Physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist

The differences between physical therapists and staff occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff occupational therapist has an average salary of $73,477, which is higher than the $73,070 average annual salary of a physical therapist.

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

Physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist overview

	Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$73,070	$73,477
Hourly rate	$35.13	$35.33
Growth rate	17%	14%
Number of jobs	86,697	138,949
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	-	12

Physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist salary

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

	Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$73,070	$73,477
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $94,000	Between $56,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Pacifica, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Parkway	New York University
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between physical therapist and staff occupational therapist education

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

	Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist demographics

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

	Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 70.2% 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 physical therapist and staff occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Physical therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct in-services and train colleagues in effective techniques for safely managing the CVA patient.
Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Perform physical therapy evaluation and treatment of orthopedic patients and supervise PTAs.
Progress patients' functional mobility during treatment sessions by modifying task, intensity, and adaptive equipment utilize.
Motivate patients to participate in treatment sessions by educating them on the benefits of early mobility following cardiac and thoracic surgery.
Experience include IFSP and IEP writing and implementation

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.

Physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist skills

Common physical therapist skills

Patients, 30%
Rehabilitation, 15%
Home Health, 13%
Quality Care, 5%
Physical Therapy, 3%
Treatment Programs, 3%

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
Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist vs Staff Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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