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Ergonomist vs occupational therapist

The differences between ergonomists and occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an ergonomist, becoming an occupational therapist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an occupational therapist has an average salary of $75,707, which is higher than the $57,723 average annual salary of an ergonomist.

The top three skills for an ergonomist include analysis tools, assembly plant and OSHA. The most important skills for an occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Ergonomist vs occupational therapist overview

ErgonomistOccupational Therapist
Yearly salary$57,723$75,707
Hourly rate$27.75$36.40
Growth rate6%14%
Number of jobs2,19778,315
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4540
Years of experience612

Ergonomist vs occupational therapist salary

Ergonomists and occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

ErgonomistOccupational Therapist
Average salary$57,723$75,707
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $100,000Between $58,000 And $97,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSalinas, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyTeslaWaters
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between ergonomist and occupational therapist education

There are a few differences between an ergonomist and an occupational therapist in terms of educational background:

ErgonomistOccupational Therapist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorIndustrial EngineeringOccupational Therapy
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborDuke University

Ergonomist vs occupational therapist demographics

Here are the differences between ergonomists' and occupational therapists' demographics:

ErgonomistOccupational Therapist
Average age4540
Gender ratioMale, 62.5% Female, 37.5%Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 70.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage7%14%

Differences between ergonomist and occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Ergonomist example responsibilities.

  • Maximize productivity through coordinating and managing efforts between service engineers, sales personnel and external OEM automation programmers.
  • Follow OSHA safety standards and help develop numerous hospital protocols of ongoing proficiency standards of excellence in multiple capacities.
  • Collaborate within teams to create essential safety documentation to satisfy ISO requirements.

Occupational therapist example responsibilities.

  • Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
  • Manage outpatient occupational therapy rehabilitation program.
  • Provide home assessment and recommend adaptive equipment and/or home modification needs to maximize safety of patients in their own environment.
  • General debility, CVA, joint replacement, upper extremity weakness, ADL 's
  • Founder of TLC program to educate patients, staff and family about CVA.
  • Complete evaluations and IEP's for home school children and perform on-going therapy for the kids.
  • Show more

Ergonomist vs occupational therapist skills

Common ergonomist skills
  • Analysis Tools, 37%
  • Assembly Plant, 13%
  • OSHA, 13%
  • Injury Prevention, 13%
  • Body Mechanics, 10%
  • Workstations, 8%
Common occupational therapist skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Rehabilitation, 12%
  • Home Health, 12%
  • Patient Care, 9%
  • COTA, 7%
  • Occupational Therapy, 4%

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