Pathways ForwardCurricula · Hands-On Healthcare · Tacoma & Pierce County
Rehabilitation Therapy: the Tacoma Path
Rehabilitation therapists help people walk, work, speak and hear again after injury, illness or birth defects. The field includes physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapy, audiology and athletic training, with assistant jobs as shorter routes.
Why this field is on the list · as of September 2026
The therapists pass; the assistants fall short. The physical therapist clears the two-child bar, the speech-language pathologist clears the two-child bar and the occupational therapist clears the two-child bar. PT and OT assistants fall short.
The schedules suit a family. Home-health visits, school contracts and part-time clinic work are common.
AI exposure is low. Therapy is hands-on and personal. Software helps with notes and exercise plans.
Watch for: the doctorate for physical therapy takes three years after a bachelor’s. Weigh the loans against the pay.
01 · The ladderTherapist and assistant routes
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Physical therapist
A bachelor’s, then a three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Where: the University of Puget Sound (Doctor of Physical Therapy; master’s or doctorate in occupational therapy).
Seattle–Tacoma median $107,290 · 25th percentile $95,060 · clears the two-child bar
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Occupational therapist
A bachelor’s, then a master’s or doctorate in occupational therapy.
Seattle–Tacoma median $109,860 · 25th percentile $97,140 · clears the two-child bar
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Speech-language pathologist and audiologist
A bachelor’s, then a two-year master’s (speech) or a four-year doctorate (audiology).
Where: the University of Washington (speech-language pathology master’s and Doctor of Audiology).
Seattle–Tacoma median $108,690 · 25th percentile $99,000 · clears the two-child bar
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PT and OT assistants
Two-year associate degrees. Where: Green River College in Auburn (ask about current PTA and OTA openings), or search the CAPTE directory and ACOTE directory.
Seattle–Tacoma median $65,450 · 25th percentile $36,610 · short of the bar
02 · BranchesWhere the work leads
Hospitals and outpatient clinics
Rehab after surgery, strokes and injuries.
Schedule: Weekday clinic hours, some weekends in hospitals.
Schools
Speech and occupational therapists work with children, often by contract.
Schedule: School-year hours.
Home health
Therapists visit patients at home after a hospital stay.
Schedule: Flexible daytime visits.
03 · For the familyThe schedule, for a father and for a mother
- For the one who carries the income. A PT, OT or speech therapist carries a family here; an assistant does not.
- For a mother at home. School contracts, home-health visits and part-time clinic work fit around a family well. Speech therapy by video is also possible.
- Keep the license current. Therapists renew with continuing education. Keep the license current through the years at home.
04 · The home-school yearsWhat to add to the core path
Grades 9–10
- Everything in the shared core, with biology, anatomy and physics
- Coaching or helping with a disabled relative or neighbor counts as practice
Grades 11–12
- Anatomy, psychology and statistics through Running Start
- Observation hours with a therapist (most programs require them)
After high school
- A bachelor’s with the prerequisites, then the graduate program
Tie to the Verification Track
A therapist measures, treats and measures again. Progress is checked against numbers, not hopes. The Verification Track trains that habit.
05 · SourcesWhere these facts come from
Checked 2026-09-26
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metro area and the state of Washington. bls.gov/oes
- Income bars: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Pierce County. livingwage.mit.edu/counties/53053
- Physical therapy programs: CAPTE directory; occupational therapy: ACOTE directory; speech and audiology: ASHA
- Tacoma Community College: tacomacc.edu; Bates Technical College: batestech.edu; Clover Park Technical College: cptc.edu; Pierce College: pierce.ctc.edu
- University of Puget Sound: pugetsound.edu; University of Washington: washington.edu; Bellevue College: bellevuecollege.edu