anyone has any experience in both OT and PT?

[easb]

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Guys, I am trying to decide if I should consider OT career if I do not get accepted to a PT program. I understand that these two professions are very different. I have some experience in PT , but I do not have any in OT. I did some online research and it looks like OTs are involved in much more patients teaching than PTs. ? If any of you had experience in both professions, could you please share what made you make up your mind towards one of those professions?

 

[OTlove88]

Personally for me, I find PT to be a bit dry and not as exciting - no offense to any PT's out there, just not my thing! I feel like OT has a more holistic approach to therapy where the physical wellbeing of the person isn't the only aspect that is considered - emotional, mental, social, etc. are also considered and that just really aligns with my personal beliefs for medicine, therapy, and healing. I don't have much experience with PT stuff but I did notice more athletic/kinesiology oriented people tend to gravitate towards PT. The OT field originally came from the mental health field so psychology is still a huge component of the training and work. I guess if I had to sum it up - PT just has more of a focus on movement, anatomy, and the physical injuries or disability. PT's do the actual treatment of the injuries/disabilities while OT's help the patient learn how be independent again and take a lot more than the physical wellbeing of the patient into account.

However, I wouldn't recommend going into it as a "backup" - I feel many people who go into PT tend to think OT is easier and not as difficult because a doctorate isn't required to practice. In reality, there is some controversy going around about the DPT degree and if the programs are rigorous enough to be "doctorate" level - same goes for OT doctorates. But that's a whole different point. Anyway, OT school is also extremely competitive and it wouldn't be fair to people who really want to do OT if you applied just as a backup. I would recommend maybe contacting both an OT and PT and interviewing each of them if you can to learn which is the best fit for you.

 

[Kaab14a]

Hey there,

I actually volunteered a long time in PT before grativating towards OT. I was confused about which career to choose for a few months, and I went for OT. I'm happy to say that I will be starting my masters this year 😀

How did I pick one over the other?
While I admre both professions greatly and I think they both are wonderful, I had to do some serious evaluation of the professions and my personal motivation and goals.
I agree with OTlove88 that PT is a lot more physical. You want to get the patient up and moving, or rehabilitated physically. I volunteered at Shriners so even if it was "just physical" the patients there have been going for years, some from birth, and so you develop wonderful relationships and it's just beautiful to see their progress and their happiness when they are able, for example, to finally ride a bike like their friends.

You see the same thing as an OT, but doing different work. OT is not only physical, it's also emotional, social, and creative (my favorite part). There is so much room in OT to bring in your personality and your creativity into therapy. You see physical improvement, but you also consider the patients' whole well-being, motivation, goals (so, like, not only to gain certain movement but to function say, at work and adjust with their particular abilities, to feel integrated in their society, to find meaning and gain confidence, even...). What made me fall in love with OT is that you do a lot more than physical rehabilitation/therapy. I felt like my love for anatomy/physiology, my interest in psychology, and my pleasure in the arts all combine in this profession. That's how I picked.

After I volunteering for about a year in PT. When I switched over to OT out of curiosity, to find out the difference myself, it took my about 6 months to finally say that I prefer OT.
I love both professions! I think I would enjoy and appreciate both maybe even equally, but my heart is in OT and I feel that's where God wants me to thrive.

Hope that helps!