Choosing between OT and PT

[RedHighHeels]

Hi all,

New to this forum but have been lurking for awhile. I've been looking for more information on deciding between OT and PT programs but am still at a standstill so thought I would ask for opinions.

I have my Bachelor's in psychology (2008) and by that point had become interested in health professions and started taking prereqisites. Between changing my mind about which career path to take, and changing jobs a few times since, I have most basic science classes completed but am still not sure which way to go.

I really enjoy the 'hard sciences' and just from looking at various school's curriculum, PT school looks more interesting than OT school. I am definitely a methodical type of person who likes structured approaches to things (example, I loved the accounting class I took, where you use specific, set equations and A+B always equals C, as opposed to writing psych papers for my major). However, I worked at a nursing home/SNF for a year as an aide when i was considering nursing school, and my favorite residents were the dementia patients. I know this is a VERY generalized statement, but it seemed that the short-term, SNF residents mostly did PT for however long their stay before they returned home, whereas the residents who were there 'for good' mostly saw OT. I worked mainly on the long-term care wing, so I am definitely biased towards those type of residents who are there for the long haul (although I did enjoy the rehab patients that i saw when floating to other wings too). That is making me lean towards OT. I really enjoyed forming long-term relationships w/them and being an advocate, etc.

I'm completely stuck as to which path I should choose. Both appeal to me for different reasons and I know both are great careers. I work as an allied health recruiter right now so I'm fairly familiar with both options. For what it's worth, either way I intend to work in both SNF and hospital settings if I can. And for either one I'd be aiming to start in Fall of 2014, although the OT path seems to be slightly more practical as far as logistics (cost, length, prerequsites, etc)

Sorry so lengthy, any advice is REALLY appreciated!!

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[otgirl2]

I would personally try to shadow different settings for OT and PT. You may have your mind set on one particular setting now but that can change as you learn and explore other areas of OT/PT. I think this will really help you decide which one you are most passionate about. I personally find PT to be kind of boring whereas I find OT to be the exact opposite. I wouldn't really worry too much right now about logistics. At this point in time I would focus on figuring out which career you will be happiest in. Hope that helps a little!

 

[RedHighHeels]

I would personally try to shadow different settings for OT and PT. You may have your mind set on one particular setting now but that can change as you learn and explore other areas of OT/PT. I think this will really help you decide which one you are most passionate about. I personally find PT to be kind of boring whereas I find OT to be the exact opposite. I wouldn't really worry too much right now about logistics. At this point in time I would focus on figuring out which career you will be happiest in. Hope that helps a little!

Would you mind telling explaining why that is for you? That's really interesting to me, since i feel like many people say the opposite. TBH, my gut is leaning towards OT, but I was afraid that since the PT curriculum is more 'science-based', taking pharmacology, etc...that I would be bored in OT school.

 

[OTdream]

Hi all,

New to this forum but have been lurking for awhile. I've been looking for more information on deciding between OT and PT programs but am still at a standstill so thought I would ask for opinions.

I have my Bachelor's in psychology (2008) and by that point had become interested in health professions and started taking prereqisites. Between changing my mind about which career path to take, and changing jobs a few times since, I have most basic science classes completed but am still not sure which way to go.

I really enjoy the 'hard sciences' and just from looking at various school's curriculum, PT school looks more interesting than OT school. I am definitely a methodical type of person who likes structured approaches to things (example, I loved the accounting class I took, where you use specific, set equations and A+B always equals C, as opposed to writing psych papers for my major). However, I worked at a nursing home/SNF for a year as an aide when i was considering nursing school, and my favorite residents were the dementia patients. I know this is a VERY generalized statement, but it seemed that the short-term, SNF residents mostly did PT for however long their stay before they returned home, whereas the residents who were there 'for good' mostly saw OT. I worked mainly on the long-term care wing, so I am definitely biased towards those type of residents who are there for the long haul (although I did enjoy the rehab patients that i saw when floating to other wings too). That is making me lean towards OT. I really enjoyed forming long-term relationships w/them and being an advocate, etc.

