Per diem physical therapist vs pediatric physical therapist

The differences between per diem physical therapists and pediatric physical 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 $74,590 average annual salary of a per diem physical therapist.

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

Per diem physical therapist vs pediatric physical therapist overview

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$74,590	$75,699
Hourly rate	$35.86	$36.39
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	87,365	98,862
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
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 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.

Per diem physical therapist vs pediatric physical therapist salary

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Average salary	$74,590	$75,699
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $108,000	Between $55,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Lynnwood, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Alameda Health System	Tenet Healthcare
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between per diem physical therapist and pediatric physical therapist education

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Physical Therapy
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Per diem physical therapist vs pediatric physical therapist demographics

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

	Per Diem Physical Therapist	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
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, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between per diem physical therapist and pediatric 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.

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.

Per diem physical therapist vs pediatric 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 pediatric physical therapist skills

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

Per Diem Physical Therapist vs. similar jobs

Per Diem Physical Therapist related careers

Per Diem Physical Therapist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Per Diem Physical Therapist
Per Diem Physical Therapist vs Pediatric Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs