Occupational therapy technician vs physical therapy aide

The differences between occupational therapy technicians and physical therapy aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an occupational therapy technician has an average salary of $32,056, which is higher than the $31,160 average annual salary of a physical therapy aide.

The top three skills for an occupational therapy technician include patients, physical therapy and adaptive. The most important skills for a physical therapy aide are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.

Occupational therapy technician vs physical therapy aide overview

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Aide
Yearly salary	$32,056	$31,160
Hourly rate	$15.41	$14.98
Growth rate	25%	24%
Number of jobs	54,684	99,485
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	41	39
Years of experience	-	-

Occupational therapy technician vs physical therapy aide salary

Occupational therapy technicians and physical therapy aides have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Aide
Average salary	$32,056	$31,160
Salary range	Between $14,000 And $68,000	Between $8,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Aya Healthcare
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between occupational therapy technician and physical therapy aide education

There are a few differences between an occupational therapy technician and a physical therapy aide in terms of educational background:

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Aide
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Kinesiology
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Occupational therapy technician vs physical therapy aide demographics

Here are the differences between occupational therapy technicians' and physical therapy aides' demographics:

	Occupational Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Aide
Average age	41	39
Gender ratio	Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9%	Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between occupational therapy technician and physical therapy aide duties and responsibilities

Occupational therapy technician example responsibilities.

Administer physical and occupational therapy treatment plans to patients under the direct supervision of a therapist.
Assist therapists with transfers and ADL sessions in acute, ICU, and rehabilitation.
Assist in providing rehabilitative therapy to patients in the rehabilitation, transitional care and outpatient clinics.
Prepare materials for assessments and provide assistance to individuals through hands-on methods and direct contact observations by assisting the rehabilitation supervisor.
Maintain dynamic and static AAC devices, create overlays and programme changes to devices.
Suggest energy conservation/work simplification techniques.

Physical therapy aide example responsibilities.

Manage flexible schedule at various company facilities categorize as ILF, ALF, and SNF.
Administer ultrasound and electrical stimulation and start patients with their prescribe exercise programs.
Educate patients on supportive devices, such as braces, splints, and slings.
Earn repeated appreciations from supervisor, co-workers, and patients for providing the best quality care with compassion.
Work closely with PT's/PTA's; OT/COTA's and SLP in providing quality hands on care to rehab patients.
Create and maintain patient charts and paperwork including exercise, insurance authorization, insurance, HIPAA, and patient information.

Occupational therapy technician vs physical therapy aide skills

Common occupational therapy technician skills

Patients, 37%
Physical Therapy, 9%
Adaptive, 7%
Vital Signs, 6%
Occupational Therapy Treatments, 6%
Patient Care, 5%

Common physical therapy aide skills

Patients, 42%
Patient Care, 10%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
Ultrasound, 5%
Direct Supervision, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Occupational Therapy Technician
Occupational Therapy Technician vs Physical Therapy Aide

Updated January 8, 2025

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