Are You Unhappy with Your OT Career-
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[00:00:00] If you're an occupational therapist or physical therapist and you've been thinking about becoming a certified hand therapist or you already know you want it, it's just about doubling down studying and you know, do what you need to do to actually sit for the exam and become a certified hand therapist.
My name is Wong. I'm an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist and I help therapists and physicians. you know, study and pass the boards. So Amanda here, she's got a bunch of questions that she's been gathering from, uh, all of our emails, all of our DMS, that kind of stuff. And just in general, uh, over the last, what, five or six years, I've been doing this.
I get a lot of the same questions and I want to help you feel more comfortable, more confident about what's possible for you, right? Cause a I am a huge believer that high tide raises all boats. And if as an occupational therapist, um, and we can help each other become a certified hand therapist, become experts in our field, there's going to be more therapists who stay in the field.
There's going to be more therapists who, you know, get that [00:01:00] destination that they've been wanting, and they're going to feel great working with their patients and build their reputation. Um, and that's a goal of mine. That's a goal of mine. You know from the beginning of hand therapy secrets and I do this specifically through the exam prep program.
So come on amanda Ask me some questions so How can becoming a cht? Significantly expand an ot or pt's job opportunities and flexibility to work in You know many different locations and settings All right, so how can becoming a certified hand therapist essentially expand your job opportunities, be able to work anywhere, be able to move and be able to find jobs?
Believe it or not, there, uh, There are a lot of positions out there, um, for certified hand therapists. Why? Just because by the sheer number, there's not a ton of certified hand therapists. There's only about, worldwide, there's about, let's say, under 8, [00:02:00] 000 certified hand therapists. Now, there's always a group of new therapists coming in.
coming in. And then there's the therapists who've been working for a long time and they're going to phase out of their career and start to retire. So there's always a cycle of life, a cycle of career, and there's always room for more certified hand therapists. There are billions of people who live worldwide, not just in the United States.
Now, the Hand Therapy Commission is based out of the U. S., Canada, and Canada. But even if you work, even if you live or work somewhere else in another country, you have to look to see if it's possible for you because the rules and things like that. play a role in being able to sit for the board certification.
But here is where becoming a certified hand therapist gives you great opportunities. It expands your opportunities, right? And it gives you great ability [00:03:00] to be able to move locations, be able to work how you work, where you work. And that's because when you have, When you get the designation, people see you as an expert.
I'm not asking for how many tendons you've worked on. I'm not asking for how many hours you've massaged somebody. By the sheer letters behind your name, that automatically tells someone that you're, you're an expert, right? That you're willing to study, that you're willing to learn, and that you have a certain amount of knowledge.
And if you don't know it, then You have the capacity to find that information. That is why becoming a certified hand therapist gives you such great opportunities. So here's a caveat. So a lot of people think that they have to get the opportunity and then, um, then they'll become a certified hand therapist, but no, most companies are looking for someone who has a certain amount of [00:04:00] experience.
They're also looking for someone who has a certain amount of experience. drive that, um, that they showcase first, and then they get hired. I can tell you right now, 100 percent hands down, every single therapist that I have helped, whether it be through my program or through my own clinic, have come in here, stood on the shoulders of my program, become certified hand therapist, leave with being able to get a job anywhere they want and ask for more money.
Period. They, right? Period. Right? With the T. They can then say, Oh, well, I no longer want to be in Miami. I want to be in another town. I want to be in another city, right? Because there are jobs out there and you just have to be willing to go after them. You can't just sit in your house and be like, I don't, I don't know where those opportunities are.
Dude, you gotta fucking look for that shit and then when you find it, you have [00:05:00] to work for it. It's just not gonna fall into your lap, right? But hands down, I've seen it one in my own career. I've done it. Um, and I've helped hundreds of others do it. So if you're just like, I don't know, I don't know if it's for me.
I haven't seen any opportunities. There's so many opportunities out there. Um, some people tell me, Oh, you know, I don't really need it because like where I'm at. Um, where I'm at, um, they don't require it, but you know what? You never know. In two years time, they could sell that company to another company and now that new company requires a CHD.
And guess what? I don't give a shit if you've been there 10 years, 15 years, but you haven't done anything to further yourself along. Someone else with less years of experience. Less, um, you know, clinical knowledge with those letters can come after your job because you've been complacent.[00:06:00]
I know it sounds mean, right? The way I might be coming across, like I'm passionate about it. It's a dog eat dog world. Like, ew. Girl, please. It is a dog eat dog world. You have to be competitive out there in the marketplace. Just because you have a degree doesn't mean that you can just get the job because you have a degree.
Just, also, just because you have the letters doesn't mean. So you have to do a little bit of both, right? You gotta get the letters and you gotta get the experience. Gotta get the experience and you gotta get the letter. It's not, it's not black and white. It's not just like you, you know, um, only do this and only, I can only eat this.
My fish first and then I can have my rice and then I can have my broccoli. You kind of might have to mix a little bit. Why is it crucial to invest in the right program if someone is serious about advancing their hand therapy career and when should they do it? [00:07:00] Okay, so it's extremely critical to invest into the right program if you're serious about advancing your career because when you don't, you can be stalled, right?
