Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between occupational therapy assistants and radiologic technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an occupational therapy assistant, becoming a radiologic technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an occupational therapy assistant has an average salary of $50,653, which is higher than the $50,622 average annual salary of a radiologic technician.
The top three skills for an occupational therapy assistant include patients, rehabilitation and home health. The most important skills for a radiologic technician are patients, ARRT, and radiologic technologist.
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | Radiologic Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $50,653 | $50,622 |
| Hourly rate | $24.35 | $24.34 |
| Growth rate | 25% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 39,881 | 58,797 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Associate Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
An occupational therapy assistant is primarily responsible for assisting an occupational therapist when handling patients at a clinic or similar setting. Their duties revolve around gathering patient information and medical history, treating patients using the therapist's care plan, monitoring a patient's progress, and maintaining an accurate and extensive record. There are also instances when an assistant must discuss the conditions and extent of treatment to patients and families, as well as monitor supplies and inventory.
A radiologic technician is responsible for testing and treating patients with radiology machines under the assistance of a radiologist. Duties of a radiologic technician include performing radiology procedures, monitoring the equipment's safety and stability, assisting the patients with the guidelines, detecting and resolving possible system malfunctions, and preventing excessive radiation exposure. A radiologic technician must have excellent technical skills and excellent knowledge of the medical industry to support the patients and provide additional assistance.
Occupational therapy assistants and radiologic technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | Radiologic Technician | |
| Average salary | $50,653 | $50,622 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $68,000 | Between $32,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | PeaceHealth | TALENT Software Services |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an occupational therapy assistant and a radiologic technician in terms of educational background:
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | Radiologic Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Associate Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Occupational Therapy | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Texas A&M University |
Here are the differences between occupational therapy assistants' and radiologic technicians' demographics:
| Occupational Therapy Assistant | Radiologic Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8% | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 9.9% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |