OOTA Launches New Career Development Special Interest Section

By Alyssa DeCarlo, MS, OTR/L, MSCS, CSRS, LSVT

The brand-new Career Development Special Interest Section (SIS) held its first meeting July 7th, 2026 bringing together entry-level and seasoned clinicians alike to discuss the unique role Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OTPs) can play in leadership and overall career advancement and development. Roughly a dozen highly motivated OTP leaders attended, looking to make an impact in healthcare at large with participants noting initial interest in the Career Development SIS to “mentor the future of the profession.” As one participant stated, “As someone who does a lot of hiring and team growth, I am interested in helping other OTP’s develop their leadership skills and find ways to foster peer to peer support in specific settings.” 

The purpose and mission of the Career Development SIS is to help rising, new, and veteran OT practitioners build, navigate, and advance fulfilling careers through peer connection, professional resources, mentorship, and continuing education through supportive services to hone their resume, interviewing, and professional development skills. With so many talented individuals gathered together, the ideas on how to bring this mission to life began to generate effortlessly. What seemed to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds was taking mentorship to the next level. Therefore, it was decided the brand-new Mentorship Committee, which saw the launch of its first Mentorship Program cohort this year, will become a subcommittee of the SIS. Goals for growth and development for the next cohort took root, including the development of specific toolboxes to guide mentors and mentees, offering coaching for job interviews, and creating resources for practitioners interested in moving up the career ladder or looking to transition to alternative settings. If this resonates with your interests and you would like to get involved in the Mentorship Committee or any of the other projects being supported and led by the Career Development SIS, please click here and fill out the form to indicate your interest: https://www.oota.org/career-development-sis-volunteer-interest/

Extrapolating off of the need to support OTPs on the job front, it was discussed that having a Job Support team could be beneficial. This would consist of creating a hub through which OOTA members could request resume reviewing, LinkedIn profile assistance, and access to resources related to job listings and salary-based information such as https://www.liquidcompass.com/

The Career Development SIS further discussed ways it may support students as they, too, navigate major transitions, whether it’s looking for their first job out of school, going back to school (i.e., occupational therapy assistant to occupational therapist, post-professional degrees, etc.), or transitioning to an entirely new practice setting after years of experience. This sparked discussion to have the Career Development SIS and Student Involvement Committee co-host mock interview days, identify opportunities for new grad social events, and support applications for AOTF scholarships as OTP’s progress through higher education. 

The idea for collaborating with other prominent OOTA groups did not end there. The group discussed the role of other special interest sections and districts to gather on a more frequent basis and establish a more localized support system for those that may not have had appropriate mentorship/guidance in their current roles, may have ideas that others have already developed resources for that could have a more widespread impact on OTP’s across the state, and to support the dissemination of knowledge with research and publication supports. With practitioners in all settings eager to transition into leadership, continuing education that examines leadership roles, how to cultivate joy/purposes without burnout, and even step-by-step guides on how to publish are a great way to catapult OOTA’s amazing OTP’s to the next level of their careers. 

Energy was palpable throughout the evening with passion for assisting in the advancement of OTP’s to the forefront of leadership in any capacity. With ideas abound, there is a lot of work ahead to realize these dreams, and we would love to see you as a part of it!