Occupational Therapy vs. Physical Therapy

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), occupational therapy is, “the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations).”

An occupational therapist’s job duties typically include the following:

When considering a career in occupational therapy vs. physical therapy, one aspect of occupational therapy that makes it unique is its guiding principle of comprehensive patient treatment.

With a focus on activities of daily living (ADL), occupational therapists examine, analyze, and evaluate every aspect of a patient’s lifestyle in an effort to rehabilitate or improve their overall wellness.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), physical therapists are “movement experts who improve quality of life through prescribed exercise, hands-on care, and patient education.”

A physical therapist’s job duties typically include the following:

Unlike occupational therapists, who mainly focus on tasks such as bathing and getting dressed, physical therapists assist patients with specific body movements concerning strength, balance, and range of motion.

Their mechanical knowledge of anatomy enables them to home in on problem areas and draw specific plans to instigate recovery or rehabilitation.

Not everyone takes the same path to finding an occupational therapy career, and the requirements can change depending on the state in which you reside. Since 2007, all accredited programs have been offered at the master’s or doctoral levels.

The Pre-Occupational Therapy program at Arcadia University offers four competitive seats in the two-year, full-time Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program at Salus University to students who meet the criteria for admission.

Earning a relevant bachelor’s degree is typically the first step toward an occupational therapy career. Most four-year undergraduate degrees in biology, psychology, sociology, kinesiology, health science, or possibly liberal arts may satisfy the required courses and foundational knowledge necessary.

After you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree, the next step in your occupational therapy career path is to earn either a master’s in occupational therapy, which can take between two and three years, or a doctorate in occupational therapy, which takes about three years.

During your graduate studies, you’ll study subjects such as:

When it comes to in-field or clinical experience, AOTA states that, “graduates of all programs must successfully demonstrate entry-level practice competency through 24 weeks of mentored practice experience.”

Once you have completed an accredited occupational therapy program, you are then qualified to sit for the national certification exam administered by the the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Licensing requirements vary by state, but all states require candidates to pass the NBCOT exam. Once you successfully pass the exam, you are qualified to practice.

The path to a physical therapy career is different than that of an occupational therapy career. There are no master’s degree options for aspiring physical therapists, only the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree, which must be earned from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).

According to APTA earning a bachelor’s degree is typically the first step toward a physical therapy career, as most accredited programs require it. Other DPT programs offer a “3+3” curricular format in which three years of undergraduate courses must be taken before the student can advance into a three-year professional DPT program.

Most four-year undergraduate degrees in biology, psychology, sociology, kinesiology, health science, or possibly liberal arts may satisfy the required courses and foundational knowledge necessary.

After you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree or taken the relevant undergraduate courses, the next step to beginning a physical therapy career is to earn a DPT degree, which usually takes up to three years.

During your graduate program you’ll study subjects such as:

Most DPT programs have specific field experience prerequisites that you’ll need before you apply. Be sure to check all requirements when researching DPT schools. Having clinical experience field hours on your resume will be a great benefit as you search for DPT programs that are right for you.

Once you have completed an accredited physical therapy program, you are then qualified to sit for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). Licensing requirements vary by state, but all states require candidates to pass the NPTE. Once you successfully pass the exam, you are now qualified to practice.

Occupational therapists have the option to treat patients as a generalist, working with a variety of patients in multiple settings, or acquire further education and training to focus on one avenue of occupational health.

Occupational therapists can become board certified in:

Occupational therapists can receive specialty certifications in:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of occupational therapists is projected to grow 18 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.²

Holding roughly 133,000 jobs in 2018, the largest employers of occupational therapists were³:

The median annual wage for occupational therapists was $84,270 in May 2018, and the highest paying industries they worked in were⁴:

Similar to occupational therapists, physical therapists have the option to remain generalist practitioners or become board certified in up to nine specialty areas.

Specializations are a way for physical therapists to further their career and become experts in a given field or practice. Through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS), physical therapists can specialize in:

To be qualified to pursue a physical therapy specialization, you must have a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in the specialty area, 25 percent of which must have occurred within the last three years.

According to the BLS, employment of physical therapists is projected to grow 22 percent from 2018 to 2028, considerably faster than the average for all other jobs.⁵

Holding about 247,700 jobs in 2018, the largest employers of physical therapists were⁶:

The median annual wage for physical therapists was $87,930 in May 2018, and the highest paying industries they worked in were⁷: