Top 10 Occupational Therapy Podcasts
Occupational Therapy Podcasts are a great way to keep up with the latest research, news, and discussion in the OT profession. Even as an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience, I learned so much listening to these podcasts!
Podcasts are a great way to learn from other OTs when driving, out for a run, or even cleaning the house!
Selections for this list of best therapy podcasts are ones that focus on pediatrics, emerging practice areas, and/or OT business ownership.
There are so many great OT podcasts in our profession! A lot of these started in 2020 and I am not surprised! 🙂
Why Should an Occupational Therapist Listen to a Podcast?
One of the goals at The Virtual Pediatric OT is to help therapists who are working alone feel more connected and learn new therapy ideas, and the clinical reasoning other therapists use during treatment.
Podcasts are a great way to bridge this support gap for those occupational therapists who do not have it in their employment setting.
Listening to podcasts during your commute is a great strategy to get ready and energized for your day ahead. These podcasts are an excellent way to learn about other occupational therapist's practices and how they describe and explain therapy techniques.
Here are my top 10 favorite OT podcasts.
Pediatric Occupational Therapy Podcasts
All Things Sensory covers sensory, occupational therapy, parenting, self-care, nutrition, and health, from a therapist’s perspective. It is produced by 2 COTAs who own Harkla. Harkla is a Canadian company that sells many sensory products. The company is advertised often during the podcast. The podcast uses a Q&A format with a special guest in each episode. There are currently 179 episodes and they average around 30 minutes each.
OT School House Podcast focuses on school-based occupational therapy topics. This podcast has been around since March 2018 and covers so many relevant school-based OT topics. Episodes range from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
OT.MOMMAS.LIFE. is hosted by two occupational therapists who are also mothers. They talk about OT topics for occupational therapists but also from a parent's point of view. For newer occupational therapists working with children who do not have children of their own, this point of view can be a valuable perspective. Episodes vary from 30 minutes to one hour. Lots of great clinical reasoning insight is packed into this podcast!
This podcast is a little different because it combines information for pediatric OT, PTS, and SLPs. It covers high-level professional topics. As an occupational therapist who has worked in many multidiscipline settings (including part of a transdisciplinary preschool). I love listening to the varied topics covered.
I personally loved this episode on Ideas to Simply Your Home Programs. With the pediatric occupational therapists I mentor, I stress the importance of giving our families LESS to do at home, so they actually follow through!
Interested in learning more about the Sped Laws and how they affect OT in the schools? This podcast is run by a Special Education Attorney & Certified Child Advocate. Looking to advocate in your district to be more than the “handwriting specialist”? This is a great episode to hear how another school-based occupational therapist thinks and explains the issues faced in the schools.
Occupational Therapy Podcasts
Want to learn more from OTs who work in emerging and nontraditional practice settings? Join Patricia Motus as she interviews other occupational therapists who work in nontraditional settings.
The OT Digest Podcast is all about evidenced-based occupational therapy practice. Katie Caspero interviews with OT who are doing researcher in OT practice. This is a great podcast to learn about new evidence-based research.
Occupational Therapy Business Podcasts
Interested in the business side of occupational therapy? There are many different podcasts exploring the numerous, ever-changing business possibilities in the OT space. They also cover the ins and outs of running an OT business.
Looking for information on starting your own occupational therapy business? See my article 6 Steps How to Start an Occupational Therapy Business.
Join The OTs Gone Rogue's Melissa LaPointe as she interviews occupational therapists who are thinking outside the box and working as trailblazers, visionaries, and thought leaders in the therapy world. Podcasts are longer in length, about an hour each. Many of Melissa's guests are working in the digital space.
The Mind Your OT Business discusses many sides of business on the podcast. From brick and mortar traditional practices to entrepreneurship. Laura Park Figueroa talks about factors you need to start, run, and grow a profitable business. There are a lot of different episode topics here. Great if you are thinking about starting an OT business. Episode length varies greatly from 17 minutes to over an hour.
Scott Harmon is one of the original players in the area of helping other therapists start their own practices. There are over 100 episodes in this podcast. There are not many recent episodes but the advice is still relevant when starting a traditional in-person therapy practice.
Many of the Start a Therapy Practice episodes are shorter, which is nice when you are short on time. I followed a lot of Scott's advice on his website when I started my pediatric home care practice.
Which Podcast Should You Listen to First?
Each podcast has its own style and personality. Pick one that covers topics you want to learn the most about and give it a try!
Do you have a favorite occupational therapy podcast that did not make the list? Leave a comment and let me know!
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