Physical therapy internship vs pediatric physical therapist

The differences between physical therapy interns and pediatric physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a pediatric physical therapist has an average salary of $75,699, which is higher than the $71,624 average annual salary of a physical therapy internship.

The top three skills for a physical therapy internship include patients, physical therapy assistants and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a pediatric physical therapist are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.

Physical therapy internship vs pediatric physical therapist overview

	Physical Therapy Internship	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$71,624	$75,699
Hourly rate	$34.43	$36.39
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	127,064	98,862
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a physical therapy internship do?

Physical therapist interns work with patients to determine and improve their function and movement. The interns assist in the rehabilitation process through body system development and storage. They promote the wellbeing and health of the patients through internship programs. Through the physical therapy internship, interns learn about nutrition, treatment, and the general rehabilitation procedure of patients. It also provides support not just for the patients but also with the staff.

What does a pediatric physical therapist do?

Pediatric physical therapists are specialized in improving the lives as well as the everyday tasks of children who suffer from a vast range of injuries and congenital disorders. Their primary duty is to aid the child and their family to help each child to reach their optimum potential to work independently and to encourage active engagement at home, in school, as well as in the community. Other responsibilities include assessing and providing treatment for impediments in motor skills as well as evaluating the child's strength, posture, flexibility, pace, coordination, balance, and sensory processing. Additionally, they are trained to examine the motor progress using specification testing for age equivalents.

Physical therapy internship vs pediatric physical therapist salary

Physical therapy interns and pediatric physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Therapy Internship	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Average salary	$71,624	$75,699
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $96,000	Between $55,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Pasadena, CA	Lynnwood, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Oracle	Tenet Healthcare
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between physical therapy internship and pediatric physical therapist education

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

	Physical Therapy Internship	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Physical Therapy
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Duke University

Physical therapy internship vs pediatric physical therapist demographics

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

	Physical Therapy Internship	Pediatric Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 14.4% Female, 85.6%
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, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between physical therapy internship and pediatric physical 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.

Pediatric physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Experience in administering modalities including: NMES, IFC, iontophoresis, ultrasound, and cervical traction.
Evaluate and write letters of necessity to obtain adaptive equipment including: mobility devices, adaptive seating device and positioning devices.
Start OT career at Eisenhower as regular staff OTR; continue to work often as long-term/temporary OTR.
Evaluate patients in medical and surgical ICU and provide ROM and ambulation exercises and prepare them for the discharge.
Educate patients on performing daily living activities and the use of supportive equipment such as crutches, wheelchairs and canes.

Physical therapy internship vs pediatric physical therapist skills

Common physical therapy internship skills

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

Common pediatric physical therapist skills

Patients, 25%
Patient Care, 12%
Rehabilitation, 9%
Autism, 6%
Home Health, 6%
Physical Therapy, 4%

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Physical Therapy Internship
Physical Therapy Internship vs Pediatric Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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