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The differences between physical therapy aides and staff physical therapy assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff physical therapy assistant has an average salary of $51,881, 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 a staff physical therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and CPR.
| Physical Therapy Aide | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,160 | $51,881 |
| Hourly rate | $14.98 | $24.94 |
| Growth rate | 24% | 24% |
| Number of jobs | 99,485 | 127,104 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Physical therapy aides are employed under physical therapists' direction. They typically perform non-medical tasks, including helping with patient intake, setting up treatment rooms, and assisting with patient transportation to another health care facility. They are also responsible for documenting the responses and progress of patients and communicating with hospital personnel and physicians' offices. There are several skills and competencies to become a successful physical therapy aide, which include active listening skills, attention to detail, and compassion for patients.
A staff physical therapy assistant's role is to provide treatments while under the supervision and directives of a physical therapist. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around assisting patients and therapists, documenting all treatment processes, providing care advice to patients and their families, and monitoring a patient's progress, alerting the physician should there be any concerns or unusual behavior. Furthermore, a staff physical therapy assistant may perform clerical duties such as gathering patient information, managing schedules, arranging appointments, answering calls and inquiries, and maintaining records.
Physical therapy aides and staff physical therapy assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Physical Therapy Aide | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,160 | $51,881 |
| Salary range | Between $8,000 And $118,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Aya Healthcare | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a physical therapy aide and a staff physical therapy assistant in terms of educational background:
| Physical Therapy Aide | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Physical Therapy |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between physical therapy aides' and staff physical therapy assistants' demographics:
| Physical Therapy Aide | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4% | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% |
| 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, 12.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |