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Occupational therapy vs. physical therapy

physical therapist applies tape to client lower back
kendall upton

Written and reported by:

Kendall Upton

Staff Writer

Occupational and physical therapies are two types of rehabilitation treatments for patients with a variety of conditions but are frequently confused with each other. The name ‘occupational therapy’ can lead to more confusion—but in this context, ‘occupation’ refers to a task that someone completes rather than their profession.

In This Article

Both therapies aim to restore patient mobility to improve their quality of life, and both often use manual, hands-on techniques to achieve their goals. They may also be used in tandem for patients that could benefit from the combined expertise of both specialties. However, these two therapies focus on treating very different aspects of our physical and mental health.

Differentiating between the two


A professional OT’s take on occupational therapy vs physical therapy

Keri DeGroot, an occupational therapist and assistant teaching professor with the University of Washington’s Division of Occupational Therapy, worked alongside physical therapists throughout her career. She defines occupational therapy through the Person-Environment-Occupation model and uses it to distinguish occupational from physical therapy.

“There’s a framework out there called the Person-Environment-Occupation [PEO] framework and I think that’s the best way to describe it and why we’re a little bit different than physical therapy.

You have the Person that encompasses strength and balance and thinking ability and everything [about a person]. And then the Environment, what’s going on around that person. And then the Occupation, the actual task or goal of what they’re trying to do,” she said.


What is physical therapy?

At its core, physical therapy helps people improve their physical mobility. This may be necessary for people recovering from an injury or surgery, managing a disability, or for people who want to take preventative measures against future injuries. In general, physical therapy usually focuses on our gross motor skills—using our torso, arms and legs for “whole body” functions like walking, running, jumping, and more. 

Physical therapy mostly focuses on the ‘Person’ spoke of the PEO framework.

“Physical therapy does some environment and some occupation, but really their main focus is going to be those person factors. How can we rehab the injury? How can we get better balance? How can we change what we’re doing at the person level, and maybe a little bit with the environment by adding a cane or a walker,” DeGroot said.

How PTs help patients

A physical therapist (PT) is the lead physician that meets with patients to assess their physical state and create a treatment plan. Their job is to help patients set realistic goals, track progress, and amend the treatment plan if needed. Physical therapist assistants (PTAs) often help them execute their treatment plans with the patients.

Required education

Physical therapists must complete a lengthy and rigorous education to be qualified for their profession. They need to complete a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). However, there are also other types of degrees for PTs for those who may have a bachelor’s degree in another area or who is a PTA that wants to transition to become a physical therapist. After earning their DPT, physical therapists must then pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in order to apply for licensure in their state, in addition to any state-specific requirements.


What is occupational therapy?

“I like to define occupational therapy as a partner or coach that helps you do what you need and want to be able to do,” DeGroot said. 

Occupational therapy aims to help patients improve mobility and function to make it easier to execute the daily tasks of living, such as feeding, dressing or cleaning oneself, writing, using a mobility device, and much more. These kinds of activities generally focus on one’s fine motor skills—the use of the muscles in our hands, eyes, and other small muscle groups—as opposed to our gross motor skills.

“Occupational therapy basically just says, ‘What do you need and want to be able to do?’ Let’s evaluate what’s in the way of that and let’s intervene where we need to intervene.” DeGroot said that as an occupational therapist, she may be able to help someone without even addressing the Person aspect of the PEO framework but could still change the task (Occupation) or the environment to make it possible for the patient to participate in what they want to do.

How OTs help patients

Like a physical therapist, an occupational therapist (OT) assesses a patient’s needs and goals and then creates a treatment plan to achieve those goals. They are often assisted by occupational therapist assistants (OTAs) that help to execute the treatment plan.

Occupational therapists not only help improve a patient’s physical skills. If needed, they help manage a patient’s social-emotional skills and/or developmental conditions that affect a person’s ability to perform daily activities. Examples of conditions that occupational therapists can help with include:

  • Recovery from traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries
  • Birth injuries or defects
  • Rehabilitation following a stroke or heart attack
  • Neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis
  • Dementia
  • Autism
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Mood disorders
  • Drug addictions
  • Other mental or behavioral health issues

All of these conditions can impact a person’s ability to simply go about their day or take care of themselves. Occupational therapists help patients live as actively and independently as possible. This often involves modifying a patient’s environment at home or work to make caring for oneself easier.

