Comparison and Contrast Essay - Gage Crews

Which Type of Therapist Is Best For You?

Have you ever seen two things so much alike, but so different? Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy are alike, but also different. They both make good money, and have many jobs to fulfill. While they are two completely different occupations, they are both used to heal a patient. Whether it be recovering from a knee replacement or a baby not knowing how to use its hand, one of these therapists can help someone recover from this. Even though these careers have their negatives, they both are great careers for anyone interested in helping people get through tough times.

An internet article states that Physical therapists are well educated health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain or restore mobility(Jason). They save thousands of patients a year from having to have a surgery, and they can reduce the need of long term prescriptions. They also help maintain mobility instead of losing it, during a point in someone's life.  A patient can go to a physical therapist to get a fitness plan. PT’s write plans out, using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move around, remove pain, and prevent disabilities.  Physical Therapist primarily work to heal or prevent injuries. Their goal is to get patients back to normal by exercise, massage, or other techniques. They also evaluate or diagnose movement dysfunctions and treat the tissues or structures. 

Occupational Therapists help clients go throughout life after an injury. They teach you how to use something that you didn’t know how to do before. They improve independence and the ability to do daily activities. They primarily work on teaching muscles and other body parts how to work, instead of building up that muscle like a physical therapist. 

 These careers are alike, both offer rehabilitation care to recover from injuries or care for disabilities. Both Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist educate their patients on how to prevent future injuries, how to heal, and how to help the way of life and movement. Both of these jobs are important to recover from injuries. They are also similar in their education, both require a bachelor degree, and three years of graduate school.

Both careers have an assistant job, a physical therapist assistant, and an occupational therapist assistant. Both of these jobs are two year programs(associate degree), and are offered at many colleges. These are for the people who want to do all the same things as their “big brother”, but have less ability, less entitlement, and less education, but they also make less money. The salary of a PTA (physical therapist assistant) is $52,000 a year, while an OTA (occupational therapist assistant) is $56,000. 

An occupational therapist is someone who helps people from all ages, shapes, and sizes. They can help babies, to also helping eighty year old men. They help people engage in their daily life. From making it through a work day to rolling out of bed without hurting yourself, occupational therapist help do it all. They work in schools, to help kids with disabilities of behavior or physical behavior. They can also work in nursing homes, to help old men or old women deal with Alzheimer's, take a shower, or even recover from a stroke.

Occupational therapy is a masters degree. It takes about 7 years to obtain this degree. You graduate occupational therapy school and become a OTR, a registered occupational therapist. An internet article says they make about $90,000 a year, both nationally and in Arkansas (salary). There are many open jobs for OTRs, their outlook is 27%. The job consist of a lot more females than males, 90% to 10%. There are a lot more opportunities to become an occupational therapist than a physical therapist. There are 15 occupational therapy schools in Arkansas. Explore Health Careers website says “OTR’s working environment can vary as far as a hospital to a high school. They offer healthcare and community settings.” (Occupational Therapy) A typical occupational therapist works a 40 hour work week, but over 30% work part-time. While they do some of their job in an office, they typically stay on their feet many hours of the day,

To become a physical therapist, you need to get a bachelor's degree in health or exercise science, and then apply for doctorate school. It is a 7 year process to become a physical therapist, but the countless hours of school is worth it. After school, you will have to pass an exam. Once you pass this, you are a certified DPT, a doctor of physical therapy. They make about $85,000 nationally, and $80,000 in Arkansas. The job outlook of physical therapists is high, at 34%. Females outweigh males, at 64% to 36%.

There are few schools to get into for physical therapy, only 3 in Arkansas.  These are University of Central Arkansas, Arkansas State University, and Harding University. It is extremely difficult to get into these schools. You must be determined to get through all the tough classes. According to an internet website, University of Central Arkansas’ DPT program has a 95% graduation rate, and a 100% employment rate (University of Central Arkansas|UCA) This shows how serious students take the course.

Physical therapist have a work environment like occupational therapist. They work in clinics, hospitals, and schools. They can also be found working in nursing homes, helping old people get their physical abilities back. Physical therapist stay on their feet many hours of the day, but they also sit in an office too. They spend most of their day working with patients or filling out paperwork.

Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist are both good fields to enter. They both have high job outlooks, and they pay pretty well. Although  they both require a significant amount of education, it is worth it in the end. It is relieving to see an impact in someone’s life, knowing that you had something to do with it.