Occupational Therapist vs Physician Assistant: $100K vs $136K Median Pay

Occupational Therapist vs Physician Assistant: what changes?

Consider Occupational Therapist if you want to assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental…. Consider Physician Assistant if you would rather provide healthcare services typically performed by a physician, under the supervision of a physician. Both list master's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Occupational Therapist and Physician Assistant. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Occupational Therapist

National median pay (2025): $100,330
Route into the job: Master's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 10,000

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Occupational Therapist brief

Physician Assistant

National median pay (2025): $135,880
Route into the job: Master's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Make tentative diagnoses and decisions about management and treatment of patients.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 11,500

Know before you choose

Exposure to illness or infection is a recurring part of the work context, even when safety procedures are followed.

See the full Physician Assistant brief

How the national numbers differ

Physician Assistant has the edge on median pay

Physician Assistant is at $135,880, compared with $100,330 for Occupational Therapist.

Physician Assistant has the edge on annual openings

Physician Assistant is at 11,500 annual openings, compared with 10,000 annual openings for Occupational Therapist.

Physician Assistant has the edge on projected growth

Physician Assistant is at 21.1% projected growth, compared with 14.8% projected growth for Occupational Therapist.

69.8/ 100

Occupational Therapist

74.2/ 100

Physician Assistant

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Occupational Therapist vs Physician Assistant

Dimension	Occupational Therapist	Physician Assistant
Median pay (2025)	$100,330	$135,880
Pay percentile	82.9 percentile	93.3 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	14.8%	21.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	10,000	11,500
2025 employment	169,600	168,900
How you qualify	Master's degree	Master's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Occupational Therapist brief Read Physician Assistant brief

Occupational Therapist vs Physician Assistant: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Occupational Therapist

Physician Assistant

How the national numbers differ

Physician Assistant has the edge on median pay

Physician Assistant has the edge on annual openings

Physician Assistant has the edge on projected growth

Occupational Therapist vs Physician Assistant

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