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Athletic coach vs physical therapist assistant

The differences between athletic coaches and physical therapist assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist assistant has an average salary of $53,035, which is higher than the $45,554 average annual salary of an athletic coach.

The top three skills for an athletic coach include CPR, student athletes and volleyball. The most important skills for a physical therapist assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Athletic coach vs physical therapist assistant overview

Athletic CoachPhysical Therapist Assistant
Yearly salary$45,554$53,035
Hourly rate$21.90$25.50
Growth rate20%24%
Number of jobs16,93580,018
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Associate Degree, 67%
Average age3639
Years of experience6-

What does an athletic coach do?

Athletic coaches organize professional and amateur athletes and teach them the basics of sports. The coaches train athletes to compete individually or as a team. They work before and after a match or game in the sphere of administrative duties. They provide assistance to the athletes to develop their full potential. They work as game coaches, leaders, performance managers, trainers, and leaders of the athletes. Also, they honor their clients as experts in their work and lives.

What does a physical therapist assistant do?

A physical therapist assistant's role is to provide treatments that will help a patient improve physical movements while under a physical therapist's supervision. Their responsibilities revolve around regularly observing a patient's reaction and progress to the treatment, operating various machines such as treadmills and trainers, and giving instructions to families on how to take care of the patient while at home. Furthermore, they must coordinate with a physical therapist to meet all of the patient's needs and give the best treatment possible.

Athletic coach vs physical therapist assistant salary

Athletic coaches and physical therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Athletic CoachPhysical Therapist Assistant
Average salary$45,554$53,035
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $71,000Between $40,000 And $70,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkAlaska
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsChildren's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industryGovernmentProfessional

Differences between athletic coach and physical therapist assistant education

There are a few differences between an athletic coach and a physical therapist assistant in terms of educational background:

Athletic CoachPhysical Therapist Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 70%Associate Degree, 67%
Most common majorKinesiologyPhysical Therapy
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Athletic coach vs physical therapist assistant demographics

Here are the differences between athletic coaches' and physical therapist assistants' demographics:

Athletic CoachPhysical Therapist Assistant
Average age3639
Gender ratioMale, 69.6% Female, 30.4%Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage8%7%

Differences between athletic coach and physical therapist assistant duties and responsibilities

Athletic coach example responsibilities.

  • Perform additional responsibilities as deemed appropriate by school and district supervisors such as organizing and managing elementary school mathematics information nights.
  • Create a positive, team-base environment focuse on teaching soccer, flag football, baseball, and life skills.
  • Coach middle school women's volleyball, softball and basketball.
  • Coach girls sports year-round: including volleyball, basketball, track and field.
  • Implement monthly recruitment logs for contact with prospects to meet the NCAA rules.
  • Coach several players to post season accolades including a player who make an NFL training camp.
  • Show more

Physical therapist assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage a diverse caseload including, but not limit to CVA's, cardiac care, Alzheimer's and sub acute orthopedics
  • Provide patients at a SNF with ROM exercises, transfer and gait training as well as balance and bed mobility exercises.
  • Provide physical therapy treatment as directed by physical therapist as PRN PTA for inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation and community hospital settings.
  • Care of patients in acute and ICU settings.
  • Work with adult, geriatrics, burns, ulcers and ICU patients
  • Prepare iontophoresis patches, give cervical and/or lumbar hot packs to clients.
  • Show more

Athletic coach vs physical therapist assistant skills

Common athletic coach skills
  • CPR, 30%
  • Student Athletes, 23%
  • Volleyball, 7%
  • Soccer, 7%
  • Public Schools, 6%
  • Freshman, 4%
Common physical therapist assistant skills
  • Patients, 26%
  • Rehabilitation, 15%
  • Home Health, 11%
  • PTA, 7%
  • Physical Therapy Treatment, 5%
  • Quality Care, 4%

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