“And that’s why you’ll see us in settings like mental health. A lot of OTs work in that setting because it’s like, how are you going to manage stress? If you are experiencing houselessness, how are you going to manage bill paying? Or if you do have a house, how are you going to manage the skills of cleaning or making sure you aren’t evicted? All of those sorts of life skills have a broader application,” DeGroot said.

Required education

OTs also undertake extensive education, but it’s a bit different from a PT’s educational path. OTs must graduate from a program accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which accredits both doctoral and master’s programs.

“There are two ways to get into occupational therapy right now: an entry-level master’s or an entry-level doctorate,” DeGroot said. “The doctorate is about a year longer and has a little bit more specialization involved.”

They must pass a national examination called the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) Certification Examination. This is usually all one needs to apply for an occupational therapist license, but some states have additional requirements.


Do physical and occupational therapists work together?

Although their scope of practice varies, you find OTs and PTs working together in just about any medical setting. 

“From the initial hospitalization, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient rehab or retirement centers—all of those environments you’re going to see PTs and OTs working really closely together,” DeGroot said.

Some patients benefit from the help of both a physical and occupational therapist, such as people experiencing injuries or afflictions of the brain. PTs and OTs can collaborate to create treatment plans addressing their individual goals. For example, a patient recovering from a stroke may need a physical therapist’s help to relearn how to walk or climb stairs. An occupational therapist may help that same patient with relearning how to feed themselves, get dressed, and do other self-care tasks.


If you’re thinking about becoming an occupational or physical therapist, you may not be sure which one is right for you. Each profession can yield rewarding careers that are founded on helping others, but, according to DeGroot, they both tend to attract people with similar interests.

“The people that gravitate more towards physiology, biology, and kinesiology and really love working with the body, then I would think about a career in physical therapy,” she said.

Although there are some occupational therapists that focus on the body more than others, occupational therapy tends to attract a combination of majors into their programs.

“We have some that are biology focused—and there are some fabulous OTs working just with the body—but we also have some that come from a psych background and want to work in mental health,” DeGroot said. “I see that broader context for OTs, and if that’s something that excites people—that opening of some of these other areas of interest, maybe if you’re someone that’s restless and wants to try a ton of things, ‘yes I think the body’s fascinating but that’s not all I want to do’—then maybe OT would be a better fit.”


Salary and career outlook for OTs and PTs

Physical and occupational therapist salaries are comparable, though the median annual salary for PTs is approximately $10,000 more than the median annual salary for OTs.

Physical Therapists

National data

Median Salary: $97,720

Projected job growth: 15.1%

10th Percentile: $67,910

25th Percentile: $80,700

75th Percentile: $107,430

90th Percentile: $128,830

Projected job growth: 15.1%

State data

State Median Salary Bottom 10% Top 10%
Alabama $97,360 $61,160 $135,770
Alaska $102,270 $79,560 $130,660
Arizona $99,200 $76,140 $125,380
Arkansas $98,180 $64,340 $118,720
California $108,230 $80,880 $148,720
Colorado $96,920 $69,840 $126,980
Connecticut $103,290 $76,880 $136,130
Delaware $97,520 $72,030 $125,570
District of Columbia $97,180 $81,370 $123,260
Florida $95,000 $59,300 $125,250
Georgia $98,600 $73,760 $120,310
Hawaii $101,390 $81,750 $146,820
Idaho $85,870 $63,660 $105,970
Illinois $100,310 $61,420 $135,710
Indiana $95,110 $64,940 $114,400
Iowa $84,700 $66,600 $105,670
Kansas $90,850 $67,220 $111,510
Kentucky $85,710 $54,840 $114,380
Louisiana $97,960 $60,800 $128,690
Maine $83,160 $70,280 $103,510
Maryland $97,280 $76,770 $119,240
Massachusetts $99,550 $71,560 $121,050
Michigan $93,600 $61,770 $106,690
Minnesota $91,610 $75,720 $103,010
Mississippi $97,750 $69,300 $126,130
Missouri $88,900 $64,400 $115,520
Montana $82,170 $68,670 $103,380
Nebraska $90,670 $64,900 $112,320
Nevada $101,980 $45,900 $147,630
New Hampshire $93,520 $72,560 $107,430
New Jersey $103,050 $79,820 $136,610
New Mexico $94,260 $53,800 $123,010
New York $97,180 $69,440 $130,500
North Carolina $84,300 $67,190 $116,690
North Dakota $79,860 $66,990 $100,190
Ohio $97,730 $74,280 $121,190
Oklahoma $92,940 $63,660 $118,290
Oregon $98,050 $78,800 $116,500
Pennsylvania $97,510 $73,840 $124,430
Rhode Island $95,640 $67,870 $119,060
South Carolina $86,620 $61,210 $113,980
South Dakota $84,260 $68,860 $103,170
Tennessee $95,380 $66,210 $111,640
Texas $99,970 $69,160 $138,630
Utah $86,280 $61,620 $125,440
Vermont $83,390 $71,080 $108,790
Virginia $97,780 $67,690 $127,920
Washington $100,270 $77,480 $126,380
West Virginia $93,380 $65,100 $122,540
Wisconsin $95,080 $65,780 $118,130
Wyoming $84,820 $63,400 $123,580

