2 answers
Elias
Student
Middletown, Rhode Island
5
Questions
Asked
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How hard is it to get into PT or OT school near Rhode Island?
#physical-therapy #occupational-therapy #university-applications
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2 answers
David Thomforde
retired occupational therapist
15
Answers
Athens, Tennessee
Updated
David’s Answer
I dont know rhode island schools but I know that both PT and OT schools are very competitive all over the country. You can improve your chances by studying hard to have good grads and by volunteering in rehab centers or hospitals. If you find the competition or costs of a professional degree too onerous, you can enroll in an OT or PT assistant program (less competative, 2 years only) and earn money and gain experience that will help you get admission in a professional program at a later date. You should also consider looking for schools outside of rhode island because competition is harder in the larger metropolitan areas.
Aaron Anderson
Occupational Therapist
1
Answer
Lenexa
Updated
Aaron’s Answer
First, I agree with David that PT and OT schools across the nation are competitive, but don't let this discourage you! With hard work and determination, you absolutely CAN achieve your goal of getting into OT or PT school; you just have to believe in yourself and be committed to your goal.
Second, it's difficult to answer specifically how competitive programs in Rhode Island are. If you want to know how many apply and how many are accepted of that applicant pool, you could always call the program department and ask. Regardless, I would recommend looking into the programs you are interested in and giving the department a call to ask what you can do to make your application as strong as possible. For occupational therapy programs, here is a link to all programs in the United States (https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Find-School/AccreditEntryLevel/OTMasters.aspx). If you look under Rhode Island, there is one program located at the New England Institute of Technology (https://www.neit.edu/Programs/Graduate-Degree-Programs/Occupational-Therapy).
Finally, since it seems you are looking into both occupational therapy and physical therapy, I would suggest spending some time looking into both professions, investigating the differences in philosophy, theory, and treatment methods/goals to discover for yourself which profession is more interesting to you and aligns with your personal and professional goals.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Second, it's difficult to answer specifically how competitive programs in Rhode Island are. If you want to know how many apply and how many are accepted of that applicant pool, you could always call the program department and ask. Regardless, I would recommend looking into the programs you are interested in and giving the department a call to ask what you can do to make your application as strong as possible. For occupational therapy programs, here is a link to all programs in the United States (https://www.aota.org/Education-Careers/Find-School/AccreditEntryLevel/OTMasters.aspx). If you look under Rhode Island, there is one program located at the New England Institute of Technology (https://www.neit.edu/Programs/Graduate-Degree-Programs/Occupational-Therapy).
Finally, since it seems you are looking into both occupational therapy and physical therapy, I would suggest spending some time looking into both professions, investigating the differences in philosophy, theory, and treatment methods/goals to discover for yourself which profession is more interesting to you and aligns with your personal and professional goals.
Hope this helps. Good luck!