I'm completely stuck as to which path I should choose. Both appeal to me for different reasons and I know both are great careers. I work as an allied health recruiter right now so I'm fairly familiar with both options. For what it's worth, either way I intend to work in both SNF and hospital settings if I can. And for either one I'd be aiming to start in Fall of 2014, although the OT path seems to be slightly more practical as far as logistics (cost, length, prerequsites, etc)

Sorry so lengthy, any advice is REALLY appreciated!!

There is a school in CA that offers the dual degree MS OT/PT doctorate. I think it's Saint Augustine in CA

 

[rcludo]

Would you mind telling explaining why that is for you? That's really interesting to me, since i feel like many people say the opposite. TBH, my gut is leaning towards OT, but I was afraid that since the PT curriculum is more 'science-based', taking pharmacology, etc...that I would be bored in OT school.

Obviously I'm not the one who said this (finding PT more boring compared to OT) but I agree with that sentiment so I'll throw in my two cents. Going to try really hard not to offend anyone, because I do think PT is fantastic and really helps people. But here's why it's not for me:

PT to me is closer to being pure science. Anatomy & Physiology, using established knowledge about muscles, bones, body systems. That's not to say that it's not innovative because I know new therapies and exercises are developed constantly. But I feel like there are definitely patients with pretty standard injuries that can receive very similar therapies and recover in basically the same way (correct me if I'm wrong, anyone). Whereas OT, to me, is the perfect blend of Psych and hard science. I majored in Psych and loved it, so I really need that aspect of it. You have to look at each patient as a whole, really get into their head and understand their whole lifestyle, not just the injury. You have to work with them to come up with a treatment that will enable them to be happy and feel like they're able to do what they're meant to be doing. Broader than the specialized task of making sure a limb heals properly.

[Side note - an OT I observed yesterday had a patient whose shoulder was painful whenever she swam (a big part of her life). She said that her PTs had all told her not to swim for an extended period of time while she was in PT, but the OT told her she should be swimming twice a week and they would instead work on her stroke style to adjust whatever she was doing that caused her shoulder to hurt (this OT specializes in this swim therapy, so that's not necessarily standard, but still). This girl almost started crying from being so happy that she could still swim, it was that important to her.]

Again, I think PTs are great, but I love the creativity of OTs and how individualized each treatment has to be. Lots of thinking on your feet, which makes me a little nervous, but definitely excited.

 

[otgirl2]

I guess I just feel that OT is a little more creative with their goals/exercises and although PT and OT do have their similarities, I was only drawn to OT. I work and volunteer with both OT's and PT's in a few different settings so I've been able to see a lot of both therapies. They're both great professions don't get me wrong it's just personally not for me. My boyfriend on the other hand wants to be a PT and has no interest in OT at all! As for the classes you are right PT is more science based and you might enjoy those classes more, but you're only going to be in school for three years. You still have some time to think about it though. No matter what you decide both are amazing and rewarding careers 🙂 Good luck!

 

[deleted480308]

If you think you might ever have a bad back as you age, go OT

 

[dobber]

Do PT, you'll put in a lot more work (harder pre-reqs) but it ends up being much more satisfying than OT in the long run (everyone is trying to do OT, and it will be much more competitive than PT soon).

 

[brisa2004]

I'm an OT who works in a TCU/SNF and can give you my two cents. If you like structure and predictability, then OT and dementia patients are NOT for you. My day as an OT is never the same, OT requires seeing the person as a whole and creative problem solving. It's more than here is some muscle tightness here, so we do this stretch. We can do that but we also have a functional focus where we look at the bigger picture, what can this person do again if this muscle were stronger? Dress independently? Dementia patients are very unpredictable in terms of mood and capabilities, that isn't to say that they aren't great because some of my favorite patients had dementia but you have to be flexible. Also, there is no way to generalize that short term stay pts get seen by PT and long term is OT. I see just as many total hips and knees as the PTs and the PTs have full caseloads with long term care PTs also.