Pediatric physical therapist vs occupational therapist

The differences between pediatric physical therapists and occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an occupational therapist has an average salary of $75,707, which is higher than the $75,699 average annual salary of a pediatric physical therapist.

The top three skills for a pediatric physical therapist include patients, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Pediatric physical therapist vs occupational therapist overview

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$75,699	$75,707
Hourly rate	$36.39	$36.40
Growth rate	17%	14%
Number of jobs	98,862	78,315
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	-	12

What does a pediatric physical therapist do?

Pediatric physical therapists are specialized in improving the lives as well as the everyday tasks of children who suffer from a vast range of injuries and congenital disorders. Their primary duty is to aid the child and their family to help each child to reach their optimum potential to work independently and to encourage active engagement at home, in school, as well as in the community. Other responsibilities include assessing and providing treatment for impediments in motor skills as well as evaluating the child's strength, posture, flexibility, pace, coordination, balance, and sensory processing. Additionally, they are trained to examine the motor progress using specification testing for age equivalents.

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.

Pediatric physical therapist vs occupational therapist salary

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

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$75,699	$75,707
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $103,000	Between $58,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	Lynnwood, WA	Salinas, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Tenet Healthcare	Waters
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between pediatric physical therapist and occupational therapist education

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

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Pediatric physical therapist vs occupational therapist demographics

Here are the differences between pediatric physical therapists' and occupational therapists' demographics:

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%	Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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 Percentage	12%	14%

Differences between pediatric physical therapist and occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Pediatric physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Experience in administering modalities including: NMES, IFC, iontophoresis, ultrasound, and cervical traction.
Evaluate and write letters of necessity to obtain adaptive equipment including: mobility devices, adaptive seating device and positioning devices.
Start OT career at Eisenhower as regular staff OTR; continue to work often as long-term/temporary OTR.
Evaluate patients in medical and surgical ICU and provide ROM and ambulation exercises and prepare them for the discharge.
Educate patients on performing daily living activities and the use of supportive equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs and canes.

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.

Pediatric physical therapist vs occupational therapist skills

Common pediatric physical therapist skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 12%
Rehabilitation, 9%
Autism, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Physical Therapy, 4%

Common occupational therapist skills

Patients, 23%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Home Health, 12%
Patient Care, 9%
COTA, 7%
Occupational Therapy, 4%

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Pediatric Physical Therapist
Pediatric Physical Therapist vs Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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