Exercise physiologist vs physical therapist assistant

The differences between exercise physiologists 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 $49,399 average annual salary of an exercise physiologist.

The top three skills for an exercise physiologist include patients, rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation. The most important skills for a physical therapist assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Exercise physiologist vs physical therapist assistant overview

	Exercise Physiologist	Physical Therapist Assistant
Yearly salary	$49,399	$53,035
Hourly rate	$23.75	$25.50
Growth rate	9%	24%
Number of jobs	38,633	80,018
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 67%
Average age	38	39
Years of experience	2	-

What does an exercise physiologist do?

An exercise physiologist is a health professional who analyzes the fitness of patients to help them improve their health or maintain good health. Exercise physiologists are required to help patients with heart diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes or pulmonary disease to regain their health. Certified exercise physiologists must administer exercise stress tests in health and unhealthy populations. They also assist both amateur and professional athletes in helping them boost their performance in sports.

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.

Exercise physiologist vs physical therapist assistant salary

Exercise physiologists and physical therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Exercise Physiologist	Physical Therapist Assistant
Average salary	$49,399	$53,035
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $82,000	Between $40,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Fairfield, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	Children's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between exercise physiologist and physical therapist assistant education

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

	Exercise Physiologist	Physical Therapist Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Associate Degree, 67%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Physical Therapy
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Northwestern University

Exercise physiologist vs physical therapist assistant demographics

Here are the differences between exercise physiologists' and physical therapist assistants' demographics:

	Exercise Physiologist	Physical Therapist Assistant
Average age	38	39
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 Percentage	13%	7%

Differences between exercise physiologist and physical therapist assistant duties and responsibilities

Exercise physiologist example responsibilities.

Manage overall time off processing and reporting as it relates to FMLA and disability programs.
Evaluate acutely-ill cardiac patients after cardiovascular events/procedures for their physician-ordered cardiac rehabilitation.
Keep current certifications in BLS and ACLS as well as attending advance ECG courses.
Deliver key contributions to development of written materials bolstering diabetes prevention program for patients and other MTF s/practitioners.
Instruct adult and infant CPR classes.
Perform risk assessments on individuals with coronary artery disease and COPD patients.

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.

Exercise physiologist vs physical therapist assistant skills

Common exercise physiologist skills

Patients, 22%
Rehabilitation, 13%
Cardiac Rehabilitation, 6%
Acls, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
EKG, 5%

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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Exercise Physiologist
Exercise Physiologist vs Physical Therapist Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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