Home care physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist

The differences between home care physical therapists and per diem physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a per diem physical therapist has an average salary of $74,590, which is higher than the $71,303 average annual salary of a home care physical therapist.

The top three skills for a home care physical therapist include patients, home health and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a per diem physical therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and per diem.

Home care physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist overview

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$71,303	$74,590
Hourly rate	$34.28	$35.86
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	180,359	87,365
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a home care physical therapist do?

A Home Care Physical Therapist provides therapy services defined in treatment plans in residential settings. They work with physicians, case managers, and adjustors. Their patients include accident victims and individuals with disabilities such as heart disease or fractures.

What does a per diem physical therapist do?

A per diem physical therapist is responsible for performing therapy treatments for patients when the institution is short-staffed for therapists. These therapists design recovery plans to help ease patients with their movements and daily activities after suffering from injury, illness, and other medical conditions. They diagnose patients to evaluate treatment methods, observe their progress every session, and modify plans until the final recovery. A per diem physical therapist operate various tools and equipment, schedule treatment appointments, and monitor the patients' medications.

Home care physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist salary

Home care physical therapists and per diem physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Average salary	$71,303	$74,590
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $107,000	Between $51,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Bridgeport, CT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Kaiser Permanente	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between home care physical therapist and per diem physical therapist education

There are a few differences between a home care physical therapist and a per diem physical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Home care physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between home care physical therapists' and per diem physical therapists' demographics:

	Home Care Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 36.6% Female, 63.4%	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 14.8% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between home care physical therapist and per diem physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Home care 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.
Complete documentation and billing for Medicare and Medicaid base on federal and state laws.
Deliver home-based physical therapy services to adult patients with general medical and orthopedic conditions.
Show true sympathy and compassion for optimal results.
Administer manual exercises, massage or traction to relieve pain, increase function and prevent deformity.
Practice specialties with certifications in vestibular rehabilitation and fall prevention.

Per diem physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Help patients adapt to the use of braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devices as needed.
Assist patients to adapt to the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devises.
Provide patient care in a SNF setting with the primary emphasis on transitioning patients from hospital to home.
Provide assessments and documentation for adaptive equipment.
Supervise PTAs and physical therapy aides in direct patient-relate activities.

Home care physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist skills

Common home care physical therapist skills

Patients, 35%
Home Health, 24%
Rehabilitation, 13%
Restore Function, 5%
Medicare, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 3%

Common per diem physical therapist skills

Patients, 26%
Rehabilitation, 16%
Per Diem, 14%
Home Health, 10%
Treatment Programs, 6%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Home Care Physical Therapist
Home Care Physical Therapist vs Per Diem Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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