Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy FAQs
What are Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy ?
Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists help people perform daily activities. However, the approach that the professionals take are quite different. Physical Therapists work with patients as they recover after an injury and help individuals with disabilities gain skills to remain independent. People of all ages benefit from physical therapy. PT is used to ease pain and treat a wide spectrum of patients including those who are in the process of rehabilitation from a stroke, who have had a sports injury, and for those who need assistance with balance.
In contrast Occupational Therapists focus on teaching clients how to adapt to challenges (either short or long term) that get in the way of living the life they want to live. An OT may show a patient how to use a walker, a shower chair, or pencil grip, for example. These are all skills that enhance activities in daily life.
What degrees are necessary to enter these professions?
Physical therapists typically have a Doctor of Physical Therapy, which is a 3-year program. Occupational therapists typically need a master’s degree (Master of Occupational Therapy/MOT), which normally takes 2 years.
What are the course requirements?
Many course requirements are similar for the two programs yet there is a fundamental difference. Please remember that it is always best to contact the programs directly by visiting their websites to confirm prerequisite courses.
Physical Therapy programs require a strong STEM background including two semesters of biology, chemistry, physics and anatomy and physiology and one semester of statistics and psychology.
Occupational Therapy programs are not as uniform in their set of requirements as PT programs. The majority of programs require 2 semesters of anatomy and physiology, 1 semester of statistics, 1 semester of physics, 1 semester of sociology (or cultural anthropology), and multiple psychology courses including intro to psychology, abnormal psychology and developmental psychology. Other courses that might be listed as as a prerequisite include neuroanatomy, medical terminology, and a skills course. The purpose of the course is to have students work with an artistic medium of their choice.
What standardized tests are required?
The GRE is required for the majority of DPT programs and for some, but not all, of the OT programs.
What kind of grades will I need to be accepted to either a PT or OT program?
Both PT and OT programs can require that your GPA for the prerequisite courses be as high as a 3.4, while your overall GPA can be lower.
How can I obtain clinical experience?
All applicants must have prior knowledge of either PT or OT through observation, work or volunteer experience. Swatlink is a networking, mentoring and community building resource managed by the College where you may be able to locate other PTs and OTs. Some programs require that applicants shadow or volunteer a certain number of hours prior to applying. If this is the case you will need to develop a log to record the hours that can, in turn, become part of your application.
How do I apply?
Students applying to PT schools apply via the Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS). This service allows applicants to use a single web-based application that allows applicants to send in one set of materials to apply to multiple DPT programs. Students applying to OT schools will use the Occupational Therapist Centralized Application Service (OTCAS). Not all occupational therapy schools use OTCAS, but the vast majority do. As with PTCAS, it is a single web-based application that allows applicants to send in one sent of materials to apply to multiple OT programs
When entering information, how do I handle my course units?
You must convert your course units to semester hours. Please use the following
conversion table.
.5 unit equals 2 semester hours
1 course unit equals 4 semester hours
2 course units equals 8 semester hours
