Director of physical therapy vs pediatric physical therapist

The differences between directors of physical therapy and pediatric physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a director of physical therapy has an average salary of $107,759, which is higher than the $75,699 average annual salary of a pediatric physical therapist.

The top three skills for a director of physical therapy include patients, rehabilitation and physical therapy. The most important skills for a pediatric physical therapist are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.

Director of physical therapy vs pediatric physical therapist overview

	Director Of Physical Therapy	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$107,759	$75,699
Hourly rate	$51.81	$36.39
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	65,423	98,862
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a director of physical therapy do?

A Director of Physical Therapy manages physical therapy services through developing strategies, policies, and procedures for a hospital, clinic, managed care organization, or similar organization. They supervise and assess the activities of medical, nursing, technical, and other personnel.

What does a pediatric physical therapist do?

Pediatric physical therapists are specialized in improving the lives as well as the everyday tasks of children who suffer from a vast range of injuries and congenital disorders. Their primary duty is to aid the child and their family to help each child to reach their optimum potential to work independently and to encourage active engagement at home, in school, as well as in the community. Other responsibilities include assessing and providing treatment for impediments in motor skills as well as evaluating the child's strength, posture, flexibility, pace, coordination, balance, and sensory processing. Additionally, they are trained to examine the motor progress using specification testing for age equivalents.

Director of physical therapy vs pediatric physical therapist salary

Directors of physical therapy and pediatric physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Physical Therapy	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Average salary	$107,759	$75,699
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $183,000	Between $55,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Walnut Creek, CA	Lynnwood, WA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Washington
Best paying company	Prime Healthcare	Tenet Healthcare
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between director of physical therapy and pediatric physical therapist education

There are a few differences between a director of physical therapy and a pediatric physical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Physical Therapy	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Director of physical therapy vs pediatric physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between directors of physical therapy' and pediatric physical therapists' demographics:

	Director Of Physical Therapy	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5%	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between director of physical therapy and pediatric physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Director of physical therapy example responsibilities.

Develop department budgets and manage QA adherence.
Manage PPS details efficiently to ensure high quality clinical care while maximizing reimbursement for the facility.
Attend all daily meetings including stand up, IDT, PPS, and direct and lead weekly rehab meetings.
Develop and improve the documentation system with the use of early EMR documentation software.
Direct the provision of patient care, clinical duties, and development of COTA.
Provide OT treatment for high volume caseloads in rehab, outpatient, SNF, and acute settings.

Pediatric physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Experience in administering modalities including: NMES, IFC, iontophoresis, ultrasound, and cervical traction.
Evaluate and write letters of necessity to obtain adaptive equipment including: mobility devices, adaptive seating device and positioning devices.
Start OT career at Eisenhower as regular staff OTR; continue to work often as long-term/temporary OTR.
Evaluate patients in medical and surgical ICU and provide ROM and ambulation exercises and prepare them for the discharge.
Educate patients on performing daily living activities and the use of supportive equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs and canes.

Director of physical therapy vs pediatric physical therapist skills

Common director of physical therapy skills

Patients, 39%
Rehabilitation, 17%
Physical Therapy, 6%
Treatment Programs, 5%
Occupational Therapy, 5%
Outpatient Clinic, 4%

Common pediatric physical therapist skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 12%
Rehabilitation, 9%
Autism, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Physical Therapy, 4%

Director Of Physical Therapy vs. similar jobs

Director Of Physical Therapy related careers

Director Of Physical Therapy related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Director Of Physical Therapy
Director Of Physical Therapy vs Pediatric Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs