Who's on the clock?

Physical Therapists vs Occupational Therapists

Side by side: how much of the shift AI and robots touch, pay, outlook and training.

Time card for physical therapists: 7m of an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robotsTime card: Physical Therapists →

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Physical therapists or occupational therapists: which will AI change more? AI and robots touch more of the day for occupational therapists: 19m of an 8-hour shift, against 7m for physical therapists. Median pay is about the same: $102,760 and $100,330.

The two jobs share very close skills, including service orientation, social perceptiveness, time management, so moving between them is realistic for many people.

Physical Therapists
7mof an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robotsLess AI time
  • 7h 53mDone by people
  • 0mPeople do it with AI's help
  • 7mAI mostly does it alone
  • 0mRobots have done it somewhere
Median pay
$102,760
U.S. workers
267,000
Outlook to 2035
+11.9%
Openings a year
13,000
Typical preparation
Graduate degree
See the full time card →
Occupational Therapists
19mof an 8-hour shift touched by AI or robots
  • 7h 41mDone by people
  • 0mPeople do it with AI's help
  • 0mAI mostly does it alone
  • 19mRobots have done it somewhere
Median pay
$100,330
U.S. workers
162,000
Outlook to 2035
+14.8%
Openings a year
10,000
Typical preparation
Graduate degree
See the full time card →

Physical Therapists

Where AI or robots show up most

  • Provide educational information about physical therapy or physical therapists, injury prevention, ergonomics, or ways to promote health. 6m

Biggest tasks still done by people

  • Plan, prepare, or carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve, or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain, or prevent physical dysfunction in patients. 2h 21m
  • Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer. 1h 4m
  • Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention. 51m

Occupational Therapists

Where AI or robots show up most

  • Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions. 19m

Biggest tasks still done by people

  • Plan, organize, and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional, or community settings to help rehabilitate persons with disabilities because of illness, injury or psychological or developmental problems. 2h 17m
  • Complete and maintain necessary records. 1h 21m
  • Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients. 1h 2m

Swap in a different job Highlighted numbers are the higher of the two. Hours are estimates from each job's time card.