Occupational Therapy Jobs in the Public Sector vs Private Sector

By Brad - Thursday 10 Jul 11:49 am

Occupational therapy jobs have an added advantage over many other employment choices, in that there are equal opportunities available within both the public sector and the private sector. You can find occupational therapy jobs in any hospital, wellness centre, clinic or medical institution, but also within corporate companies, private businesses, home based businesses and within government.

Everything outside of the government is considered private sector, therefore all the hospitals and clinics that fall under government care and funding are regarded as public sector.

The choice to make here is private or public sector? What is the difference between occupational therapy jobs in the private sector as opposed to the public sector?

There are a few details worth mentioning that could make your decision making slightly easier.

Applying for occupational therapy jobs in the private sector is a case of you researching available jobs and selecting the ones you would like to apply to. You would then send off your resume to the prospective employers and hope for an interview to take it further
Applying for occupational therapy jobs in the public sector involves completion of an application form, submission of all relevant details, for example: Your ID, driver’s license, recommendations from previous employers, copies of all certifications etc. After submission, an extensive background check is completed and then you wait to hear if your application has been approved
Within the private sector, you would go for an interview with your intended future employer
In the public sector, you would sit before a panel of people within the Health Department for your interview
Once you have been accepted in the private sector, you would start working for the company in question
Within the public sector, you would only then be given your listing of available jobs and make your choice from there

With regards to actual working environments within both sectors, occupational therapy jobs within the privately owned companies generally pay their employees a little more than public sector institutions do. Plus there is more room to grow and progress within private sector businesses, whereas the setup with public sector health employment is slightly more rigid with less leeway.

On the plus side for public sector, you have the added and maybe most important benefit of job security. In privately owned businesses, if profit margins are becoming too narrow, there is a chance that you could lose your job in order for the company you work for to cut costs.

Posted in: Therapy Jobs