Full time vs. Locum: Why This OT Made the Decision to Switch

September 9, 2026

How Flexibility Led to Opportunity

After working as a full-time occupational therapist for four and a half years, Kaira Phoon was ready for a change. As passionate as she was about caring for her patients, Kaira also had a burning desire to pursue her interests outside of work.

Today, Kaira is a stunt actress, martial artist, DJ and director of two companies, in addition to continuing her role as an occupational therapist.

How did she find the time to lead such an exciting and interesting lifestyle? SG Rehab spoke with her about how the flexibility of locum work gave her the opportunity to grow personally.

Why did you decide to switch to locum work?

While working as a full-time occupational therapist at various healthcare institutions, I felt that the non-clinical aspects of my role were not contributing to my passion for helping my patients.

I reached a point where I decided to take a break from the industry and pursue my personal interests, such as acting, music and running my own business.

However, after leaving the industry for two years, I still found deep satisfaction in helping others. As I like to think, “Once a therapist, always a therapist.”

I discovered SG Rehab through my online research and, not long after, received my first assignment as a locum therapist.

What do you feel is the biggest difference between full-time and locum work?

I believe that the basis of being a therapist is having a heart for your patients and providing good-quality care. Without additional job responsibilities, I can focus entirely on preparing treatment plans for my patients.

Moreover, the flexible work schedule gives me more time to take my mind off work and pursue my personal activities.

Meeting my patients with a fresh and renewed mind every day puts me in a better position to provide quality, rational and holistic care.

What do you do on the days when you are not doing locum work?

My primary passion is working as a stunt actress. In my free time, I am either auditioning for roles or furthering my training. Over the years, I have appeared in various commercials, television shows and movies.

I am also a big fan of sports and am currently training to compete as a mixed martial artist under Guinness World Record holder and professional MMA fighter Professor Cassiano at Tricolor Fight Team. Once COVID-19 restrictions have eased, I also intend to obtain advanced scuba-diving certifications.

Musically, I have been a resident DJ at Emerald Hill No. 5 Bar, Ice-Cold Beer and Que Pasa Restaurant since 2019. I also produce music under my own record label, Senter Records, and manage an artistic development company, DJSENTER, to groom aspiring DJs and music producers.

What advice do you have for people who are considering locum work right now?

If your current full-time role is leaving you burnt out and tired, or feeling caught in a vicious work cycle, you should seriously consider pivoting to locum work. Your mental state might compromise the care you provide to your patients and, at worst, dull the passion you have for working as a therapist.

Never forget why you chose to become a therapist in the first place. For me, it was much more than a career. I chose to become a therapist because I want to help people, and I find great satisfaction in doing so.

So, take a leap of faith—and, in the words of the late DJ Avicii, “One day you’ll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember.”