Healthcare Traveler - December 2008 - (Page 70)

Allied Corner Occupational Therapists T R E N D S & O U T LO O K S F O R A L L I E D H E A LT H T R AV E L E R S OTs among the nation’s 150 best recession-proof jobs Occupational therapy was recently named one of the best-paying, fastest-growing jobs, in 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs by Laurence Shatkin, PhD. “The numbers don’t lie,” said AOTA President Penny Moyers Cleveland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA. “Demand for occupational therapy services is on the rise, and new practitioners are needed to fill the demand. And, many occupational therapy programs meet the needs of people who have been out of school for a while or are changing careers.” In Shatkin’s book, occupational therapists (OTs) ranked 18 out of the overall list of 150, and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) ranked 72. In the more specific category of the 50 best-paying recession-proof jobs, OTs ranked 35, with average annual earnings of $60,470. For the 50 fastest-growing recession-proof jobs, OTs ranked 41, at 23.1% growth, and OTAs ranked 24, with 25.4% growth. OTs also placed at 74 for the best recession-proof jobs with the highest percentage of workers aged 55 and older (19%), and at 13 for best recession-proof jobs employing the highest percentage of women (90.3%). Source: AOTA. (2008, Oct. 21). Occupational therapy named one of the nation’s 150 best recession-proof jobs. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://www.aota.org/News/Media/PR/2008Releases/OT_RecessionProof.aspx. Respiratory Therapists Depression may increase COPD symptoms A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine suggests that depression and anxiety should be treated as risk factors, rather then just comorbidities, for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Researchers studied 491 patients aged 30 and older from 10 hospitals in Beijing. Patients were assessed at baseline for anxiety and depression, and contacted monthly for a year to determine if they had experienced exacerbations or hospitalizations. Depression was suspected in almost one-quarter, and anxiety in nearly one in 10. Depressed patients had more COPD flare-ups and hospitalizations than their non-depressed counterparts, and anxious patients had longer flare-ups. These findings held true regardless of other risk factors. Researchers proposed that depression causes changes in the immune system, affects patients’ ability to adapt to chronic symptoms, or increases feelings of hopelessness. They concluded more research is warranted. HT Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. (2008, Nov. 1). Independent effect of depression and anxiety on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and hospitalizations. Retrieved November 9, 2008, from http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/178/9/913. Lisa Daggett is a freelance author based in Saugerties, New York. Circle Career Card No. 637 Circle Career Card No. 612 70 Healthcare Traveler December 2008 www.healthcaretraveler.com http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/178/9/913 http://www.aota.org/News/Media/PR/2008Releases/OT_RecessionProof.aspx http://www.healthcaretraveler.com http://www.roadtripnursing.com http://www.roadtripnursing.com http://www.healthcaretraveler.com http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Traveler - December 2008

Healthcare Traveler - December 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.