New Englanders in eastern TN (Knoxville, Johnson City: employment, buyer, school)

[Ted Bear]

JC is very much a "live and let live" sort of place. The politics, driven by the church, is dangerously out of step, but they keep to themselves for the most part. There are pockets of liberal thinking driven by the University and transplants coming in to work in health care. You will find people with whom you can converse.


Here is a biker link which you might find interesting: https://southerndozen.com/

[MTBuc]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

I wouldn't expect to make a living off of "alternative" treatments. OTs are sorely needed with the local hospital system. I would do the alternative stuff on the side.

As a long time OT practicing in Johnson City for most of my career I must emphasize strongly that the above statement about OTs being in demand is incredibly inaccurate. We are saturated with new grads from Milligan College (ETSU is also starting a program) and the local health monopoly Ballad Health minimally staffs therapy throughout their system. They have some positions posted but all in very remote parts of Southwest Virginia. I always tell anyone thinking about this area that works in healthcare to research Ballad Health before making a decision. Read some of the work The Tennessean has done, not the local news. They are virtually the only show in town when it comes to healthcare and they are not great to work for. They are a big reason my family is thinking of leaving east Tennessee.

The facility I work for recently laid off therapists and low census issues are a constant concern. Most of the recent grads I know are struggling to piece together PRN work in local SNFs and full-time work remains elusive. I have been in my position for nearly a decade largely because of the total lack of career mobility here. Per-diem school system work is one of the more "stable" areas right now.

Since you expressed an interest in private practice these issues may not concern you. However, just know that traditional OT is not doing great in this area and the more "emerging" or non-traditional settings are virtually non-existent. I would suggest researching the Crumley House TBI residential facility and possibly Milligan College if you have an interest in academia. Generally speaking the job opportunities in Knoxville and Asheville will far exceed what you would find in the Tri-Cities. You will also find much more health minded and progressive populations there that would make non-traditional private practice more likely to succeed IMHO.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by MTBuc

As a long time OT practicing in Johnson City for most of my career I must emphasize strongly that the above statement about OTs being in demand is incredibly inaccurate. We are saturated with new grads from Milligan College (ETSU is also starting a program) and the local health monopoly Ballad Health minimally staffs therapy throughout their system. They have some positions posted but all in very remote parts of Southwest Virginia. I always tell anyone thinking about this area that works in healthcare to research Ballad Health before making a decision. Read some of the work The Tennessean has done, not the local news. They are virtually the only show in town when it comes to healthcare and they are not great to work for. They are a big reason my family is thinking of leaving east Tennessee.

The facility I work for recently laid off therapists and low census issues are a constant concern. Most of the recent grads I know are struggling to piece together PRN work in local SNFs and full-time work remains elusive. I have been in my position for nearly a decade largely because of the total lack of career mobility here. Per-diem school system work is one of the more "stable" areas right now.

Since you expressed an interest in private practice these issues may not concern you. However, just know that traditional OT is not doing great in this area and the more "emerging" or non-traditional settings are virtually non-existent. I would suggest researching the Crumley House TBI residential facility and possibly Milligan College if you have an interest in academia. Generally speaking the job opportunities in Knoxville and Asheville will far exceed what you would find in the Tri-Cities. You will also find much more health minded and progressive populations there that would make non-traditional private practice more likely to succeed IMHO.

I'm not on the clinical side of things, so maybe I'm wrong about this specific field.

I don't disagree with the "health-minded" perspective at all. Area residents, even in Johnson City to a point, are conservative to even skittish about "alternate" health options and treatments. In general, things like alternative medicine and even healthy/organic eating and restaurants correlate to higher incomes, higher educational levels, and a more left-leaning atmosphere than this area has. Knoxville and Asheville are going to be better than Johnson City in that regard, and light years ahead of the rest of the area.

