<p>What are some of the tradeoffs between these two related fields?</p>
<p>PT requires a DPT degree, which takes longer to complete than an MS in OT.</p>
<p>There are more undergrad prerequisites for PT than for OT, including a lot more science classes.</p>
<p>What else? How relatively selective are admissions for the two programs?</p>
<p>You need to read up on the differences in the job, not worry about the degrees. Choose one or the other because you like doing what they do every day after getting a degree. There would also be differences in hospital/nursing home and school based workplaces for each. Do that homework. Look up each occupation for descriptions of what they do- it is different.</p>
<p>I agree w/ wis75. We are not here to do the research for you, nor can someone on CC decide your career choices. You need to go some google searches and not rely on CC for your answers. There are very distinctive differences between PT and OT- you need to research and determine what they are. You could also job shaddow a PT and OT to see which you like more.</p>
<p>I’m a parent, doing some research on possible career paths for my HS D, who is feeling bad lately that she doesn’t know what she wants to major in at college, or what type of career she would like. I think she may be well suited to something in the health science field.</p>
<p>We’ve both done some online research, but having no background in the area, it is hard to get a real sense of the distinctions based upon the PR-type materials available describing each field. I was hoping to get some real-world perspective on the differences, from people who are actually in the field.</p>
<p>I’ve previously found people on CC to be very helpful, so I didn’t see any harm in asking.</p>
<p>While I personally have no real-world experience, my daughter (HS senior) is applying to direct admit PT programs. She is currently doing clinical observations in both out-patient and acute care facilities to determine which setting might best suit her. I’d think your daughter may be able to schedule similar clinical observations with an OT and a PT.</p>
<p>As far as pre-requisites go… you can take a look at most any state U to compare/contrast.
Here’s one example: [PT</a> Track](<a href=“UD Online Catalog”>UD Online Catalog) vs. [OT</a> Track](<a href=“UD Online Catalog”>UD Online Catalog)</p>
<p>An OT I spoke with once said that there are personality differences between OTs and PTs. Maybe someone can chime in with more info.</p>
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<p>From the article Stereotyping between physical therapy students and occupational therapy students.</p>
<p>Sacchi, please convey to your HS D that it’s fine if she doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up. I once heard that about 70 percent of college freshmen end up changing their major. She can always apply as “undecided.” Lots of kids do.</p>
<p>For now, just encourage her to do well in high school, especially in science and math. That will leave the PT or OT doors open for her or enable her to choose another science-based major. If she enjoys the sciences, many majors and career paths will be open to her!</p>
<p>Back when my younger sister was in college, many moons ago, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She was drifting through college aimlessly. As such, her grades reflected that. Somehow she came across speech pathology, and it really set her ablaze. She had found her niche. She did great in all her courses after that and went on for a master’s degree. She has had a wonderful career in the field for the past 20 years and is well respected by her peers. So you never know what your daughter will come across. Best of luck to her!</p>
<p>My naive impression, based on the research I’ve done, is that OTs are more likely to treat children and the elderly, and those with long-standing problems (developmental delays, chronic illnesses, impacts of aging, etc.), and that PTs are more likely to treat people of any age, including teenagers and young adults, with acute onset issues (athletes with sports injuries, accident sufferers, soldiers, etc.).</p>
<p>Is this accurate, or somewhat accurate even if it is an over-generalization, or inaccurate?</p>
<p>Do the research to find those answers. Let your D research many potential occupations and majors. She needs to own the process, not you. Do not worry if she enters college taking courses that may lead to many different occupations, as stated above, most entering college freshmen either haven’t declared a major or change the one declared on admission. If she is math-science oriented she can take required prerequisites for many fields along with courses that meet breadth requirements her first year of college. There is plenty of time for her to discover many health care fields while on campus with the many resources there. By the time she is 20 she will have a better idea of who she is and what she wants in life. Now is the time for her to prepare for college by exceeding minimal HS course requirements for colleges. You can help by previewing your state flagship list of courses most accepted students will have taken. You can look at the UW-Madison site for example and find that while x units of science, foreign language, math, etc are required those students who are accepted will typically have x+ units of each. It may be in her best interest to finish that 4th year of a foreign language in HS for example and not have to take any in college for any school/college’s degree- saving class time for other more desired courses.</p>
