Physical therapy internship vs child life therapist

The differences between physical therapy interns and child life therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapy internship has an average salary of $71,624, which is higher than the $50,768 average annual salary of a child life therapist.

The top three skills for a physical therapy internship include patients, physical therapy assistants and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a child life therapist are patients, direct care, and social work.

Physical therapy internship vs child life therapist overview

	Physical Therapy Internship	Child Life Therapist
Yearly salary	$71,624	$50,768
Hourly rate	$34.43	$24.41
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	127,064	78,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Physical therapy internship vs child life therapist salary

Physical therapy interns and child life therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Therapy Internship	Child Life Therapist
Average salary	$71,624	$50,768
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $96,000	Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Pasadena, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Oracle	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between physical therapy internship and child life therapist education

There are a few differences between a physical therapy internship and a child life therapist in terms of educational background:

	Physical Therapy Internship	Child Life Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Psychology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Physical therapy internship vs child life therapist demographics

Here are the differences between physical therapy interns' and child life therapists' demographics:

	Physical Therapy Internship	Child Life Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.7% White, 69.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between physical therapy internship and child life therapist duties and responsibilities

Physical therapy internship example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Monitor vital signs of all patients and devise physical therapy sessions commensurate with patient stability.
Evaluate and treat CVA and TBI patients in the inpatient setting.
Observe and assist in measuring patients for range of motion limitations following a CVA.
Perform evaluations and co-treatments with OT's and delegate treatment plans to PTA's.
Assist in putting patients on and off of 2 war traction machines and the decompression machine.

Child life therapist example responsibilities.

Train and experience at managing challenging classroom situations using CPI methods and positive behavior reinforcement practices.
Work with clinical staff to implement clients' rehabilitation plans.
Serve on interdisciplinary team responsible for the treatment of acute psychiatric and mentally-ill chemically-addict veterans on an acute unit.
Attend CFT and IEP meetings for clients; advocate for client's best interest.
Develop individual educational plans (IEP) design to promote educational, physical and social development.

Physical therapy internship vs child life therapist skills

Common physical therapy internship skills

Patients, 40%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 12%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Ultrasound, 4%
Patient Care, 3%
Occupational Therapy, 2%

Common child life therapist skills

Patients, 25%
Direct Care, 19%
Social Work, 17%
Physical Therapy, 12%
Therapeutic Recreation, 6%
Emotional Support, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physical Therapy Internship
Physical Therapy Internship vs Child Life Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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