Physical therapy internship vs physical therapist technician

The differences between physical therapy interns and physical therapist technicians 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 $70,364 average annual salary of a physical therapist technician.

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

Physical therapy internship vs physical therapist technician overview

	Physical Therapy Internship	Physical Therapist Technician
Yearly salary	$71,624	$70,364
Hourly rate	$34.43	$33.83
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	127,064	74,733
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Physical therapy internship vs physical therapist technician salary

Physical therapy interns and physical therapist technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physical Therapy Internship	Physical Therapist Technician
Average salary	$71,624	$70,364
Salary range	Between $52,000 And $96,000	Between $47,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Pasadena, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Oracle	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between physical therapy internship and physical therapist technician education

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

	Physical Therapy Internship	Physical Therapist Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Physical therapy internship vs physical therapist technician demographics

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

	Physical Therapy Internship	Physical Therapist Technician
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%
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, 3.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 11.4% White, 73.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between physical therapy internship and physical therapist technician 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.

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.

Physical therapy internship vs physical therapist technician skills

Common physical therapy internship skills

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

Common physical therapist technician skills

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

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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