Physical therapy nurse vs physical therapist

The differences between physical therapy nurses and physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist has an average salary of $73,070, which is higher than the $71,820 average annual salary of a physical therapy nurse.

The top three skills for a physical therapy nurse include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a physical therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Physical therapy nurse vs physical therapist overview

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$71,820	$73,070
Hourly rate	$34.53	$35.13
Growth rate	6%	17%
Number of jobs	600,747	86,697
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	41
Years of experience	2	-

Physical therapy nurse vs physical therapist salary

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

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Physical Therapist
Average salary	$71,820	$73,070
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $112,000	Between $56,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Parkway
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between physical therapy nurse and physical therapist education

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

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Nursing	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physical therapy nurse vs physical therapist demographics

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

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Physical Therapist
Average age	44	41
Gender ratio	Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5%	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 9.0% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	12%

Differences between physical therapy nurse and physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Physical therapy nurse example responsibilities.

Manage fistulas and other draining wounds using creative intervention referring patients to appropriate community agencies.
Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
Focus on traumatic brain injury, stroke rehabilitation.
Initiate the program for nurse assessment and placement of PICC lines for all inpatients.
Include pain management, chemotherapy administration, blood administration, routine peripheral and central access care, and night pharmacy backup.
Supervise and administer chemotherapy and blood products.

Physical therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct in-services and train colleagues in effective techniques for safely managing the CVA patient.
Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Perform physical therapy evaluation and treatment of orthopedic patients and supervise PTAs.
Progress patients' functional mobility during treatment sessions by modifying task, intensity, and adaptive equipment utilize.
Motivate patients to participate in treatment sessions by educating them on the benefits of early mobility following cardiac and thoracic surgery.
Experience include IFSP and IEP writing and implementation

Physical therapy nurse vs physical therapist skills

Common physical therapy nurse skills

Patients, 39%
BLS, 16%
Acls, 4%
IV Therapy, 4%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Patient Education, 4%

Common physical therapist skills

Patients, 30%
Rehabilitation, 15%
Home Health, 13%
Quality Care, 5%
Physical Therapy, 3%
Treatment Programs, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Physical Therapy Nurse
Physical Therapy Nurse vs Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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