Physical science aide vs staff physical therapy assistant

The differences between physical science aides and staff physical therapy assistants 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 $51,881 average annual salary of a staff physical therapy assistant.

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

Physical science aide vs staff physical therapy assistant overview

	Physical Science Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Yearly salary	$74,754	$51,881
Hourly rate	$35.94	$24.94
Growth rate	24%	24%
Number of jobs	96,296	127,104
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Associate Degree, 47%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Physical science aide vs staff physical therapy assistant salary

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

	Physical Science Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Average salary	$74,754	$51,881
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $110,000	Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Stanford University	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between physical science aide and staff physical therapy assistant education

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

	Physical Science Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Associate Degree, 47%
Most common major	Chemistry	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Virginia

Physical science aide vs staff physical therapy assistant demographics

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

	Physical Science Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2%	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between physical science aide and staff physical therapy assistant 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.

Staff physical therapy assistant example responsibilities.

Perform ultrasound massage on patients and effectively manage pain level of patient using heat therapy.
Train patients on the use of braces, canes, crutches, walkers and prosthetic/orthotic devices.
Provide outpatient physical therapy rehabilitation services to patients with orthopedic, post-surgical problems, chronic pain issues.
Teach patients how to use and care for wheelchairs, walkers, braces and artificial limbs.
Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, such as crutches or wheelchairs.
Provide treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and hot/cold packs, infrare, UVR, tens and traction.

Physical science aide vs staff physical therapy assistant skills

Common physical science aide skills

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

Common staff physical therapy assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 14%
CPR, 12%
Home Health, 10%
Customer Service, 4%
Acute Care, 4%

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Physical Science Aide
Physical Science Aide vs Staff Physical Therapy Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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