Student physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist

The differences between student 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 $73,003 average annual salary of a student physical therapist.

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

Student physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist overview

	Student Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Yearly salary	$73,003	$73,477
Hourly rate	$35.10	$35.33
Growth rate	17%	14%
Number of jobs	92,101	138,949
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	-	12

Student physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist salary

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

	Student Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average salary	$73,003	$73,477
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $97,000	Between $56,000 And $96,000
Highest paying City	-	Pacifica, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	New York University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between student physical therapist and staff occupational therapist education

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

	Student Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 76%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Occupational Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Student physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist demographics

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

	Student Physical Therapist	Staff Occupational Therapist
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 72.0% 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 student physical therapist and staff occupational therapist duties and responsibilities

Student physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Evaluate and treat patients with total hip/total knee surgeries, status post CVA and spinal cord injuries.
Evaluate and treat patients with orthopedic conditions such as low back pain, cervical pain, post operative conditions.
Perform evaluations, provide patient treatment, supervise COTA
Develop ability to perform ICU mobility treatments with acutely ill patients.
Evaluate and treat patients in ICU implicating early mobilization to prevent further decline in cardiopulmonary compromise patients.

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.

Student physical therapist vs staff occupational therapist skills

Common student physical therapist skills

Patients, 31%
Occupational Therapy, 13%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Patient Care, 6%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 6%
Adaptive, 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
Student Physical Therapist
Student Physical Therapist vs Staff Occupational Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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