Speech pathologist vs occupational therapist

The differences between speech pathologists and occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a speech pathologist, becoming an occupational therapist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an occupational therapist has an average salary of $75,707, which is higher than the $62,640 average annual salary of a speech pathologist.

The top three skills for a speech pathologist include patients, language and speech. The most important skills for an occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Speech pathologist vs occupational therapist overview

	Speech Pathologist	Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$62,640	$75,707
Hourly rate	$30.12	$36.40
Growth rate	21%	14%
Number of jobs	22,779	78,315
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	12

What does a speech pathologist do?

The job of speech pathologists is to diagnose, treat, and prevent speech, social communication, language, swallowing, and cognitive-communication disorders in both children and adults. They are responsible for providing aural rehabilitation for people with hearing impairment and hearing loss, and alternative and augmentative systems for people with severe language comprehension disorders such as progressive neurological disorders and the autism spectrum. Speech pathologists may also work with individuals without language, swallowing, or speech disorders, but are eager to know how to communicate more effectively.

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.

Speech pathologist vs occupational therapist salary

Speech pathologists and occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Speech Pathologist	Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$62,640	$75,707
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $89,000	Between $58,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Salinas, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	Mayo Clinic	Waters
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between speech pathologist and occupational therapist education

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

	Speech Pathologist	Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Communication Disorders Sciences	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Speech pathologist vs occupational therapist demographics

Here are the differences between speech pathologists' and occupational therapists' demographics:

	Speech Pathologist	Occupational Therapist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 11.9% Female, 88.1%	Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	6%	14%

Differences between speech pathologist and occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Speech pathologist example responsibilities.

Manage staff development activities including sensory integration and IEP goal writing.
Provide speech and language therapy under the supervision and guidance of assign SLP supervisor.
Administer and interpreting diagnostic evaluations on children with a variety of speech and language disorders in an out-patient facility.
Develop specific treatment plans and family education plans for rehabilitation patients in anticipation of discharge home or to appropriate rehabilitation facilities.
Participate as a member of the acute care and outpatient rehabilitation team in diagnostic and therapeutic services to neurologically impair adults.
Develop policies and procedures to secure Medicare and Medicaid provider numbers.

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.

Speech pathologist vs occupational therapist skills

Common speech pathologist skills

Patients, 18%
Language, 17%
Speech, 17%
Patient Care, 8%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Home Health, 6%

Common occupational therapist skills

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

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Speech Pathologist
Speech Pathologist vs Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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