Physical therapist vs assistant

The differences between physical therapists and assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist has an average salary of $73,070, which is higher than the $37,363 average annual salary of an assistant.

The top three skills for a physical therapist include patients, rehabilitation and home health. The most important skills for an assistant are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Physical therapist vs assistant overview

	Physical Therapist	Assistant
Yearly salary	$73,070	$37,363
Hourly rate	$35.13	$17.96
Growth rate	17%	-8%
Number of jobs	86,697	557,900
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	41	50
Years of experience	-	2

What does a physical therapist do?

Physical therapists are health care professionals who diagnose and treat patients with health conditions and limited ability to move and perform daily activities. They help in restoring physical function and mobility and teach how to properly use therapeutic exercise techniques. They also help promote overall wellness and encourage healthier and more active lifestyles. They design a recovery plan unique for every patient, provide treatment and therapy to help improve and manage their condition. They provide care to all kinds of individuals, from newborns to people at the end of their life.

What does an assistant do?

An assistant intern is responsible for facilitating administrative and clerical tasks as assigned by the management. Assistant interns' duties include keeping records of meetings, receiving calls and handling customer inquiries, assisting on writing reports and data entry processing, cooperating and providing support for business events, and adhering to company policies and regulatory procedures. Successful assistant interns must have excellent time-management, multi-tasking, and communication skills. They must be a team player and fast-learner to handle various tasks in the corporate industry.

Physical therapist vs assistant salary

Physical therapists and assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Therapist	Assistant
Average salary	$73,070	$37,363
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $94,000	Between $16,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Parkway	Latham & Watkins
Best paying industry	Professional	Education

Differences between physical therapist and assistant education

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

	Physical Therapist	Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Western Carolina University

Physical therapist vs assistant demographics

Here are the differences between physical therapists' and assistants' demographics:

	Physical Therapist	Assistant
Average age	41	50
Gender ratio	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	6%

Differences between physical therapist and assistant duties and responsibilities

Physical therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct in-services and train colleagues in effective techniques for safely managing the CVA patient.
Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Perform physical therapy evaluation and treatment of orthopedic patients and supervise PTAs.
Progress patients' functional mobility during treatment sessions by modifying task, intensity, and adaptive equipment utilize.
Motivate patients to participate in treatment sessions by educating them on the benefits of early mobility following cardiac and thoracic surgery.
Experience include IFSP and IEP writing and implementation

Assistant example responsibilities.

Manage circulations, including educational textbooks and DVDS, video technology and supplies.
Manage branches providing information technology support, logistics, training and operational support.
Manage company's twitter account and communicate with multiple physical therapy providers around the country
Optimize productivity in prioritizing and managing special projects, PowerPoint presentations for classes, and proctore exams for undergraduate classes.
Assist in jewelry design and assembly, manage company Facebook page, participate in wholesale buying, and manage retail inventory
Manage and update company Facebook page with daily updates, finding/sharing relevant and interesting information, and encouraging fan engagement.

Physical therapist vs assistant skills

Common physical therapist skills

Patients, 30%
Rehabilitation, 15%
Home Health, 13%
Quality Care, 5%
Physical Therapy, 3%
Treatment Programs, 3%

Common assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Customer Service, 13%
Patient Care, 8%
CPR, 5%
Sales Floor, 5%
Scheduling Appointments, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physical Therapist
Physical Therapist vs Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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