General Admissions & OTCAS Occupational Therapy vs Physician Assistant

[amjadjamal]

I am wondering what would be a better choice in between these two field:

A) in terms on job outlook
B) in terms of Salary

I know this is an OT forum, but maybe some OTs who probably think they would be better off as PAs , or some OTs who are happy with their choice. Help a brotha out!

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[alansda]

I feel like A) and B) are pretty well known in that both offer excellent job outlook and great salary, with PA offering a higher salary (~$15k difference) but having a more demanding work schedule--of course this is all setting-dependent.

I think the biggest difference between the two is that PA is based on the medical model and OT has more holistic roots. For example, the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) "views each client as a unique individual whose characteristics determine the rationale for and nature of the therapy goals and strategies" and "views what the client does, thinks, and feels as the central mechanism of change."

Do you want to practice therapy or medicine?

 

[trep]

There are many differences and positives and negatives with each. One caveat is that while PA's tend to earn a little more, for the most part don't exist outside of the US, so if you want to ever work abroad there will be much more opportunity with OT. Another thing to note is that in general, OT provides much more diversity in terms of job settings and environments. That being said, it's best to decide which profession will be best suited for you personally, so I'd suggest researching both and doing some volunteering/shadowing in both fields to get a better sense of which you prefer.

 

[Kidamnesiac]

One big difference: PA requires about 1000 hours of hands-on (read: paid) work with patients. OT requires observation hours. A lot more work on the front end to enter the field of PA.

However, if you're looking just at the numbers, you're going to make more and the job prospects are just as good for a PA. My guess is that it's more stressful (unless you're working as an OT in a high turnover setting). I like alansda's point about therapy vs. medicine: I've found that in medicine, mid-level (and especially high-level) professionals are being pushed to always consider the bottom line. You see this in OT as well, but it is exaggerated in medicine. For example, many (if not most) hospitals run off of a business model (as opposed to, say, a care model). You are expected to perform so many procedures, push so many prescriptions, etc...and if your fail to achieve your outcome (i.e. the patient stays sick, or if something goes wrong), you could be sued. I am speaking from what I know of family who have worked as mid-level practitioners, and this was 10 years ago. I'm sure OT faces some of the same challenges, but the difference is, you're working to help people achieve some degree of function in their lives (or assessing/working with them to set down goals). In other words, you're almost expected to not view people as numbers, as opposed to doctors or PA's who are almost expected to do the opposite.

I'm not blaming the actual practitioner (although sometimes, it's just simply their own narrow-mindedness), but the way these things are run doesn't lend itself to getting to know people as people. It sounds simplistic, but the people on here who advise pre-grad students to choose based on their interests really mean it. The field needs people who can handle the pressure of high-volume and risk associated with being a doctor or PA, and it also needs caring people to spend time helping people rebuild their lives. If it's just about the money, it would really be worth it to just become a doctor. Otherwise, I'd just take inventory of my interests and go from there. Good luck!

 

[prodigiousflame]

There are many differences and positives and negatives with each. One caveat is that while PA's tend to earn a little more, for the most part don't exist outside of the US, so if you want to ever work abroad there will be much more opportunity with OT. Another thing to note is that in general, OT provides much more diversity in terms of job settings and environments. That being said, it's best to decide which profession will be best suited for you personally, so I'd suggest researching both and doing some volunteering/shadowing in both fields to get a better sense of which you prefer.

but how would one go about working abroad? I've looked into working abroad in OZ and it seems like a big mission because of the licensing supervision requirements, and I can't figure out how to live in London which is the other city I was looking into.

 

[trep]

but how would one go about working abroad? I've looked into working abroad in OZ and it seems like a big mission because of the licensing supervision requirements, and I can't figure out how to live in London which is the other city I was looking into.

Hey, unfortunately I can't answer that question for you as I'm not an OT nor am I an OT student yet, however, I have been told by faculty at the university I am planning on applying to that you should be able to work abroad without too much hassle. I'm not sure the exact procedures, but I assume that as long as the program you got your degree from is acknowledged by the world federation of occupational therapists it shouldn't be too difficult. I'd assume you would probably need to take the exam for local licensure or something along those lines though. Sorry I can't be more helpful with this.