Physical science aide vs physical therapy technician

The differences between physical science aides and physical therapy technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical science aide has an average salary of $74,754, which is higher than the $35,161 average annual salary of a physical therapy technician.

The top three skills for a physical science aide include patient care, chemistry and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a physical therapy technician are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.

Physical science aide vs physical therapy technician overview

	Physical Science Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Yearly salary	$74,754	$35,161
Hourly rate	$35.94	$16.90
Growth rate	24%	24%
Number of jobs	96,296	66,670
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Physical science aide vs physical therapy technician salary

Physical science aides and physical therapy technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Science Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Average salary	$74,754	$35,161
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $110,000	Between $20,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Stanford University	St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between physical science aide and physical therapy technician education

There are a few differences between a physical science aide and a physical therapy technician in terms of educational background:

	Physical Science Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Chemistry	Kinesiology
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Virginia

Physical science aide vs physical therapy technician demographics

Here are the differences between physical science aides' and physical therapy technicians' demographics:

	Physical Science Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.5% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between physical science aide and physical therapy technician duties and responsibilities

Physical science aide example responsibilities.

Manage organization and cleanliness of therapy room and equipment.
Prepare and set up physical science labs including chemistry, physics, geology, geography, and astronomy.
Implement development of basic GIS interface to team member for analyzing water quality.
Monitor reactions and prepare reaction products for analysis with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Train residents in the application of arm, legs, wrist, foot, neck splints.
Issue durable medical equipment such as walkers, canes, and commodes to patients upon discharge.

Physical therapy technician example responsibilities.

Manage flexible schedule at various company facilities categorize as ILF, ALF, and SNF.
Assist patients in performing ADL tasks and the use of prescribe adaptive equipment.
Help with ADL's for each patient to make sure they make it to the therapy gym.
Schedule rehab sessions, transport patients to sessions, maintain the cleanliness of treatment area and order supplies.
Administer therapeutic ultrasound and prepare patients for mechanical traction.
Assist patients in performing rehabilitation exercises on the equipment; ensure safety and equipment use guidelines are follow.

Physical science aide vs physical therapy technician skills

Common physical science aide skills

Patient Care, 45%
Chemistry, 19%
Laboratory Equipment, 15%
Physical Science, 14%
Adaptive Equipment, 2%
Stock Room, 1%

Common physical therapy technician skills

Patients, 43%
Patient Care, 13%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Occupational Therapy, 3%
Treatment Rooms, 2%

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Physical Science Aide
Physical Science Aide vs Physical Therapy Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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