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Occupational therapist vs psychologist

The differences between occupational therapists and psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychologist has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $75,707 average annual salary of an occupational therapist.

The top three skills for an occupational therapist include patients, rehabilitation and home health. The most important skills for a psychologist are patients, crisis intervention, and rehabilitation.

Occupational therapist vs psychologist overview

Occupational TherapistPsychologist
Yearly salary$75,707$97,803
Hourly rate$36.40$47.02
Growth rate14%6%
Number of jobs78,31512,516
Job satisfaction4-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4047
Years of experience12-

What does an occupational therapist do?

An occupational therapist specializes in treating patients who are recovering from illnesses or disabilities to help them adapt and overcome the physical and mental difficulties they face in their daily lives. The responsibilities of an occupational therapist revolve around examining a patient's medical history and conducting different kinds of assessments to determine what type of treatment a patient should receive. Furthermore, an occupational therapist must build rapport with a patient to make them feel at ease and coordinate with their guardian or family to discuss the recommended ways to help the patient adjust and recuperate.

What does a psychologist do?

Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.

Occupational therapist vs psychologist salary

Occupational therapists and psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Occupational TherapistPsychologist
Average salary$75,707$97,803
Salary rangeBetween $58,000 And $97,000Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying CitySalinas, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyWatersSierra Corporation
Best paying industryProfessionalHealth Care

Differences between occupational therapist and psychologist education

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

Occupational TherapistPsychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorOccupational TherapyPsychology
Most common collegeDuke UniversityNorthwestern University

Occupational therapist vs psychologist demographics

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

Occupational TherapistPsychologist
Average age4047
Gender ratioMale, 16.8% Female, 83.2%Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage14%20%

Differences between occupational therapist and psychologist duties and responsibilities

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.
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Psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
  • Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
  • Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
  • Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
  • Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
  • Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.
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Occupational therapist vs psychologist skills

Common occupational therapist skills
  • Patients, 23%
  • Rehabilitation, 12%
  • Home Health, 12%
  • Patient Care, 9%
  • COTA, 7%
  • Occupational Therapy, 4%
Common psychologist skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 5%
  • APA, 4%

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