Pediatric physical therapist vs clinical therapist

The differences between pediatric physical therapists and clinical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pediatric physical therapist has an average salary of $75,699, which is higher than the $57,864 average annual salary of a clinical therapist.

The top three skills for a pediatric physical therapist include patients, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a clinical therapist are social work, patients, and crisis intervention.

Pediatric physical therapist vs clinical therapist overview

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Yearly salary	$75,699	$57,864
Hourly rate	$36.39	$27.82
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	98,862	136,898
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Master's Degree, 51%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a pediatric physical therapist do?

Pediatric physical therapists are specialized in improving the lives as well as the everyday tasks of children who suffer from a vast range of injuries and congenital disorders. Their primary duty is to aid the child and their family to help each child to reach their optimum potential to work independently and to encourage active engagement at home, in school, as well as in the community. Other responsibilities include assessing and providing treatment for impediments in motor skills as well as evaluating the child's strength, posture, flexibility, pace, coordination, balance, and sensory processing. Additionally, they are trained to examine the motor progress using specification testing for age equivalents.

What does a clinical therapist do?

A Clinical Therapist works with patients to help identify, examine, and treat mental health and emotional issues or disorders. They counsel individuals or groups regarding psychological or emotional problems, as well as observe clients to detect indications of abnormal physical or mental behavior.

Pediatric physical therapist vs clinical therapist salary

Pediatric physical therapists and clinical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Average salary	$75,699	$57,864
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $103,000	Between $42,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Lynnwood, WA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Tenet Healthcare	CVS Health
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between pediatric physical therapist and clinical therapist education

There are a few differences between a pediatric physical therapist and a clinical therapist in terms of educational background:

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Master's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Social Work
Most common college	Duke University	California State University - Long Beach

Pediatric physical therapist vs clinical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between pediatric physical therapists' and clinical therapists' demographics:

	Pediatric Physical Therapist	Clinical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between pediatric physical therapist and clinical therapist duties and responsibilities

Pediatric physical therapist example 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.
Evaluate patients in medical and surgical ICU and provide ROM and ambulation exercises and prepare them for the discharge.
Educate patients on performing daily living activities and the use of supportive equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs and canes.

Clinical therapist example responsibilities.

Provide clinical consultation to consumers and clients regarding manage care services and other benefits available to them through their EAP programs.
Provide direct treatment services such as individual/group therapy and intervene in crisis situations when patients exhibit acute psychiatric symptoms.
Direct patients to designate residential or supportive living options, community base placement/ treatment or other resources as necessary.
Provide training for federal and public organizations regarding the psychological aspects of veterans having experience combat or military sexual trauma.
Work closely with a license orthotist/prosthetist to obtain orthotics for children who require them.

Pediatric physical therapist vs clinical therapist skills

Common pediatric physical therapist skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 12%
Rehabilitation, 9%
Autism, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Physical Therapy, 4%

Common clinical therapist skills

Social Work, 26%
Patients, 12%
Crisis Intervention, 8%
Mental Health, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Community Resources, 3%

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Pediatric Physical Therapist
Pediatric Physical Therapist vs Clinical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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