The gist of it is this: I completed Fieldwork on December 6 and graduated on December 15 - woo hoo, party time. I even took a two-day NBCOT prep course in between (it was OK... not life changing, but more on that later, if someone is curious about it). In this period, I waited for my CI to send in my paperwork to school, so I could wait for school to send it to NBCOT. Then I waited 2 weeks for NBCOT to process my paperwork so I could sign up for the test. I also sent in my state of NJ license application.
December 15 - January 1 - study time, holiday time, fun times, etc. etc. Oh, and yes - I took a 4 day (over two weekend) PAM Certification course (free of charge through outside circumstances, so how could I pass it up?). Wow, cool, good use of time.
January 1 - February 10 - study!! all day!
So, this is where things go awry. In the course, we were advised to study 3 hrs/day, 7 days a week for 4 - 6 weeks. I had ample time to do this, and I even took a small P/T job (only 10 hrs/week). Since my job was as a "fill-in" girl, I was defunked when the main person was able to come in more than expected... hm, leaving me more free time. My anxiety was intense about the test, so I ended up studying 8+ hours a day. Honestly, I can't say if I would have not passed the test if I stuck with the original 3 hr/day plan, but in retrospect it would have been much healthier to do something else besides study all day. I was ornery, crabby, and mean to my boyfriend. And sad, constantly sad, that I wasn't good enough for this test, through 2+ years of graduate education. Obnoxiously anxious.
But, I passed... so why did I immediately feel awful the day after I found out my results? Because there was now, in reality, nothing left to do but wait. Ironically, waiting for the results was the least amount of waiting I did because I took the test on a Monday, and results are posted on a Thursday. That was a planned decision to avoid an emotional breakdown while waiting for the results, obsessing over what I would do if I did not pass.
Between Valentine's day and today, February 25, I am still waiting to start my job that I have had since December 13. I am waiting for NJ to "process" my test results, which were sent on 2/14. I am waiting for lab results to come back from my physical (required for work). I am waiting to get another invoice for a money order, then will wait for them to process that. Then I will wait for my license to come in the mail. Then, I can be an OT. I hope to be one by my birthday (3/18).
I lobbied the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association about this infamous waiting period (rumor has it that the State processing office is notorious for loosing documents, taking forever; in one instance, I learned of a woman who waited 10+weeks from the date of her test for her license to arrive). The woman I spoke with was very nice and helpful, but in essence felt as flustered as me. She began the conversation with "Are you home because you're still waiting for the great state of NJ to send in your license?" Yes. They've tried, still trying, to streamline the process. Everything's a process.
I have not had the guts to add up how much money I have "lost" by not being able to start sooner. (It sounds like a good research project, though, for some MSOT seniors who are not afraid of the results.)
I lobbied the New Jersey Occupational Therapy Association about this infamous waiting period (rumor has it that the State processing office is notorious for loosing documents, taking forever; in one instance, I learned of a woman who waited 10+weeks from the date of her test for her license to arrive). The woman I spoke with was very nice and helpful, but in essence felt as flustered as me. She began the conversation with "Are you home because you're still waiting for the great state of NJ to send in your license?" Yes. They've tried, still trying, to streamline the process. Everything's a process.
I have not had the guts to add up how much money I have "lost" by not being able to start sooner. (It sounds like a good research project, though, for some MSOT seniors who are not afraid of the results.)
I can't say I wasn't warned, I just wish I had planned a little bit better.
If you've read this far looking for advice... Don't be like me and too proud to ask for financial help from friends and family if some spending money would help you reduce cabin fever (if possible); try not to let depression/anxiety take over your days of waiting. And most of all, be thankful and grateful that you have a job that you want. That is a luxury worth celebrating every single day.
