Careers in Rehabilitative Care: OT vs PT vs SLP
July 9, 2024
Are you looking to pursue a new career? You鈥檙e not alone. In recent years, many Americans have chosen to quit their jobs and pursue new roles, whether within their current industry or deciding to take a leap and progress into a different field, such as healthcare.
Fortunately, there is a wide range of qualifications that enable intrigued candidates to pursue one of many careers in the healthcare sector. Take, for example, the rapidly growing area of rehabilitative care – from graduate degrees to ; there鈥檚 a qualification available for anyone who wants to transition into a rehabilitative care career.
Let鈥檚 explore the vast world of healthcare jobs – how a career in one of the many specializations in the sector can be a life-changing experience, not only for you but for the communities in which you may choose to work.
The Wide World of Medical Careers
When you think about it, someone can pursue a truly astounding number of medical careers. Often, television programs like to imagine a medical career as a straightforward path – you go to college, begin a residency, and become a doctor.聽
In reality, there are many medical fields that one can choose to study – from understanding how the mind works (psychiatric medicine) to tackling debilitating health concerns such as cancer (oncological medicine) and heart conditions (cardiology).聽
If you鈥檙e looking to pursue a healthcare career, rehabilitative care offers a range of roles where you鈥檒l help to make a genuine difference to patients’ quality of life. With an estimated therapy sessions conducted annually in the US, there鈥檚 plenty of work!
A Note on Qualifications
It鈥檚 essential to recognize that no matter what degree you pursue, there may be different licensing requirements depending on where you complete your qualifications.
For example, state licensure as an SLP requires both a graduate degree and a passing score on the in Speech-Language Pathology.
If you鈥檙e looking to pursue a career as an OT, you must pass the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy ().
Finally, to pursue a career as a POT, you must pass the administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.
There may be additional licensing requirements, depending on the state that you choose to license in. If you need clarification on what qualifications may be required when pursuing a career in the rehabilitative care fields discussed in this article, seek professional advice from a careers counselor.
What Is Rehabilitative Care?
Rehabilitative care is a specialized health field focused on recovery after a significant traumatic event, such as a medical incident, surgery, or major injury. It鈥檚 all about taking a to improving how a patient鈥檚 body functions, which in turn helps patients to function with an increased level of independence.
Think of it as a child who wants to visit the local library regularly. It can take a while to walk there, so often, they ask a parent for help getting to and from the library – which can be time-consuming. Rehabilitation, in a way, is similar to teaching a child how to ride a bike. It gives them the bodily functions to do things independently without as much aid as previously required, enabling them to live a better quality of life without being as reliant on others around them.
Rehabilitative care isn鈥檛 just about putting people in a position where they no longer need help; it鈥檚 about . For many, an injury can often cause feelings of shame and discomfort, impacting self-esteem and the way they are perceived by themselves and others. By helping to improve quality of life, rehabilitative care can help to normalize injury, reminding people that while things happen, it鈥檚 nothing to feel ashamed of.
Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) – Empowering Voices
One of the most common types of rehabilitation often involves speech and language conditions. They鈥檙e much more common than you think, with recent data published by the Mayo Clinic noting that it鈥檚 estimated that between five and ten percent of people in the U.S. are affected by some kind of .
Communicating effectively is often extremely important, even in the most mundane situations. We often forget how much talking we do on a day-to-day basis – even if it鈥檚 for the little things, being able to talk can often make a big difference.
One of the most well-known examples of speech pathology in practice is the work of Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist who was famous for helping British royal with his stammer. Documented in the 2010 film A King鈥檚 Speech, Logue鈥檚 work focused on exercises that would help the King speak confidently in public, even if it was something that he dreaded.
Working as a speech pathologist is incredibly rewarding. You can make a real difference in the lives of people in your community, and it鈥檚 a field that can be a life-changing experience for both pathologists and patients.
Physical Therapy (PT) – Enabling Patient Recovery
If you鈥檝e experienced a significant adverse medical event that has impacted your ability to function, you may have been exposed to the work that physical therapists do. This form of rehabilitative care is trained explicitly in care that helps to improve function and reduce pain.
A physical therapist can help to treat a wide range of health problems. For example, some of the work that a physical therapist may do is to help a patient who has recently experienced a stroke – a major neurological event that impacts of older Americans each year and is a major cause of long-term disability.
Physical therapists use a variety of treatments to help people ultimately improve their quality of life so they can continue to live rather than spend their lives in pain and discomfort. While physical therapy is highly specialized, there are further qualifications that focus on specific medical conditions.
For example, a physical therapist who works exclusively with older patients may specialize in geriatric physical therapy, helping older Americans manage the impacts that aging has on their bodies.聽
Someone who works specifically with people experiencing the effects of illnesses such as angina or asthma may specialize in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy. In fact, physical therapy has a , highlighting just how diverse the rehabilitative care sector truly is.
Occupational Therapy (OT) – Improving The Day-To-Day
Rehabilitative care comes in a variety of different forms. For those who pursue a career in occupational therapy, you鈥檒l find a career where you鈥檙e helping to improve the quality of life of patients in ways that will help them complete everyday activities in a way that minimizes pain and makes things as easy as possible.
The work of an occupational therapist is often confused with that of a physical therapist. While they do share some similarities, their primary objectives as healthcare professionals for fall into two distinct areas.
Physical therapists focus on improving the body鈥檚 ability to move more generally. For example, a physical therapist may use a range of exercises to help reduce a patient’s pain levels so that the patient can go out and live life.
On the other hand, an occupational therapist is focused on improving a patient鈥檚 ability to complete daily activities鈥攕uch as eating, drinking, and cleaning themselves. They may explore a patient’s unique circumstances and help implement strategies so that patients can more effectively complete regular, recurring tasks.
If you鈥檙e looking to pursue a career in the healthcare sector, rehabilitative care roles are a great way to empower the people who live in your community and may need support to improve their quality of life.
No matter whether you choose to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist, an occupational therapist, or a physical therapist, remember – you never know whose life you may change next.
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