<p>Sacchi-my SIL is a PT. Her practice is specific to working with very young children beginning at birth. She has worked for both the county and now has a private practice that contracts with the state. She has had steady work for 25 yrs. It doesn’t pay as well as sports rehab but for her it is more rewarding. PT work on the county level also lends itself to part time work when your family is young. Her company also hires PT’s, OT’s and speech therapists. For PT’s and I assume OT’s the important criteria is not the school but the passing of the state exam.</p>
<p>My daughter has wanted to be an Occupational Therapist ever since a class project her sophomore year of h.s. They had to research three careers they might be interested in. That included an interview (could be via email, phone or in person) of someone in those professions. OT seemed to be what appealed to her. So, she had that in mind when applying to colleges. She did get into USC which has a 5 year Bachelor’s to Master’s program, but she decided it was too costly.</p>
<p>So, she’ll be majoring in Kinesiology at Cal Poly SLO with an ICS concentration (Independent Course Study) geared toward occupational therapy. She’ll work with a health professions advisor, checking to see what OT grad. programs require as pre-requisites. Then she’ll take those at Cal Poly, as well as completing her major and G.E. requirements. If she decides down the line she might be more interested in PT, then she’ll have to modify things accordingly. One of the professors in the Kinesiology dept. warned them at Open House that if they *do *decide to go the pre-physical therapy route, they need to know that it will involve even more science and can add quite a course load. They used to have an actual pre-PT program there years ago, but not now. He said if someone truly wants to be a PT, they might consider going to a school that has an accelerated program or one labeled “pre-physical therapy”. That said, my daughter has already met some kids who will be in her Kinesiology program who plan to go on to become a physical therapist.</p>
<p>OT offers so many opportunties within the field. </p>
<p>[Occupational</a> therapist - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_therapist]Occupational”>Occupational therapist - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>[About</a> Occupational Therapy](<a href=“http://www.aota.org/consumers.aspx]About”>http://www.aota.org/consumers.aspx)</p>
<p>My daughter’s pediatrician says there is a great need for OTs to work in pediatrics. Lots of toys and playtime involved! :)</p>
<p>My neighbor worked as an OT for years in hospital rehabilitation. Loved her job. But, after her daughter came along she wanted to be home during the summer and holidays. So, she’s been working in the school district for the past 13 years. She travels (a short 2 mile distance) between three schools and enjoys it immensely. Most of this is Special Ed, but there are also students who need short term OT after an injury or illness. Anyway, those are just two examples of what an OT can do. I have another friend who worked in a rehab. setting for years. She later did some special training in ergonomics and started working for Yahoo to help develop safer and healthier ergonomics for their employees. She and some co-workers later developed their own company in the Silicon Valley doing the same thing on a broader basis. Also, remember us Baby Boomers are going to require more and more rehabilitative services as we begin to age. Bummer, eh? </p>
<p>My daughter said she would like to apply to Boston University or maybe Tufts for OT grad school. She also has had WUSTL on her radar and will probably apply there, as well as other schools in CA and across the country. Of course, this is providing she still wants to go into occupational therapy. I hope she does! 
There will often be some crossover between OT and PT. They will sometimes work as a team with a Registered Dietitian, for instance. It takes a village, you know! ;)</p>
<p>Also, it doesn’t matter what you get your undergrad degree in to apply to OT grad school. In fact, they often encourage an applicant to major in what they like. That could be English or Music or whatever appeals to them. It makes them more well rounded. But they need to have completed or in the process of taking the necessary pre-requisites and whatever else a particular school requires. That will probably include some hours of mentoring or volunteering in an OT practice.</p>
<p>I’m an OT and am happy to address your questions. Both OTs and PTs treat patients of all ages in settings ranging from acute hospitals, rehab hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, freestanding pediatric clinics, physicians’ offices and home health. Both are great careers with a growing demand. I have been able to work consistently even when my kids were young, as demand for therapists is greater than the supply and companies are willing to offer flexible scheduling and a high hourly rate to attract therapists. However, many of the PTs I hire are coming out with tremendous debt and they sometimes end up taking a second job on the weekend to pay down their student loans (OTs do this too, but they don’t seem to incur quite as much debt, in my experience). </p>
<p>I concur with the previous suggestions that your daughter shadow a PT and/or OT in a hospital or clinic to get an idea of what each therapist does. We do this routinely at my hospital through the volunteer department. With respect to majors, each school probably has its own preferences, but the important thing is to be sure to take all of the pre-requisites, get the best possible grades and have a thorough understanding of the profession in case there is a personal interview. </p>
