difference between OTs and PTs?

[nev]

I've always wondered about this question....What is the difference between OTs and PTs?

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[beephlatPT]

I've always wondered about this question....What is the difference between OTs and PTs?

PTs, generally speaking, are responsible for assisting patients with issues related to mobility (i.e. balance, lower extremity strength/range of motion, safety awareness).
OTs, generally speaking, are responsible for assisting patients with activities of daily living (i.e. dressing, bathing, grooming, upper extremity range of motion, household activities).
Now of course there are plenty of areas of overlap between the two professions, but since I primarily work in acute care/hospital setting, these are the basic differences between the two that I deal with daily.
Any other OTs, PTs that have anything to add to this please feel free as there can be lots of different areas addressed by each profession in different practice settings.

 

[neutropenic]

I've always wondered about this question....What is the difference between OTs and PTs?

A gross and somewhat inaccurate simplification would be

OT: upper body / ADLs
PT: lower body / mobility

 

[delightx81]

The way it was explained to me is that in the past, OTs and PTs were both treating patients but Medi-Care/Medi-Cal said that they were "double billing" (that is, both were treating patients for the same thing). In actuality, they were treating patients in different areas (PTs helped more with physiscal mobility & OTs helped patients to become more independent cognitively and with ADLs). So they arbitrarily defined PTs as helping with the lower body and OTs as helping with the upper body. These definitions are more for insurance purposes because in reality, OTs and PTs both help with lower and upper body.

 

[nev]

Great replies people! Thanks a lot....
But do u think that PTs do more tasks than OTs?

 

[guetzow]

The PTs in our clinic do tons of upper extremity, PT for incontinence, and Dix Hallpike maneuvers for vertigo patients (Also check other threads about PTs walking vent patients/doing pulmonary rehab.....a task I'm sure was gladly turfed by the already over-taxed RTs). And don't forget sports medicine.....

 

[JimmyG]

Great replies people! Thanks a lot....
But do u think that PTs do more tasks than OTs?

I'm not sure what you mean by "more tasks". From an educational perspective, the differentiation between PT and OT come from their theoretical frames of reference. Physical Therapy comes more from a biomechanical/kinesiology frame of reference. PTs go more in depth in their education on pathology and treatment of the musculoskeletal, orthopedic, and neurological systems from a physical treatment standpoint vs. a pharmacologic standpoint. OTs also briefly touch on these things in school but our theoretical base comes from the idea that an individual can be treated by performing their "occupation" aka activities of daily living (anything from bathing and dressing to vocational activities to leisure activities). OT began by providing treatment to psych patients and it grew from that.

Now, things have changed so much and the demands for quantitative outcomes for reimbursement purposes have caused OT to move more towards the biomechanical model like PTs. I would say that it would depend on what area or enviornment you observed OTs and PTs in to say who would have more tasks. I know of a hospital that employs more OTs than PTs because we have more knowledge of upper extremity splinting and cognitive rehabilitation. I would say that in some of the rehabs I have worked in, OTs and STs sometime overlap more in their plan of care than the OTs and PTs do when trying to get a stroke or TBI patient back to independent living. It just depends. Unfortunately, physical therapy is more recognizable to patients and even to other hospital staff (such as nurses in some cases) and all other therapies just get grouped under that umbrella. If you were to watch a PT and an OT treatment session you would see that it may look similar but the goals the therapist is trying to achieve are very different.

 

[guetzow]

 

[ftcnt]

OTs come from the framework of considering the person, their occupation and environment. this holistic framework is often what OTs tell their patients in distinguish themselves from other professionals. another area they diff from PTs is in mental health so if you like that area, consider OT.

 

[Adcadet]

On surgery we would just ask whichever pretty 20-something (PT or OT) happened to be on the floor at the time to see a patient, and also ask her to check his swallowing. PT/OT/speech path....it's all the same!

We actually would mention the checking the swollowing part to certain PTs and OTs, just to joke about our general lack of understanding.

 

[aishel]

I always tell patients that the difference is that PT works more on lower extremity range of motion and strenghtening, as well as gait training. OT works on making sure the patient can do things for themselves, such as toilet transfers, lower body dressing/bathing, as well as car and tub transfers.

But then again, the roles vary, depending on the setting.

 

[delicatefade]

An OT I used to work with had this penciled on his license above his desk:

John Doe
Licensed Occupational Therapist
Dispenser of adapted spoons and padded toilet seats.

 

[Beau Geste]

A gross and somewhat inaccurate simplification would be

OT: upper body / ADLs
PT: lower body / mobility

This is the best way to explain it in lay terms. I would also add that OTs deal with sensory issues (except the mouth - that's typicaly the SLP's realm).

 

[DNP student]

The way I've always looked at is that PT's work more with gross motor and OT's work more with fine motor. Is that right?

 

[aishel]

The way I've always looked at is that PT's work more with gross motor and OT's work more with fine motor. Is that right?

Yes.

The statement above regarding OT doing upper body and PT doing lower body is false.

Plenty of PT's work with shoulders, and plenty of OT's work with the lower extremity.