutely loving the district, my coworkers, and the kids. It was a stressful summer of studying but my hard work is paying off. I work in the high school, virtual school, middle school, two of the elementary schools as well as the preschool. I also see kids in the pool on Friday’s which is a super unique opportunity. Here’s a little glimpse into what one of my usual Monday’s looks like:

A Day in the Life of a School-Based Travel Occupational Therapist

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6:00 AM: My alarm goes off. I stay in bed until 6:15 (or later sometimes) and I eat a bowl of oatmeal before getting ready for the day. I quickly pack my lunch and some coffee for the drive.

6:45 AM: Cooper and I are out the door. Cooper gets dropped off at daycare 3 days a week- he gets so excited when we pull into the driveway. I have an hour-long commute, so I sip my coffee while listening to the My Favorite Murder podcast.

8:00 AM: I arrive at school! Today I am at the Jr. High, so I park and head back to my office. I give myself an hour in the morning to check my email and prepare materials before seeing students.

9:05 AM-: I spend the morning pulling students for OT. Each student has different goals, but I like to incorporate one common activity for all of them. Today is Jenga! I used Jenga to work on self-regulation, letter formation, activity tolerance, and more! Jenga is great because it’s simultaneously working on fine motor and coordination skills as well.  

-Jenga for self-regulation: zones of regulation theme with blue/green/yellow/red colored Jenga blocks. When a block is pulled, discuss what puts you in _______ zone and what strategies can be used to return to green zone.

-Jenga for letter formation: To “earn” pulling out a block, a letter (chosen randomly) must be written and formed correctly on whiteboard.

-Jenga for activity tolerance: Between pulling blocks, pushups/sit-ups/jumping jacks must be completed

-Jenga as a reward: After performing activity (for example, typing a paragraph), you can play a game of Jenga before returning to class.

11:30 AM: I run to Safeway for lunch since we didn’t have any leftovers for me to pack. I grab some sushi and eat it in my car.

12:00 PM: I don’t have any kids right now, so I take some time to check my email and make a “to do” list for the week.

12:45 PM: My list kid of the day at this school! We work on writing a paragraph with good core strength, attention, and grip. Then we play a game of Jenga as a reward.

1:30 PM: I head to the preschool, where my office is. I spend the afternoon working on paperwork and eating Trader Joe’s peanut butter cups. Last week I completed 4 preschool evaluations, so it took all afternoon to write up results and recommendations.

4:00 PM: Time to head home and pick Cooper up from daycare! Ryan called to let me know he is going on a mountain bike ride this evening, so I know he won’t be home until later.

5:15 PM: Home. I’ve been following a Garmin running training plan, so I complete my short tempo run and stretch.

6:00 PM: Ryan’s home so we run out to Target for Cooper’s treats and yum yum sauce for the fried rice I’m making tonight.

6:45 PM: I make dinner and we eat while discussing this weekend’s MTB ride plans

8:00 PM: We clean up the kitchen and eat some dessert- edible cookie dough.

8:30 PM: I let Cooper outside one last time, shower, then get everything I need ready for work tomorrow.

9:30 PM: Sometimes we watch some Netflix before bed, but we were too tired tonight.