You can be stalled because, you know, studying for the CHT is time consuming and it can be challenging, right? And you want to, if possible, right? And this is your choice because here's the thing, like you don't have to, but if you are hanging around with negative people. If you're hanging out with negative people, they by default will influence you.
If they tell you, well, it's too hard. I wasn't able to do it. So they're influencing because they're telling you since they couldn't do it, you shouldn't do it either because let's face it. Nobody wants to influence you. you to do better than them. That's just human nature. I didn't do it. You can look that shit up.
Right. But that's human nature. So you essentially want to put yourself into a [00:08:00] group of people who are doing the same thing that you want to do, which is to become a better therapist, to be able to study in a way that helps you to apply your knowledge. The CMC exam is unlike any other exam because it's not just about, Oh, memorizing shit.
I'm not going to quiz you. Someone on the exam is not going to quiz you. What's the answer to this? You know, they're not doing that. They're going to ask you a very application based, um, questions that take what you do know and then be able to apply it. So when you're in the right program that helps you to do that, once it boosts your confidence so that you can feel like you can, that you understand this so you can take it to your patients, but two, you can understand the questions, be able to answer any question that comes your way and being in the right program surrounded by the right group of people will help you do that and help you to do it faster.
And what do I mean by faster? It's not that you're studying. You know, in less time per se, but in a way, yeah, like, so my program is like [00:09:00] six months long, but if without the program, it might have taken you years, right? Because you're going to start and you're going to stop, you're going to start and you're going to stop, and then you're going to let things get in the way because something always comes up.
Like right now we're about to go Through some like weather shit like hurricanes and stuff like that. There's always something coming up um, and I don't want to diminish like You know bad events they happen But you know what's more common than bad events common day events that just Make people give up make people feel like oh, no, i'll just wait.
I'll just wait. I just i'll do it later I'll do it tomorrow. I'll do it when my friend wants to do it with me Girl, that brain ain't never going to do it with you. So I know you'll both be stalled. You'll both not have your CHT and then time will pass you regardless. So getting into the right place. Um, program will help set, you know, [00:10:00] set your mind and, and, and create that environment that you need to be able to do the hard things.
If you're looking for a sign, this is your sign. This is your sign. Start now. Start now. What are the key benefits that your program offers compared to other CHT programs? The key benefit that my program offers as compared to others is really, I think it comes down to my teaching style. It comes down to my teaching style and how I've, um, created this curriculum.
It follows a very particular structure. It follows a very particular plan of action. Um, and it is created so that you can continuously move through the curriculum in a way that builds upon itself. Instead of taking one little snippet of, oh, you have to understand, you know, flexor tendon protocols and let's just memorize it.
It is built off of the foundational aspect. I've talked about this before my, my fast track framework to help [00:11:00] you think through all the natures of the tissue. And then we have to learn the nature of, uh, the injuries, the surgeries or the disease patterns. process, you know, but I've taken all these frameworks and I've made it not about just memorization.
The memorization part is kind of like the easy part or the ones like, you know, you can make your own flashcards. I'm not here to make your flashcards for you. Like I'm not here to print your shit out. for you. Um, here, the cruts, the, the crucial aspect of my program is to help you to understand, to study the information and then to apply the information.
If you don't study the information, you cannot apply it, right? But if you only sit to memorize, then the application aspect of it will be extremely difficult and overwhelming because you won't be able to [00:12:00] answer the questions as it is required on the CHT exam. So that's my biggest crucial aspect of my program.
I think I think that as, um, that is different from other people's programs is, is the knowledge base and then being able to apply it and then creating the environment where you are with a lot of like minded therapists who are doing exactly what you're doing. So it not only gives you structure, but it holds you accountable and gives you the support support that you need.
We have a huge amount of live calls. Um, you know, you're in the program to get the help and to get it fast, right? So I always tell my students, like, listen, you paid to come into this program. Do not worry about bothering me. I am here so you can bother me, right? It is not a bother, right? I am waiting. And so much.
Looking for your questions because you want to know, you know, as soon as [00:13:00] possible so you can continue the momentum of your studying. Let me know if that makes sense, right? So we have a huge amount of live components of it. We have live calls. We have calls where we really, you know, pay attention to, uh, how you move through treatments.
And then of course, the practice questions. We have dedicated calls just to do practice questions. So my goal of the program, yes, it's to help you to study in a way that passes, but my greater goal is to help you. be able to treat any patient that comes in, you know, to your clinic and you feel really confident.
Like I always tell, um, my students, I've never seen a toe to thumb transfer, but I know exactly what to do because of the way I'm teaching you to think through your cases. You'll be able to treat any case that comes your way. If you're a therapist. And you're kind of frustrated with where you're working.
You're feeling stagnant, unhappy with the lack of opportunities that you have, or you just, you know, you want this because you know, you, you want to move into a [00:14:00] different setting or you might potentially move in the near future and you want to get your CHD. Now is the time to start to study and my program is going to help you get there.
I want to help you. I want to help you get all the job opportunities in the world. I want you to feel happy in your career. I want you to feel really confident with all the. patients that you're going to be able to help in the future once you're a certified hand therapist or even better because you're such a great therapist already.
I want to help you. I want to help you through my program. The exam prep program opens October 26th through November 9th and we have a free live masterclass call October 29th at 7 p. m eastern standard time and I look forward to having an opportunity to talk to you and to engage with you further on that type of call.
