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8 Ideas for When You Feel Stuck in OT School

Joy Springer, Midwestern University

8 Ideas For When You Feel Stuck in OT School

For some people, OT school is a great time. For others, it's a trial to get through school in one piece. There are many reasons you may not like grad school. For me, the biggest struggle is sitting in a classroom all day with very little autonomy. Sometimes, OT school can leave me feeling like I'm stuck in place, especially when it seems like the lives of people around me are moving forward.

After seriously considering quitting school even though there's nothing I'd rather do than be an OT, I knew I had to come up with a plan. Here are some of the strategies I'm employing to keep my sanity while in school.

  • Be Honest—You don't have to pretend that you like school or that you are happy with something that clearly isn't making you happy. Allowing yourself this honesty will help you to determine what you need in order to get unstuck.
  • Talk to Someone—It took a long time, but I finally caved and talked to an instructor I trusted. She reassured me that my feelings were normal and understandable. More importantly, she helped me problem solve ideas for keeping me in the program.
  • Take a Break—I got into a bad habit of working through lunch in order to have my evenings free. While it was nice to have the evenings off most of the time, I was running out of steam by the end of the day. Now, I try to take at least 20 minutes of my lunch time to step away from school work.
  • Take a Mental Health Day—If school is driving you so crazy that the thought of sitting through 3 more hours of lecture makes you want to cry, then leave. Tha's right. Strategically skip classes. As an adult, I have the right to decide when and if it's better for me to attend a class or to go home. One caveat—be sure to accept the consequences of skipping. In some classes, instructors reserve the right to deduct points from the final grade for lack of attendance. Be willing to take the hit if your school enforces this policy.
  • Make it Applicable—I learn through application, not lecture. I also can't really change the number of lectures we have. So, I have to come up with my own ways of making the material meaningful for me. Right now, I'm taking case studies from the books and creating a variety of Pinterest boards with intervention ideas. This strategy gets me thinking about how I might approach the case and leads me to great resources from other OTs.
  • Get a Job/Volunteer—If you're stressed because you are having trouble balancing your schedule, this isn't a good tip for you. But, if you're looking for a way to apply some of the knowledge you've gained, getting a job or volunteering is a great idea. Right now, I'm volunteering on a few small projects where I'm working with other students, OTAs, and OTs. These opportunities have been a great way to apply what I've learned and to gain guidance from experienced practitioners.
  • Have Fun—When the energy has been sucked from me after 6 hours of lecture, I only want to veg out on the couch. Unfortunately, this feeling makes me feel more stuck. Try to plan an activity that is not school related each week that you can look forward to. Reach out to your classmates to see if they want to join you. You'd be surprised at how many classmates are feeling the same way you are.
  • Get Outside—Closely linked to having fun, escaping from the artificial environment of the classroom and getting into some natural light is a proven way to lift your mood. Try to take a break between classes just to get out of the classroom and breathe some fresh air.

These are just a few ideas that are helping me get through school. Have other suggestions and ideas for getting “unstuck” while in OT school? Comment on my blog, OT in Motion.

This article was originally featured on the blog OT in Motion.

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Joy is a second year student in the Master of Occupational Therapy program at Midwestern University–Glendale where she serves as the ASD Representative and acts as Student Council Class Liaison for the Occupational Therapy Class of 2016. She is currently interested in hand therapy and acute care as future practice areas. When she is not blogging for OT in Motion or studying, she likes to hike the Arizona trails with her husband and two dogs. 


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