Guest guest Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 All OTs & PTs must have a Florida License. Most OTs have a Master's Degree with a few of the older OTs grandfathered in with a Bachelors Degree. All PTs have a Master's degree and many have their doctorates. The educational standards are extremely high. The OTs & PTs do the initial evaluations and can have assistants perform the treatments under their guidance. All assistants must have Florida licensure also. If you have questions or concerns please bring them to the therapist's attention. Therapists also want input, guidance and teamwork when it comes to working with the child and their families. As you the caregiver know about the child and how they handle school, home, & community settings. The therapists go into their prospective fields to help. Many therapists have specializations such as sensory or neurodevelopment. If the therapist is working in a clinic then they either are hired by the clinic or own it. I, as a mother and also a therapist am aware that sometimes there is not a "good" fit no matter what is attempted and perhaps another therapist has a different approach but I appreciate what was tried. For my child we had many changes in therapists over the years and it takes good teamwork to have the child be comfortable with learning new skills, new people and new environments. I have met many assistants who are so exceptional that they should be the therapists. Share your concerns with the therapists. Home or clinic therapy is different than what the schools are allowed to do.Good luck.Cheryl To: "'sList '" <sList > Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 2:07 PM Subject: OT & PT Good afternoon, I have a question about OT and PT. My son had an evaluation by OT and PT and I just was wondering about education levels to have these positions. In Florida do they have to be licensed? Do they have to have masters or higher? Are clinics allowed to use assistants instead of actual therapists? I would love any insight on this…While I did think my son would benefit from these therapies, I also would like to make sure I’m not being misguided on what I think he is getting. Because honestly I didn’t feel like I was working with professionals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 It saddens me that you left with these feelings after seeing the therapists. I am an occupational therapist and I can tell you that we must be board certified and have a license to practice in the state of Florida. The educational requirements are at a masters level; however, this is a new requirement within the past 12 years. Prior to 2000, it was a Bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy. Many of the occupational therapists I know (including myself, and those I graduated with many years ago) went back to school and obtained an Advanced Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. The reasons for going back to school are individual, but many of us are looking to advance and with new graduates having their masters, it is needed to " keep up with the industry " . In order to maintain our license, we must take 30 hours of continuing education every 2 years. I just moved to the state of Florida, from Texas, and I can tell you that getting an OT license in this state is a long process. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Schneider, MS, OTRDirector/CEOAbi's Placewww.abisplace.com http://www.autismlicenseplate.com/ Good afternoon, I have a question about OT and PT. My son had an evaluation by OT and PT and I just was wondering about education levels to have these positions. In Florida do they have to be licensed? Do they have to have masters or higher? Are clinics allowed to use assistants instead of actual therapists? I would love any insight on this…While I did think my son would benefit from these therapies, I also would like to make sure I’m not being misguided on what I think he is getting. Because honestly I didn’t feel like I was working with professionals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thank you so much for your response! It’s good to know that you guys are so qualified! I decided to call the clinic and just ask, and I found out my son was seen by OTA (assistants) and not an actual therapist. (The assistants usually have an AA) I asked why, or how this is decided and I was told it’s just based on the time slot. They said if I want to use an actual therapist I can request it and they would accommodate me. Really good info to have…and I would have never known if I hadn’t gone into the session with my son! From: sList [mailto:sList ] On Behalf Of Schneider, MS, OTR Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 3:20 PM To: sList Subject: Re: OT & PT It saddens me that you left with these feelings after seeing the therapists. I am an occupational therapist and I can tell you that we must be board certified and have a license to practice in the state of Florida. The educational requirements are at a masters level; however, this is a new requirement within the past 12 years. Prior to 2000, it was a Bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy. Many of the occupational therapists I know (including myself, and those I graduated with many years ago) went back to school and obtained an Advanced Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. The reasons for going back to school are individual, but many of us are looking to advance and with new graduates having their masters, it is needed to " keep up with the industry " . In order to maintain our license, we must take 30 hours of continuing education every 2 years. I just moved to the state of Florida, from Texas, and I can tell you that getting an OT license in this state is a long process. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Schneider, MS, OTR Director/CEO Abi's Place www.abisplace.com http://www.autismlicenseplate.com/ Good afternoon, I have a question about OT and PT. My son had an evaluation by OT and PT and I just was wondering about education levels to have these positions. In Florida do they have to be licensed? Do they have to have masters or higher? Are clinics allowed to use assistants instead of actual therapists? I would love any insight on this…While I did think my son would benefit from these therapies, I also would like to make sure I’m not being misguided on what I think he is getting. Because honestly I didn’t feel like I was working with professionals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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