Which is harder to get into: PT or OT?

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I spent the past year applying and interviewing at DPT programs only to be relegated to waitlists. I have now been planning what to do this next year. Do I reapply to DPT or do something else? This led me to look into OT programs and I think I would be happier practicing in this emphasis. So I am preparing to apply to OT schools and trying to understand the application competitiveness. Has anyone had any experience with this? Or has an opinion on the position? Thanks!

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. OT school is becoming increasingly harder to get into and will continue to do so, as it's being consistently ranked on "best jobs" and "growing fields" lists published nationwide (unfortunately the number of seats in schools do not appear to be growing with the job opportunities). Not to mention tons of people are making OT a second career with the downturning economy and poor job prospects for those with general bachelors degrees. While OT and PT are similar fields, you should really go with what you WANT to do for the rest of your life. If going into OT is "settling" for you because you didn't get into PT school the first time around, you might be unhappy in your career later down the road (not to mention have taken up a seat in a program someone who is really passionate about OT missed out on). My roommate considered applying to OT school if she didn't get into a PT program this year, but after she was accepted and she was able to retire her backup plan, she confessed that she really wouldn't have been happy with OT and would have regretted not trying again for PT. You have a few months before the apps open for both fields, so why not get out there and shadow an OT? You'll need documented observation hours if you decided to apply anyway, and that real life exposure will allow you to figure out if it's something you actually want to pursue. Good luck!

Make sure you WANT THIS. You said you "think" you may know, so I suggest that you go do some observations in both PT and OT and see which one you may prefer. I was in your boat because I used to be in PT, however, when I went to observe OT more, I found myself more drawn to it. So don't just go the easy route and apply to what may be the "easier" profession, because OT is VERY different than PT and much more psych based because OT's look at the entire person, where as PT looks more at the injury. Not to sound mean or harsh, but make sure you know what you want and not go into it because it is an "easier" route.

One of the few thing I think OT schools do right in their application process is that they require a significant amount of hours of shadowing or working with an OT. Best way to find out if it could make you happy is by trying it out!

My suggestion is to make three phone calls to OTs. Today. Try to set up a day you can shadow them soon so that you can quickly find out what makes the most sense for you.

Thanks everyone. I didn't mean to imply that I was trying to find an easier career or anything. I was just curious if there are any former PT students that decided to go into the OT field instead. I was also wanting to try to gain an understanding of the level of competivity for admittance to OT programs. Difference between MSOT and MOT. Also to know PT schools receive hundreds of applications. Is OT just as popular or sought after? I'm still researching and going into to shadow in OT clinics before I begin applying. Thanks for any and all help!

I think that if OT is not as competitive as PT yet, it soon will be. Most schools out there get at least 4x the number of applications that they have seats for.

To answer your question about how many applicants there are to programs, there is a ton of variation. Some schools will have 500-600+ applicants with 30-40 seats while others only have 100 applicants. Call schools that you are interested in and ask if you can't find the info on their site. Schools with applications through OTCAS will usually have way more applicants than schools that you send your application directly to the program so I would suggest finding the schools not yet on OTCAS for less competition. Good luck in whatever path you decide!

at Seton Hall's program, the number of seats available are determined on how many 3+3 students are going into the class. my current class has a split of about 17 3+3 students (from undergraduate) and 17 open spots left for applications and i believe we had about over 200+ applications. this year i heard it went up even more so it just depends.