Pediatric physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist

The differences between pediatric physical therapists and staff occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pediatric physical therapist has an average salary of $75,699, which is higher than the $73,477 average annual salary of a staff occupational therapist.

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

Pediatric physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist overview

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$75,699	$73,477
Hourly rate	$36.39	$35.33
Growth rate	17%	14%
Number of jobs	98,862	138,949
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	-	12

Pediatric physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist salary

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

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$75,699	$73,477
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $103,000	Between $56,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	Lynnwood, WA	Pacifica, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Tenet Healthcare	New York University
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between pediatric physical therapist and staff occupational therapist education

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

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Pediatric physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist demographics

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

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
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, 4.9% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	12%	14%

Differences between pediatric physical therapist and staff 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.

Staff occupational therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve advance clinical competency in UE splinting.
Implement ADL techniques and fabricate adaptive equipment for increase modified independence.
Provide accurate assessments/evaluation on rehabilitation patients.
Work contingent for Beaumont home care and at SNF's.
Perform screens & evaluations for upper & lower extremity splints.
Fabricate and modify a variety of hand and elbow splints.

Pediatric physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist skills

Common pediatric physical therapist skills

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

Common staff occupational therapist skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Physical Therapy, 10%
Occupational Therapy, 7%
COTA, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Pediatric Physical Therapist
Pediatric Physical Therapist vs Staff Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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