Physical therapist technician vs therapist

The differences between physical therapist technicians and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist technician has an average salary of $70,364, which is higher than the $55,943 average annual salary of a therapist.

The top three skills for a physical therapist technician include patients, rehabilitation and patient care. The most important skills for a therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.

Physical therapist technician vs therapist overview

	Physical Therapist Technician	Therapist
Yearly salary	$70,364	$55,943
Hourly rate	$33.83	$26.90
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	74,733	159,770
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Physical therapist technician vs therapist salary

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

	Physical Therapist Technician	Therapist
Average salary	$70,364	$55,943
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $103,000	Between $39,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Childhelp
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between physical therapist technician and therapist education

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

	Physical Therapist Technician	Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Psychology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	California State University - Long Beach

Physical therapist technician vs therapist demographics

Here are the differences between physical therapist technicians' and therapists' demographics:

	Physical Therapist Technician	Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between physical therapist technician and therapist duties and responsibilities

Physical therapist technician example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Order supplies for patients needs such as braces, wheelchairs, and walkers.
Administer traction to relieve cervical and lumbar pain, using intermittent and static traction equipment.
Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, and supportive devices, such as crutches.
Provide a variety of modalities to therapy patients including: cryotherapy, thermotherapy, ultrasound, electrical stem.
Instruct patients as to proper exercise techniques and monitor during sessions to ensure safety and facilitate efficient rehabilitation.

Therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Provide on-call crisis intervention as well as standard treatment, rehabilitation and support services with some interventions requiring specialize therapy services.
Develop and implement an effective curriculum of DBT inform group and art therapy classes specifically tailor for chemically dependent patients.
Provide trauma-inform individual psychotherapy, TREM group treatment protocol, and EMDR.
Utilize current brain base therapeutic techniques to teach clients adaptive skills to utilize in daily lives.

Physical therapist technician vs therapist skills

Common physical therapist technician skills

Patients, 52%
Rehabilitation, 10%
Patient Care, 5%
Electrical Stimulation, 3%
Traction, 3%
Physical Therapy Treatment, 3%

Common therapist skills

Social Work, 23%
Patients, 12%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Mental Health, 4%
Patient Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physical Therapist Technician
Physical Therapist Technician vs Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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