A bit discouarged about OT salary/wages.

[zerochance]

I have been browsing Indeed and other job sites a lot lately, and it seems physiotherapy jobs are a bit more common than occupational therapy.

But that's not it.  With the exception of hospital jobs (which I heard are hard to get as a new grad), OT salaries appear to be quite a bit lower than PT.  

Kinda discouarging tbh.  All that schooling just so that I can make 55-65k before taxes?  The cop salary after 3 years is $105,000 (within 3 years it jumps from 65k to 105k).  A 911 operator in the GTA makes $37/hour, and make more after some experience.  In fact, many 911 operators are in the sunshine list in Ontario (a list of public servants making $100k+). I understand these public sector jobs have very strong unions and thats a big part to why their salaries are what they are.  Why is it that the unions representing allied health care professionals are so weak and don't advocate for better pay?

I am not saying cops and 911 opreators don't deserve to get paid this much.  All that I am saying is that its disappointing for someone who completed 6 years of post-secondary schooling, got admitted to a highly competitive program, graduated with a fair amount of student debt, to end up making 55k-65k.  On top of that, it appears from my research there is little room for growth for an OT's salary EVEN WITH experience (hospital jobs seem to be the exception here).

I attended the Western Program Preview Day event for OT at the end of November, and they mentioned the expected salary for an OT is 70k-90k for a new grad.  I am not sure where they got these figures from, but I dont believe these numbers are accurate.  I have been looking directly at job postings and rarely see these figures thrown around.

Have a look at this job OT posting for instance:  here.  Kinda insulting, no?  

The only OT positions that appear to pay well are hospitals and school district boards.  Even within hospitals there is variety in the pay.  For instance a new OT working in Hamilton starts at $36/hour, while for whatever reason an OT working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie, ON starts at $42/hour.  As for school district OT job posting, they are very rare.  In the last 8 months or so I have only seen one at York Catholic District School board, and the pay was very good at either $48 or $52/hour.

 

I may very well be misinformed, and if so please let me know where I am wrong!

Regardless of what you think, I am interested in hearing your thoughts!  Thanks for reading!

[pthelper1996]

I dont know where you are getting 55K to 65K from, but if you google "how much is 36$ an hour full time per year, or how much is 42$ an hour full time per year" it is 70,200$ and 82000$ a year (and that is to start?) i think thats pretty reasonable. Im located in british columbia and a quick search shows hospital jobs are 36$ an hour to 46$ an hour. Full time 46$ an hour is 90000$ a year

[otapp22]

The job you linked is for a non-profit org so... probably not the place to go if you're looking to get paid well. I work at a LTC home in the GTA and the starting salary for new OT grads is $39/hour (78,000 before taxes), I think they go up to $50/hour if you've been working a long time or are specialized. Most of the job listings I've looked at have been in the same range. I've seen a few, but not many, jobs that pay more than $50/hour, I don't remember the exact details but I think they were for private pediatric settings. As for why there's a difference between Mississauga and Barrie, it probably has to do with the setting. I've heard that nursing homes and home care pay the most, and community-based OT pays the least.

[BKin.d]

I work with OTs in rehabilitation case management (community based) and they start at $55/hour at my company. Physio's start at $45/hour We do community based rehabilitation.

[zerochance]

4 minutes ago, BKin.d said:

I work with OTs in rehabilitation case management (community based) and they start at $55/hour at my company. Physio's start at $45/hour We do community based rehabilitation.

The other poster said community based make the least though?   You said the OTs work in case management so maybe they get paid 55/hour because it’s management level job or something?

just to be clear what’s the exact setting you work in?  Nursing home/LTC? Something else?

thanks in advance! 

[BKin.d]

I work in community based rehabilitation for MVA/workplace injuries. Out here in BC, community based practitioners make significantly per hour. Less consistency and structure though obviously. It's not actually a management role, case management is different. It just means they oversee the entire rehab process and act like a a buffer between the insurance adjustor/file handler. They set up clients with the resources they need for rehab, follow along and assess progress.

 

Here is a job for a similar role at a different company!

 

https://ca.indeed.com/Community-Therapists-jobs-in-British-Columbia?vjk=9767ffaaa1be19ce&advn=3787261667495831

[zerochance]

9 minutes ago, BKin.d said:

I work in community based rehabilitation for MVA/workplace injuries. Out here in BC, community based practitioners make significantly per hour. Less consistency and structure though obviously. It's not actually a management role, case management is different. It just means they oversee the entire rehab process and act like a a buffer between the insurance adjustor/file handler. They set up clients with the resources they need for rehab, follow along and assess progress.

 

Here is a job for a similar role at a different company!

 

https://ca.indeed.com/Community-Therapists-jobs-in-British-Columbia?vjk=9767ffaaa1be19ce&advn=3787261667495831

Hmm so it’s a like a contractor role, where the pay per hour is very lucrative but there is no guarantee of getting hours along with no benefits and no pension plan.  But I don’t imagine there is a shortage of available work in this sector.
 

so it’s either that or a salary position ( at a hospital for example) that pays quite less per hour but gives you benefits, pension plan and full time (if you manage to get it) and consistent hours.