8 Reasons Why You Might Be Feeling Burned Out As An OT

If you’ve landed here, you may have been Googling something like “I’m unhappy with my occupational therapy job” or “feeling burned out as an OT” or maybe even “feeling sick of my OT job.”

If so, I’ve absolutely been there (multiple times) and I first want you to know that I’m so sorry that you’re feeling this way! But just know that everyone has rough days (or weeks, or months!) in this field, and I hope this post can give you some comfort and clarity of why you might be feeling like this.

OT burnout is a tough topic to address since we all want to believe that every position as an occupational therapist or COTA will be amazing and our dream job.

We learn in school how meaningful our profession is (which it is!) and we come out thinking every job will be fantastic. But in reality, this isn’t always the case.

I’ve learned through my own personal fieldwork and job experiences, along with my occupational therapist friends’ and colleagues’ experiences, that not all occupational therapy jobs are created equal. Some can leave you feeling frustrated or even downright miserable.

This post covers the most common reasons I hear of why OTs are frustrated or unhappy with their jobs. I also will offer some solutions to these common problems so you can get back to (or start!) doing what you love.

A quick note: I first wrote this post several years prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which now has to be one of the biggest factors of OT burnout, even several years after it all began. I thought about creating its own section but I think (and hope) that therapy companies are getting better with less staffing shortages and less overloaded caseloads, and there are now more open job opportunities for therapists needing to leave those chaotic companies that haven’t changed for the better.

1. You’re in an Unethical Setting

Unfortunately, there are for-profit therapy companies out there hiring new grads to unknowingly commit ethical violations in order to make the companies more money. This can include treating inappropriate patients who do not need skilled therapy, keeping patients on for far longer than what is beneficial, over-treating the patients to bill for more minutes, and more.

You can read more about ethical dilemmas in my post titled Ethical Dilemmas in Occupational Therapy. The post covers the most prevalent situations that occupational therapists may find themselves in, especially as new grads.

Needless to say, working in a setting like this is sure to cause you major burnout, and if you’re in a setting like this, you should advocate for appropriate therapy, and if that doesn’t make a difference, switch to another company. I can tell you from experience that you’ll be glad you did.

2. Productivity Demands Are Too High

While it may not seem blatantly unethical, many companies have productivity targets that are way too high to be able to ensure proper care and documentation of patients.

Therapy should be treated as the helping profession that it is, and not a factory with demands so high many therapists don’t even have time to eat or use the bathroom.

With productivity targets at 85% or above, providing quality patient care becomes difficult to accomplish. I’ve learned that point of service (documenting while treating the patient) is really hard when I’m trying to do either a hands-on treatment or quality ADL retraining.

I’ve personally found that non-profit rehab and hospital OT and COTA positions generally have better, more realistic productivity requirements compared to for-profit rehab companies. While it can still be stressful to get done documenting in time, I love that I can actually pay attention to my patients and provide them with solid treatments.

3. You Don’t Have Proper Mentorship

Many new grads get into positions where they are the only OT, or even the only therapist at times. This is SUPER stressful since you don’t have anyone to guide you or answer questions, and you really are “thrown to the wolves.”

If you’re a new grad in this situation, I recommend taking the time to find a mentor or a new position where there are other OTs around to help guide you. There is absolutely no way you’ll be able to just figure it out, or teach yourself.

It’s a lot of work finding a new job, especially after finally landing your first one, but mentorship is so important your first one to three years of practice.

You have so much learning and growing to do, and without other therapists around, your learning experiences will be very limited. I’ve found that hospital and clinic settings are the best for learning and for being around other therapists to help show you the ropes.

4. You Haven’t Found Your Setting

It seems many new grads jump into the first job they can get, since it can be really hard to get your first job. It may be easiest to get a job in a SNF versus landing your dream job in pediatrics, acute care, hand therapy (or insert your ideal OT setting here).

While skilled nursing positions might pay well (as an example), if your heart isn’t into it you definitely won’t be happy.

If this is the case, don’t stop looking for a position in your favorite setting. Keep applying, and don’t give up!