<p>Interesting information regarding the personality differences between PTs and OTs. Actually, using the data presented, I probably align more closely with the PT characteristics than that of the OTs. It’s all good, because the two professions do tend to work very closely with each other and the characteristics noted do complement each other. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any experience with the direct admit BS/MS OT programs or BS/DPT programs? I looked up some sample curriculums - the BS/DPT program looked pretty intense with not much time to explore other interests, but the BS/MSOT program didn’t look TOO bad.</p>
<p>D1 is in the graduate phase of a direct admit 6 year BS/DPT program. She majored in exercise science which fit in nicely with the pre-PT requirements. She did not have time to take many electives or study for a semester overseas (She did do a 6 week summer abroad at a campus affiliated with her school). D2 is a junior with direct admit status to a 5 1/2 year BS/MOT program. She has much more room in her schedule to take "extra’ classes. The science requirements for the MOT prerequisites are much easier -no organic chemistry, only 1 semester biology, I think physics was only one semester also. She did have the same 2 semester anatomy/physiology requirement. One other difference between the programs is that D1 began DPT the summer before her senior year and continues through the 12 semester program with no breaks. D2 will not be in school the summer before her senior year or the summer after her senior year (which is the summer following the first year of the MOT program). This gives her more opportunities to earn money to pay those hefty grad school tuition bills. They attend different schools.</p>
<p>The personality observations noted in earlier posts are very interesting. My daughter who is in PT school has always been very academic and interested in the details of why/how things work. D2, who intends to study OT and is just as capable a student, has always been more of a problem solver and good at applying what she knows to come up with practical solutions. It seems they’ve picked health fields that suit their individual talents.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore in a 5 year BS/MSOT program but started out as pre-pharmacy so had a few semesters of the more intensive science curriculum that PT kids would experience. She’s good at science but great at writing/critical thinking, so finds the OT curriculum easier in comparison. The first two years at her school are mostly gen-eds, plus the required 12 or so pre-requisites. So, three psych classes, psych stats, A&P, and physics, along with philosophy, sociology, etc. They also have to accumulate 70 hours of experience under the supervision of an OT before applying to the professional phase in sophomore year. D completed her experiential requirement over the summer in an early intervention program, both group and home settings, and loved it. Her program requires summer classes after sophomore year (which is the start of the professional program) and junior year. They start grad classes in the middle of senior year, followed by field work. </p>
<p>Although the stated minimum gpa for pre-reqs is a 2.8, they actually have more than double the number of pre-OT majors than they can accept into the OT program. Acceptance is based almost exclusively on gpa and having an excellent LOR from the OT they worked with. Her advisor told her that those with a pre-req gpa under 3.2 will have a hard time gaining admission. We have our fingers crossed that D stays above 3.5 for at least one more semester, but it’s likely she will apply to one other school that accepts junior transfers into their combined program as “insurance”. Might be something to ask about when your D is visiting schools.</p>
<p>Btw, at her school (large public u), students who are not in the combined program must have a BS in OT in order to apply for the grad program.</p>
<p>I didn’t know any schools offered a BS in OT anymore.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that your D has to want to become involved in OT or PT, original-poster mom. She has to do her research and not just hear you expounding on the merits of each. </p>
<p>All health related fields have upped the education requirements since our day. Gone are the days of many 2 or 3 year nursing programs, bachelors only in pharmacy, PT and OT. Physicians routinely do at least a 3 year residency instead of hanging out their shingle as a GP after an internship like in the 1960’s, plus most specialties have upped the number of years of training. We’re of an age to be “grandfathered in” instead of having to do more training. Too old to go through the rigors of education/training again despite having the finances to do it. Old bodies need their sleep.</p>
<p>What is the best way to find OT or PT volunteer/observation opportunities? Our local hospital accepts volunteers, but I don’t think you are able to specify what area you would volunteer in.</p>
<p>D has been volunteering at a hippotherapy (horseback riding therapy) facility, which has an OT and a PT on staff. But that seems to be a pretty narrow window into the OT and PT worlds, and doesn’t really help with the OT vs PT question. I would like her to have a broader exposure to the fields, but she has a very busy schedule, so I guess it will have to wait until summer.</p>
<p>My daughter simply called an out-patient facility and our local hospital. Each were happy to oblige and worked around her schedule (school and sports). Neither setting is limited to daytime hours so most of her observation is being done in the evening.</p>