Occupational Therapist → Physical Therapist
Measured from 385 live occupational therapist postings and the destination’s own corpus. Updated with the nightly scrape.
DPT degree + state PT license (NPTE) required
The judgment call
An occupational therapist reaches physical therapist at 74 percent skill readiness, measured from 385 live occupational therapist postings against what physical therapist postings ask for. At that number it is a genuinely close move.
What carries over: Rehabilitation, Patient Care, Treatment Planning, Clinical Skills. The gap is the rest of the destination demand, chiefly Brewing, Recruiting, the skills a typical occupational therapist profile does not yet show.
DPT degree + state PT license (NPTE) required. Posted pay for physical therapist runs $95k–$120k, demand is rated high, and the estimated time to close the gap is 3+ yr incl. license. This read is drafted from the numbers; the graph above is the full skill map behind them.
Evidence checklist
What physical therapist postings ask for, against what a typical occupational therapist already demonstrates. Drawn from the skill-overlap data, curated by hand.
- ✓RehabilitationCoveredIn the typical occupational therapist profile
- ✓Patient CareCoveredIn the typical occupational therapist profile
- ✓Treatment PlanningCoveredIn the typical occupational therapist profile
- ✓Clinical SkillsCoveredIn the typical occupational therapist profile
- ○BrewingGapAsked for by physical therapist postings, not yet shown
- ○RecruitingGapAsked for by physical therapist postings, not yet shown
Open physical therapist roles you could move into
Live openings, freshest first. Apply at the source.
PhysiotherapeutIn (50-100%) | Physioswiss at Physio SwissPfäffikon, Zürich, Switzerland1d agoApply- Pediatric Physical therapist PRN at Direct employerNashville, TN1d agoUnlock
- Une Physiothérapeute Femme at JobupGenève, Geneva, Switzerland2d agoApply
- Dipl. Physiotherapeut:in 60 - 100% in Esslingen, Zürich | Physioswiss at Physio SwissEsslingen, Zürich, Switzerland2d agoApply
- Physiotherapeut FH/HF 60 - 100% | Physioswiss at Physio SwissWil, St. Gallen, Switzerland2d agoApply
- Physiothérapeute 50–100 % – CDI at Espace Réhabilitation SàrlFleurier, Neuchâtel, Switzerland2d agoApply
Related routes
- Occupational Therapist → Dietitian69% readiness
- Occupational Therapist → Social Worker64% readiness
Quick answers
Can an occupational therapist become a physical therapist?
Posted-skill readiness is 74 percent in our corpus. The skills that carry are Rehabilitation, Patient Care, Treatment Planning; the gap is Brewing, Recruiting. Note the credential gate: dpt degree + state pt license (npte) required.
Do I need a license or degree to become a physical therapist?
Yes. DPT degree + state PT license (NPTE) required. Skill overlap does not shorten a credential: however high the readiness number reads, the gate stands on its own, which is why the transition estimate for this route is 3+ yr incl. license.
What skills does an occupational therapist need to become a physical therapist?
The measured gap, read from live physical therapist postings, is Brewing, Recruiting. Already covered by a typical occupational therapist profile: Rehabilitation, Patient Care, Treatment Planning, Clinical Skills. The graph on this page shows the full overlap, skill by skill.
How long does the occupational therapist to physical therapist move take?
Our estimate from the skill gap is 3+ yr incl. license, shorter for anyone who already holds part of the destination skill set.
What does a physical therapist earn?
Posted pay is $95k–$120k, with demand rated high. The salary page for physical therapist carries the full distribution.
Method: skill readiness is coverage of the destination’s posting-skill weight by a typical occupational therapist profile; salary bands are posted 25th–75th percentiles; observed flow is worker-transition data derived from the CPS (Current Population Survey; see the method section on the instrument). July 2026 corpus. In a typical year 2.4% of occupational therapist workers move to a different occupation (BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34).