Per diem physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist

The differences between per diem physical therapists and outpatient 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 $66,359 average annual salary of an outpatient physical therapist.

The top three skills for a per diem physical therapist include patients, rehabilitation and per diem. The most important skills for an outpatient physical therapist are patients, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.

Per diem physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist overview

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$74,590	$66,359
Hourly rate	$35.86	$31.90
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	87,365	119,973
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Master's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

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.

What does an outpatient physical therapist do?

An outpatient physical therapist specializes in diagnosing and treating a patient's movement dysfunction often caused by an illness or injury. Their responsibilities revolve around studying a patient's medical history, performing initial assessments, crafting a specific care and treatment plan, and discussing the extent of treatments with patients and their families. An outpatient physical therapist may also provide advice to families or guardians on how to assist and care for patients at home, prescribe medication, and perform follow-up consultations.

Per diem physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist salary

Per diem physical therapists and outpatient physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Average salary	$74,590	$66,359
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $108,000	Between $40,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Alameda Health System	Accountable Healthcare Holdings Corp.
Best paying industry	Professional	Non Profits

Differences between per diem physical therapist and outpatient physical therapist education

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Master's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Social Work
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Boston University

Per diem physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist demographics

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Outpatient Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between per diem physical therapist and outpatient physical therapist duties and responsibilities

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.

Outpatient physical therapist example responsibilities.

Facilitate development of coping techniques to manage psychiatric symptoms effectively; educate patients on importance of medication management and compliance.
Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Perform assessments with clients to determine diagnosis and need of services.
Complete intake assessment and formulate diagnosis.
Assist veterans with transportation to interviews.
Provide active case management service for veterans in residential treatment.

Per diem physical therapist vs outpatient physical therapist skills

Common per diem physical therapist skills

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

Common outpatient physical therapist skills

Patients, 23%
Physical Therapy, 17%
Rehabilitation, 11%
Patient Care, 10%
Therapy Services, 5%
Social Work, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Per Diem Physical Therapist
Per Diem Physical Therapist vs Outpatient Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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