Occupational Therapy Assistants vs Physical Therapist Aides AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

medium risk

Occupational Therapy Assistants

47 shared · 23 different

core competencies

low risk

Physical Therapist Aides

Side-by-Side Comparison

Physical Therapist Aides leads 3–1

Metric	Occupational Therapy Assistants	Physical Therapist Aides
Risk Score	26.7%	24.3%
Risk Tier	Medium Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	24th	17th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	3 / 15	3 / 15
Median Salary	$68,340	$34,520
Employment	48K	44K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Handling and Moving Objects

Psychology

Documenting/Recording Information

Getting Information

Analyzing Data or Information

Thinking Creatively

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Problem Sensitivity

Oral Expression

Written Expression

Written Comprehension

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Occupational Therapy Assistants

34%

total discount

Physical Therapist Aides

30%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Occupational Therapy Assistants

3 of 15 at risk

86%Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.

84%Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.

74%Attend continuing education classes.

47%Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.

45%Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect.

Physical Therapist Aides

3 of 15 at risk

87%Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules.

87%Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.

86%Record treatment given and equipment used.

49%Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.

49%Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.

Wage Comparison

Physical Therapist Aides earns -$33,820(-49%) vs Occupational Therapy Assistants

Occupational Therapy AssistantsPhysical Therapist Aides

10th

$49,070$24,960

25th

$59,950$29,710

Median

$68,340$34,520

75th

$77,340$38,240

90th

$86,930$46,930

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Occupational Therapy Assistants2028–2035

Physical Therapist Aides2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Physical Therapist Aides has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Occupational Therapy Assistants.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Occupational Therapy Assistants

$50,093

from $68,340

Physical Therapist Aides

$26,139

from $34,520

After adjusting for AI risk, Occupational Therapy Assistants offers $23,955 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Occupational

Unique to Physical

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Creativity

Decision Complexity

Social Intelligence

Fine Manipulation

Occupational Therapy AssistantsPhysical Therapist Aides

Find transitions from Occupational Therapy Assistants Find transitions from Physical Therapist Aides