The difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy quizlet? (2023)

What exactly does an occupational therapist do?

Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

Similarities Between OT and PT

Occupational therapy and physical therapy are both designed to help people recover from injury, surgery or illness faster and more effectively. The way an occupational or physical therapist goes about evaluating a patient's condition and planning treatment is actually pretty similar.

The most basic difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy is that a PT focuses on improving the patient's ability to move their body whereas an OT focuses on improving the patient's ability to perform activities of daily living.

For example, activities to build fine motor skills might include picking things up with tweezers. Exercises to improve gross motor skills might include jumping jacks or running an obstacle course. For someone who struggles with motor planning, therapists might work on daily routines like getting dressed.

Physical therapists earn a higher median annual salary than occupational therapists.

Under the “dual” program, a student could earn both a master's degree in occupational therapy and a doctorate degree in physical therapy in approximately three and a half years combined.

The broad range of occupations is categorized in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF-4) as activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation.

The DPT program is a full-time, three-year (11-quarter) program.

What is higher than a physical therapist?

A doctor of physical therapy is a licensed physical therapist who has completed an accredited doctoral program. They perform the same tasks as physical therapists. Doctors of physical therapy are also often involved in research and teaching.

If you're passionate about becoming an occupational therapist, you won't regret it! The job flexibility and variety of job options combined with knowing you are truly making a difference in peoples' lives makes it a great career choice as long as you're prepared and you know the potential drawbacks you might encounter.

The Key Differences

Most practicing physical therapists hold a doctorate, which can take about three years to complete. Master's degrees take two years and both require an undergraduate degree. Occupational therapists need at least a master's degree to practice (two years).

Historically, PT programs have been more difficult to get into than OT, but in the past few years the number of applicants to OT programs have literally grown exponentially.

They're equally as difficult. PT programmes have historically been more difficult to enter than OT programmes, but the number of applications to OT programmes has increased significantly in recent years.

Occupational therapy can help when someone is having difficulty with everyday tasks (the tasks that 'occupy' them). An occupational therapist (also known as an 'OT') can identify your strengths and any difficulties — such as dressing or getting to the shops. They can then help you work out practical solutions.

Occupational therapy is great for those who are unable to take care of themselves, move easily, or perform a normal function in school or at work because of illness, pain, injury, or disability.

Treatment sessions may include a wide variety of play and movement opportunities from swings, therapy balls, balance activities to writing tasks, and eye-hand coordination games.

Occupational therapy (OT) is a branch of health care that helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. OT can help them regain independence in all areas of their lives. Occupational therapists help with barriers that affect a person's emotional, social, and physical needs.

Do occupational therapists help with walking?

Both a physical therapist and an occupational therapist could help him learn to walk. But the occupational therapist would work on teaching him how to adapt to being in a wheelchair or to using braces or crutches to get around.

The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying the environment to better support participation.

Occupational therapists typically specialize in conditions affecting the upper extremity (elbow, forearm, wrist, hand) and physical therapists treat anything spine-related and other body parts including the foot, ankle, knee, and hip.

The length of therapy/treatment sessions are based on individual needs. A session can be anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour. The typical speech therapy session is 30 minutes, whereas, the typical occupational therapy session is one hour.

Occupational therapy begins with a thorough assessment to identify a client's current abilities and how to maximize their functioning so that they can achieve their personal goals.