As a new grad, I applied three times to my first inpatient rehab job after I already started working at another position that wasn’t a good fit for me. I’m so glad I did, because I finally got that call back and am so grateful to be an OT in the hospital-setting. I still love working in rehab and acute care over eight years later.

5. You’re Getting Bored With Your Interventions

This is super common. You have your toolbox, and know what interventions work for you. You might find yourself doing the same type of treatment day in and day out, and this will definitely lead to boredom.

I’ve certainly been in this situation. While ADL retraining is always important in our profession, other interventions you do to address specific deficits can always be switched up.

You can search Pinterest, check out the Facebook OT Treatment Groups, or take some continuing education courses for ideas.

I personally use MedBridge Continuing Education for ideas since it’s all online and provides unlimited courses for the year. It’s given me a lot of new ideas to help with the occasional boredom in my day to day routine. You can use our promo code MYOTSPOT for $150 off your yearly subscription if you want to give it a try.

6. You’re Feeling Bored in Your Setting

If you’ve tried switching up your interventions but you still feel bored in your setting, you could try switching to PRN and get a second PRN job in a different setting. This way you get the variety of two different settings part time instead of only one setting full time.

This is what I’ve done for the several years, and I really like the ability to have the change of pace. I’m always on my toes switching back and forth from inpatient rehab to very different diagnoses and treatments in acute care.

While juggling multiple PRN jobs might seem difficult, if your hospital has multiple areas, you can usually cross-train and stay within the same system. Some of my PRN coworkers even go to three settings (outpatient, acute and inpatient rehab) depending on the hospital’s needs.

7. You Are Thinking The Grass Is Greener Somewhere Else

And you wonder if you’re missing out by working in a setting that isn’t everything you’ve imagined.

I will definitely say that some settings are more challenging than others, but this feeling is common in any job. Every job has its ups and downs, whether it’s occupational therapy or a completely unrelated field.

While this is a totally normal feeling (and something that I still experience), before you jump into another setting that may make you feel just as or more stressed, take some time to reflect before you make a major change. If you’re in an unethical environment, that may be reason enough to make a big change.

When interviewing for a new position, be sure to ask about productivity requirements, expected caseload, hours you will actually get, mentorship, etc. before jumping in to a job situation that might be worse than your current job.

8. Your Workload Is Way Too Much

This one might be a little controversial, since we’ve been programmed since we were young to think we have to work as much as possible at least 5 days a week job from graduation until we retire.

But honestly, being an occupational therapist is hard. It’s physically demanding, mentally demanding (so much documenting!), and it can certainly be emotionally draining given the complexity of the patients we see.

Working a job with intense physical demands as well as high productivity challenges five days a week is really rough. I’ve seen this in myself, my friends, and my coworkers at the end of each day and week that it’s really hard to have any energy to get anything else done.

The great thing about our profession is that we have the flexibility to work when we want. I personally love working PRN three or four days a week at times, while earning more hourly than the full time rate. That way my total compensation isn’t lower as a result of working a few less hours.

Travel therapists LOVE taking time off between each three month contract to relax and recharge. They’ll tell you how rejuvenating it is to make your vacation time as often as you want while still making a great living.

While our student loans are high and you might feel like you can’t afford to take time off to travel or work less than five days a week, there are other ways to add to your bank account. One of my first articles, “5 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Make Extra Money After OT School” shows you other ways to make money to give yourself that extra day or two off a week.

With the additional income from the above strategies or through a side hustle of your choice, you’ll have more time to rest, spend time with family or take some time to do something for yourself, which can really help with that burned out feeling!

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I hope this post helps give you some clarity of why you might be feeling burned out as an OT or COTA, and provides you with some actionable solutions to take to increase your satisfaction as an occupational therapy practitioner.

If you have any additional strategies that have helped you combat burnout in your practice, please be sure to share them in the comments below. 

Additional Burnout Resources

Manage stress, avoid burnout, and stay inspired (Strategies from AOTA) 

Are You a Burned Out OT? You Aren’t Alone! (My OT Spot)

How to Deal with Burnout as an Occupational Therapist (My OT Spot)

Burned Out in Occupational Therapy? Tips to Reclaim your Practice (OT Flourish Podcast)

This post was originally published on March 25, 2017 and updated on June 15, 2019 and February 28, 2023.