Orthopedic physical therapist vs student physical therapist

The differences between orthopedic 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 $72,799 average annual salary of an orthopedic physical therapist.

The top three skills for an orthopedic physical therapist include patients, rehabilitation and patient care. The most important skills for a student physical therapist are patients, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation.

Orthopedic physical therapist vs student physical therapist overview

	Orthopedic Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$72,799	$73,003
Hourly rate	$35.00	$35.10
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	87,603	92,101
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Orthopedic physical therapist vs student physical therapist salary

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

	Orthopedic Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Average salary	$72,799	$73,003
Salary range	Between $48,000 And $108,000	Between $54,000 And $97,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between orthopedic physical therapist and student physical therapist education

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

	Orthopedic 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	Duke University	Duke University

Orthopedic physical therapist vs student physical therapist demographics

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

	Orthopedic Physical Therapist	Student Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7%	Male, 37.4% Female, 62.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.1% 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 orthopedic physical therapist and student physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Orthopedic 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.
Restore functional mobility for patients and prevent or lessen disabilities following disease or injury.
Provide physical therapy services to a vast patient base, including individuals with physical impairments requiring use of specialize adaptive equipment.
Supervise PTAs and therapy techs daily in the administration of therapeutic interventions and patient care.
Develop and implement an activity checklist for post-operative patients to reduce incidence rate of pneumonia.
Supervise treatment conduct by physical therapist assistants and delegate appropriate tasks to rehabilitation technicians on a daily basis.

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.

Orthopedic physical therapist vs student physical therapist skills

Common orthopedic physical therapist skills

Patients, 44%
Rehabilitation, 18%
Patient Care, 18%
Home Health, 4%
Discharge Planning, 3%
Discharge Summaries, 2%

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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Orthopedic Physical Therapist
Orthopedic Physical Therapist vs Student Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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