Physical therapy aide vs animal assisted therapist

The differences between physical therapy aides and animal assisted therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an animal assisted therapist has an average salary of $33,672, which is higher than the $31,160 average annual salary of a physical therapy aide.

The top three skills for a physical therapy aide include patients, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for an animal assisted therapist are patients, PET, and patient care.

Physical therapy aide vs animal assisted therapist overview

	Physical Therapy Aide	Animal Assisted Therapist
Yearly salary	$31,160	$33,672
Hourly rate	$14.98	$16.19
Growth rate	24%	24%
Number of jobs	99,485	34,598
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Physical therapy aide vs animal assisted therapist salary

Physical therapy aides and animal assisted therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Therapy Aide	Animal Assisted Therapist
Average salary	$31,160	$33,672
Salary range	Between $8,000 And $118,000	Between $22,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Aya Healthcare	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between physical therapy aide and animal assisted therapist education

There are a few differences between a physical therapy aide and an animal assisted therapist in terms of educational background:

	Physical Therapy Aide	Animal Assisted Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Northwestern University

Physical therapy aide vs animal assisted therapist demographics

Here are the differences between physical therapy aides' and animal assisted therapists' demographics:

	Physical Therapy Aide	Animal Assisted Therapist
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4%	Male, 30.7% Female, 69.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between physical therapy aide and animal assisted therapist duties and responsibilities

Physical therapy aide example responsibilities.

Manage flexible schedule at various company facilities categorize as ILF, ALF, and SNF.
Administer ultrasound and electrical stimulation and start patients with their prescribe exercise programs.
Educate patients on supportive devices, such as braces, splints, and slings.
Earn repeated appreciations from supervisor, co-workers, and patients for providing the best quality care with compassion.
Work closely with PT's/PTA's; OT/COTA's and SLP in providing quality hands on care to rehab patients.
Create and maintain patient charts and paperwork including exercise, insurance authorization, insurance, HIPAA, and patient information.

Animal assisted therapist example responsibilities.

Lead aftercare/community resource groups to provide education and awareness to patients regarding post-discharge follow up.
Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent and static traction equipment.
Operate electrical muscle stimulation machinery, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and the neck traction machine.
Observe physical therapist while providing comprehensive education, caregiver training for family members of patients prior to discharge to ensure safety.
Aid with patient's exercises, perform ultrasound, IFC, cold and heat treatments.

Physical therapy aide vs animal assisted therapist skills

Common physical therapy aide skills

Patients, 42%
Patient Care, 10%
Rehabilitation, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
Ultrasound, 5%
Direct Supervision, 4%

Common animal assisted therapist skills

Patients, 30%
PET, 15%
Patient Care, 10%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Behavioral Issues, 5%
Animal Handling, 3%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Physical Therapy Aide
Physical Therapy Aide vs Animal Assisted Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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