Per diem physical therapist vs occupational therapist

The differences between per diem 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 $74,590 average annual salary of a per diem physical therapist.

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

Per diem physical therapist vs occupational therapist overview

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$74,590	$75,707
Hourly rate	$35.86	$36.40
Growth rate	17%	14%
Number of jobs	87,365	78,315
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	-	12

What does a per diem physical therapist do?

A per diem physical therapist is responsible for performing therapy treatments for patients when the institution is short-staffed for therapists. These therapists design recovery plans to help ease patients with their movements and daily activities after suffering from injury, illness, and other medical conditions. They diagnose patients to evaluate treatment methods, observe their progress every session, and modify plans until the final recovery. A per diem physical therapist operate various tools and equipment, schedule treatment appointments, and monitor the patients' medications.

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.

Per diem physical therapist vs occupational therapist salary

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$74,590	$75,707
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $108,000	Between $58,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Salinas, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Alameda Health System	Waters
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between per diem physical therapist and occupational therapist education

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Per diem physical therapist vs occupational therapist demographics

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% 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 per diem physical therapist and occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Per diem physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Help patients adapt to the use of braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devices as needed.
Assist patients to adapt to the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devises.
Provide patient care in a SNF setting with the primary emphasis on transitioning patients from hospital to home.
Provide assessments and documentation for adaptive equipment.
Supervise PTAs and physical therapy aides in direct patient-relate activities.

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.

Per diem physical therapist vs occupational therapist skills

Common per diem physical therapist skills

Patients, 26%
Rehabilitation, 16%
Per Diem, 14%
Home Health, 10%
Treatment Programs, 6%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 3%

Common occupational therapist skills

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

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Per Diem Physical Therapist
Per Diem Physical Therapist vs Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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