What is an occupational therapist (OT), and how is an OT different from a physical therapist (PT)?
An occupational therapist (OT) helps people to function optimally in their daily activities, or “occupations”—usually after an illness or injury, but also while living with various chronic conditions or disabilities. OTs focus not only on an individual’s physical abilities but also on their emotional, cognitive, and social functioning; treatments are tailored to the person’s lifestyle and the different contexts or environments in which they live and work. Physical therapists (PTs), in contrast, generally work on a specific body part or system to help improve biomechanical functioning.
Both OTs and PTs work in rehab centers, hospitals, hospices, physician’s offices, mental health facilities, nursing homes, and patients’ homes and offices. There is overlap in what they do, since both PTs and OTs are concerned with teaching you how to avoid re-injuring yourself as you go about your daily activities. If you have had a stroke that affected your arms or legs, for example, a PT might work with you to improve your strength with exercise, while an OT can help you relearn how to put on your socks, take a bath, carry groceries, and perform other daily chores. If you’ve just had a hip replaced, a PT might focus on strengthening the muscles of your legs and core to help prevent falls, while an OT might visit your home and help you reduce your risk of falling by identifying household hazards and suggesting fixes for them.
Research suggests that investing in OTs might be an especially effective way for hospitals to improve patient outcomes. In a study published in Medical Care Research and Review in 2016, for instance, researchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed records from more than 1 million Medicare recipients who were hospitalized for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia between 2009 and 2012. They also compared the amount each hospital spent on various services, from accommodations to cardiology services to medical supplies. Of more than a dozen spending categories, occupational therapy was the only one for which higher spending was significantly associated with lower 30-day readmission rates across all three conditions.
To be licensed, an OT must have a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from an accredited occupational therapy program. All OTs must also have clinical experience and pass a national certification exam. Like PTs and physiatrists, OTs often have a specialty area, such as environmental modification, hand therapy, or brain injuries.
You can learn more about occupational therapy at the website of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
