Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502150025
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: G-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I've been a therapist and a supervisor of therapists and now, I'm a therapist again," the Dublin resident said.
Litton is also a student again.
Two years ago when the hospital had layoffs in reaction to a dwindling patient census, he saw people he'd worked with from the beginning forced to leave.
"I began to think about what I would do if I didn't have my job. I liked my job, working with patients, but all the people not there anymore felt the same way," he said.
He wanted to stay in health care and he didn't want to leave Southwest Virginia, but said his job specialty made him "kind of out of step."
He is retraining as an occupational therapy assistant, hoping that by combining those skills with his previous experience he can continue working no matter what happens in the job market.
Pam McHose, a 1973 nursing school graduate, probably couldn't find a job in nursing if she wanted one. Between 1993 and 1994, the percent of change in vacant RN jobs was a minus 49. Anyway, she decided a long time ago that she didn't enjoy hospital nursing so when she did work along with rearing a family she had jobs in doctors' offices.
Those jobs also are drying up as doctors try to cut costs in anticipation of having to cut fees to get business from managed care companies.
McHose most recently was a special education aide in Montgomery County schools earning hourly pay and no benefits. She currently is studying for a certificate as an occupational therapy assistant, which are in demand in schools as well as in health care.
The "occupational" part of the specialty's title refers to any skill that is of value to a person and an OTA's role is to help a person regain or maintain that function. In a school, it might be helping a child with impaired motor skills hold a pencil correctly, McHose said.
by CNB