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

Your particular salary as a PT or OT depends on numerous additional factors such as location, experience, education level, type of employer, and more.

Occupational Therapists

National data

Median Salary: $93,180

Projected job growth: 11.5%

10th Percentile: $63,320

25th Percentile: $77,700

75th Percentile: $104,730

90th Percentile: $123,870

Projected job growth: 11.5%

State data

State Median Salary Bottom 10% Top 10%
Alabama $83,770 $60,630 $110,240
Alaska $97,970 $70,160 $129,430
Arizona $84,250 $61,800 $120,240
Arkansas $79,980 $43,350 $121,180
California $104,380 $81,390 $136,490
Colorado $96,450 $73,190 $131,950
Connecticut $96,340 $71,410 $123,700
Delaware $87,360 $63,240 $114,980
District of Columbia $92,670 $64,320 $129,420
Florida $91,970 $64,600 $105,800
Georgia $95,200 $65,270 $119,130
Hawaii $95,890 $79,310 $146,250
Idaho $82,000 $62,260 $103,360
Illinois $93,290 $58,760 $113,440
Indiana $84,990 $62,220 $106,700
Iowa $80,960 $61,430 $102,740
Kansas $84,610 $62,920 $107,520
Kentucky $81,130 $60,270 $109,240
Louisiana $94,280 $61,270 $121,980
Maine $76,860 $60,750 $93,760
Maryland $98,280 $64,560 $121,980
Massachusetts $93,140 $61,620 $114,590
Michigan $82,450 $61,260 $104,320
Minnesota $81,370 $62,690 $101,070
Mississippi $91,800 $64,370 $109,100
Missouri $88,340 $59,240 $109,220
Montana $83,660 $64,260 $101,850
Nebraska $83,530 $66,080 $107,540
Nevada $102,130 $62,800 $136,440
New Hampshire $83,200 $58,700 $104,800
New Jersey $103,090 $65,310 $148,530
New Mexico $86,560 $61,350 $138,060
New York $86,370 $61,300 $131,900
North Carolina $83,560 $59,970 $109,210
North Dakota $75,640 $63,800 $100,540
Ohio $93,060 $63,170 $124,850
Oklahoma $92,230 $63,190 $122,250
Oregon $100,910 $72,280 $114,830
Pennsylvania $87,930 $62,910 $118,690
Rhode Island $93,600 $70,790 $110,370
South Carolina $84,390 $59,930 $114,400
South Dakota $76,400 $62,740 $97,300
Tennessee $95,560 $65,400 $107,900
Texas $96,260 $65,100 $131,580
Utah $85,260 $63,460 $120,270
Vermont $79,920 $63,680 $101,360
Virginia $97,080 $66,290 $134,200
Washington $94,900 $69,910 $120,730
West Virginia $79,620 $48,660 $107,390
Wisconsin $81,700 $59,550 $102,210
Wyoming $81,040 $50,940 $123,620

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2022 median salary; projected job growth through 2032. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the employment of physical and occupational therapists will grow 15.1% and 11.5% respectively through 2032, much faster than the average across all occupations. This may be to account for aging generations that are living longer and living more active lives, thus needing the services of both kinds of therapists more.


keri degroot

With professional insight from:

Keri DeGroot, Occupational Therapist & Assistant Teaching Professor

University of Washington Division of Occupational Therapy