deciding between PTA and OTA

Can anyone provide insight on which path to take? would love some honest feedback.

If you're creative go OTA.

Lsia in Fort Mill, South Carolina said: Can anyone provide insight on which path to take? would love some honest feedback.

OTs do more work in helping people with day to day activities and working with those people to be able to do those day to activities more effectively and efficiently. There is more focus on fine motor skills of the hands, such as picking things up, holding playing cards, tying shoes, etc. They will work on activities like going to a store to assess and improve a person's cognition & comprehension, such as paying for their items and being able to move with the flow of other shoppers so they don't run into anyone.

PTs work on those activities too, but they focus more on improving strength and flexibility so the patient can physically do those things. There is less focus on the cognition and more focus on reducing the symptoms and addressing the cause of the symptoms. There is definitely some overlap between the two groups and I'm not really sure if I have it completely accurate with the OTs because I am a PT, but that was my experience when I worked with them. I hope that helps a little.

Thanks! good info. I have seen from other posts that OTA do alot of toileting, etc... is that because they are in SNF? are the settings multiple? i.e. out patient, hospitals, etc..not sure I want to be in nursing homes, I am going to get shadow more COTA's in different areas to decide.

I am a PTA myself and I love the job, but sometimes I feel like I should have been an COTA instead. COTA's are very creative people and they do more interesting therapeutic activites. They do alot of fine motor activities and sensory activities. I love observing what they do.