Staff occupational therapist vs registered occupational therapist

The differences between staff occupational therapists and registered occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a staff occupational therapist and a registered occupational therapist. Additionally, a registered occupational therapist has an average salary of $81,135, which is higher than the $73,477 average annual salary of a staff occupational therapist.

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

Staff occupational therapist vs registered occupational therapist overview

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Registered Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$73,477	$81,135
Hourly rate	$35.33	$39.01
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	138,949	48,865
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	12	12

Staff occupational therapist vs registered occupational therapist salary

Staff occupational therapists and registered occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Registered Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$73,477	$81,135
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $96,000	Between $63,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Pacifica, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	New York University	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between staff occupational therapist and registered occupational therapist education

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

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Registered Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Occupational Therapy	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Staff occupational therapist vs registered occupational therapist demographics

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

	Staff Occupational Therapist	Registered Occupational Therapist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	14%	14%

Differences between staff occupational therapist and registered occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

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.

Registered occupational therapist example responsibilities.

Collaborate and co-treat with school-base team to help students achieve IEP goals and objectives.
Restructure and lead weekly ADL cooking groups that maximize the ability to focus on individual students' skills and advance them.
Provide therapeutic interventions for returning patients to prior level of function and achieving maximum independence for performing activities of daily living.
Recommend adaptive equipment and self-care aids to promote residents independence in everyday life activities.
Perform home evaluations and environment assessments for safety, and provide recommendations for home modifications and adaptive equipment.
Employ as lead OTR within SNF environment.

Staff occupational therapist vs registered occupational therapist skills

Common staff occupational therapist skills

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

Common registered occupational therapist skills

Patients, 28%
Interdisciplinary, 16%
Acute Care, 13%
Physical Therapy, 8%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Adaptive, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Occupational Therapist
Staff Occupational Therapist vs Registered Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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