Pathways Forward

Curricula · Hands-On Healthcare · The Tri-Cities

Rehabilitation Therapy: the Tri-Cities 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.

Ed. 2026–27Builds on the Tri-Cities Hands-On Healthcare core pathChecked 2026-09-26

Why this field is on the list · as of September 2026

$107,350Median physical therapist pay, Tri-Cities
$103,410Median speech-language pathologist pay, Tri-Cities
$90,282Benton County living wage, one earner, two children

The therapists pass; the assistants fall short. The physical therapist clears the three-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

  1. Physical therapist

    A bachelor’s, then a three-year Doctor of Physical Therapy.

    Where: Eastern Washington University in Spokane (Doctor of Physical Therapy and Doctor of Occupational Therapy).

    Tri-Cities median $107,350 · 25th percentile $94,310 · clears the three-child bar

  2. Occupational therapist

    A bachelor’s, then a master’s or doctorate in occupational therapy.

    Tri-Cities median $102,460 · 25th percentile $92,820 · clears the two-child bar

  3. Speech-language pathologist and audiologist

    A bachelor’s, then a two-year master’s (speech) or a four-year doctorate (audiology).

    Where: Eastern Washington University (speech-language pathology) and the University of Washington (Doctor of Audiology).

    Tri-Cities median $103,410 · 25th percentile $85,160 · clears the two-child bar

  4. PT and OT assistants

    Two-year associate degrees. Where: the CAPTE directory and ACOTE directory.

    Tri-Cities median $72,980 · 25th percentile $59,600 · 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

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