Physical Therapist Assistant or Occupational Therapist Assistant, anyone work in these jobs on here?
Asked by seventyseventy@rocketmail.com
which one are you and do you like it? what are some pros and cons? what did you make starting out? is the school HARD? i am trying to figure out which one to go for. i have a bad memory problem and i'm scared that the schooling for both is going to be too difficult for me. i never really liked school.

Best Answer:
Both the OT and PT fields may be physically as well as emotionally demanding. A cousin went to school for occupational therapy assistant, and she'd said that the coursework in and of itself was quite challenging (as well as direct therapy with patients). It does require a great amount of memorization and clinical reasoning skills regarding patient care. (PTA/PT usually requires that the person has taken physics, just fyi. The OTR/occupational therapist, registered may also have a physics requirement.) In addition to coursework, the person must successfully complete a full-time clinical fieldwork component which includes having a patient caseload. I believe that most jobs in OT are found in nursing/long-term care facilities. They can especially be quite physical while working with patients with a hip replacement, hip fracture, stroke ("brain attack") and/or a person with an amputated limb. Please talk with a vocational counselor about your strengths and which field might be a good fit for you. If one has some type of disablility, he or she may qualify (not sure of criteria) for services from the county division of vocational rehabilitiation (DVR). The government pages in your county phonebook should have a listing.

I'm a PTA and have been for 15 years. I would go to PT or OT school instead, meaning a much higher salary once completed but if PTA/COTA school is what you want, I'd do OTA. Granted, I love my job but I do a LOT of lifting of patients and have back pain. In OT, you will lift patients but not nearly as much.
Answered by M N