Another thing for the OP. One thing that has always made me scratch my head is that lots of people say that one of the pluses of the Tri-Cities is that it's close to Knoxville, Asheville, and other "desirable areas," but don't say that the Tri-Cities are desirable in and of themselves.

Knoxville is close to two hours. Asheville is a little over an hour from downtown Johnson City, and an hour and a half to any other part of the Tri-Cities. While we're not as isolated as the middle of Mississippi, virtually any part of this area is 3-4 hours from the closest major metros, Charlotte and Nashville.

[adenlee]

Originally Posted by MTBuc

As a long time OT practicing in Johnson City for most of my career I must emphasize strongly that the above statement about OTs being in demand is incredibly inaccurate. We are saturated with new grads from Milligan College (ETSU is also starting a program) and the local health monopoly Ballad Health minimally staffs therapy throughout their system. They have some positions posted but all in very remote parts of Southwest Virginia. I always tell anyone thinking about this area that works in healthcare to research Ballad Health before making a decision. Read some of the work The Tennessean has done, not the local news. They are virtually the only show in town when it comes to healthcare and they are not great to work for. They are a big reason my family is thinking of leaving east Tennessee.

The facility I work for recently laid off therapists and low census issues are a constant concern. Most of the recent grads I know are struggling to piece together PRN work in local SNFs and full-time work remains elusive. I have been in my position for nearly a decade largely because of the total lack of career mobility here. Per-diem school system work is one of the more "stable" areas right now.

Since you expressed an interest in private practice these issues may not concern you. However, just know that traditional OT is not doing great in this area and the more "emerging" or non-traditional settings are virtually non-existent. I would suggest researching the Crumley House TBI residential facility and possibly Milligan College if you have an interest in academia. Generally speaking the job opportunities in Knoxville and Asheville will far exceed what you would find in the Tri-Cities. You will also find much more health minded and progressive populations there that would make non-traditional private practice more likely to succeed IMHO.

I learned so much from your post, thank you! My field is Speech-Language Pathology. Do you know if Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) jobs are also saturated in the Johnson City area?

[MTBuc]

Originally Posted by adenlee

I learned so much from your post, thank you! My field is Speech-Language Pathology. Do you know if Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) jobs are also saturated in the Johnson City area?

Happy to know that was helpful. I'm afraid SLP is much the same and for the same reasons. ETSU is churning out new grads yearly and there is little population and industry growth to accommodate them. Most SLP jobs will be per diem/contract in the schools with SNF contracts opening here and there. In all of JC I believe there is only one SLP working in OP adults. I work in a "major" facility and we have 1 FT and 2 PT SLPs.

[Gibsonian]

Unfortunately, so many conflate making east Tennessee or any region of the United States line up with popular establishment thought as "diversity."

It ain't.

I know some folks want big box stores, chain restaurants, Amazon Whole Foods and safe spaces. The U.S. is filled with those places already, such that every town is as boring as the next. That just destroys the real diversity of regions.

[Dave_n_Tenn]

E. TN has three metro areas... Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City. Pick one.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Dave_n_Tenn

E. TN has three metro areas... Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Johnson City. Pick one.

East Tennessee has six metro areas. By order of population, they are:

Knoxville...883,309
Chattanooga...560,793
Kingsport-Bristol...306,616
Johnson City...202,719
Cleveland...123,625
Morristown...118,581

[Dave_n_Tenn]

numbers... and geography.

I'm sticking with 3

[Gibsonian]

I agree with JMT.

Best diversity I've experienced in a long time was listening to east Tennessee blues. I listened to so much of it years ago, but then it kind of got lost in the shuffle.

You will not find many mandolins played now. Ricky Skaggs brought it back several years ago, but the twang of a nice Gibson mandolin is not found in many places. Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, the Appalachia's, maybe.

Urban life was my life for many years until I figured out how to re-do it. I'm still working on how to re-do it. That's life.

I don't wish urban life on any creature out of charity, but cities and rural places have their places.