Geriatric physical therapist vs student physical therapist

The differences between geriatric physical therapists and student physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student physical therapist has an average salary of $73,003, which is higher than the $68,810 average annual salary of a geriatric physical therapist.

The top three skills for a geriatric physical therapist include rehabilitation, home health and social work. The most important skills for a student physical therapist are patients, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation.

Geriatric physical therapist vs student physical therapist overview

	Geriatric Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$68,810	$73,003
Hourly rate	$33.08	$35.10
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	69,468	92,101
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Geriatric physical therapist vs student physical therapist salary

Geriatric physical therapists and student physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Geriatric Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Average salary	$68,810	$73,003
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $105,000	Between $54,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between geriatric physical therapist and student physical therapist education

There are a few differences between a geriatric physical therapist and a student physical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Geriatric Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Kinesiology
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	Duke University

Geriatric physical therapist vs student physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between geriatric physical therapists' and student physical therapists' demographics:

	Geriatric Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 21.4% Female, 78.6%	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 12.9% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between geriatric physical therapist and student physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Geriatric physical therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Care for veterans in both independent and SNF environments.
Screen, evaluate and treat residents with diverse disease processes in multiple SNF's.
Provide rehabilitation services as per patient requirement.
Administer therapeutic hot packs, cold packs and personally handle various electrical stimulation treatments; ultrasound, electrical stimulation.
Work to decrease ICU length of stay, vent days, and hospital length of stay.

Student physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Evaluate and treat patients with total hip/total knee surgeries, status post CVA and spinal cord injuries.
Evaluate and treat patients with orthopedic conditions such as low back pain, cervical pain, post operative conditions.
Perform evaluations, provide patient treatment, supervise COTA
Develop ability to perform ICU mobility treatments with acutely ill patients.
Evaluate and treat patients in ICU implicating early mobilization to prevent further decline in cardiopulmonary compromise patients.

Geriatric physical therapist vs student physical therapist skills

Common geriatric physical therapist skills

Rehabilitation, 40%
Home Health, 33%
Social Work, 7%
Family Therapy, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Substance Abuse, 3%

Common student physical therapist skills

Patients, 31%
Occupational Therapy, 13%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Patient Care, 6%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 6%
Adaptive, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Geriatric Physical Therapist
Geriatric Physical Therapist vs Student Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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