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What is a pediatric physical therapist and how to become one
A pediatric physical therapist is an expert in developing the lives along with the everyday responsibilities of children who have had unpleasant experiences from a huge range of harms and innate medical diseases. The basic responsibility of a pediatric physical therapist is to help the child and encourage the family to assist each child to measure up to their optimum ability. He/She does this by working autonomously and actively involved in meetings organized by the family, school as well as society at large.
Other duties you have to carry out are examining and delivering treatments for constraints in movement skills and evaluating the child's stamina, attitude, creativity, composure, and sensory processing. In addition, you are also disciplined to examine the motor improvements of the child by applying the detailed test for age match.
A pediatric physical therapist is required to have empathy for patients' conditions, physical stamina, clear communication, and manual skillfulness. You are also expected to give attention to every detail. Additionally, you must have at most a bachelor's degree in physical therapists, kinesiology, or biology. You will earn an average salary of $74,730 per year, which is $35.93 per hour.
What general advice would you give to a pediatric physical therapist?
Dr. Todd Roach D.C.
Assistant Professor of Biology, Aurora University
Avg. Salary $75,699
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 17%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%
Asian 11.42%
Black or African American 3.71%
Hispanic or Latino 7.49%
Unknown 3.74%
White 73.17%
Genderfemale 85.58%
male 14.42%
Age - 40American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 40Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Pediatric physical therapist career paths
Key steps to become a pediatric physical therapist
Explore pediatric physical therapist education requirements
Start to develop specific pediatric physical therapist skills
Skills Percentages Patients 25.17% Patient Care 11.94% Rehabilitation 9.00% Autism 5.65% Home Health 5.58% Complete relevant pediatric physical therapist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pediatric physical therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pediatric physical therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pediatric physical therapist resumes.Research pediatric physical therapist duties and 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.
Prepare your pediatric physical therapist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pediatric physical therapist resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pediatric physical therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable pediatric physical therapist resume templates
Build a professional pediatric physical therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pediatric physical therapist resume.
Apply for pediatric physical therapist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a pediatric physical therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first pediatric physical therapist job
Are you a pediatric physical therapist?
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Average pediatric physical therapist salary
The average pediatric physical therapist salary in the United States is $75,699 per year or $36 per hour. Pediatric physical therapist salaries range between $55,000 and $103,000 per year.
What am I worth?
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Updated January 8, 2025
