Physical therapy nurse vs psychiatric nurse

The differences between physical therapy nurses and psychiatric nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a physical therapy nurse and a psychiatric nurse. Additionally, a physical therapy nurse has an average salary of $71,820, which is higher than the $64,922 average annual salary of a psychiatric nurse.

The top three skills for a physical therapy nurse include patients, BLS and acls. The most important skills for a psychiatric nurse are patients, mental illness, and CPR.

Physical therapy nurse vs psychiatric nurse overview

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Yearly salary	$71,820	$64,922
Hourly rate	$34.53	$31.21
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	600,747	608,055
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Physical therapy nurse vs psychiatric nurse salary

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

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Average salary	$71,820	$64,922
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $112,000	Between $42,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Highland General Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between physical therapy nurse and psychiatric nurse education

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

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Physical therapy nurse vs psychiatric nurse demographics

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

	Physical Therapy Nurse	Psychiatric Nurse
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 10.5% Female, 89.5%	Male, 18.1% Female, 81.9%
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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between physical therapy nurse and psychiatric nurse 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.

Psychiatric nurse example responsibilities.

Organize and manage regular clinics involving external physicians, including ophthalmology, ENT, Med/Surg, orthopedics, and podiatry professionals.
Staff register nurse, acute medical rehabilitation unit.
Perform emergency triage differentiating psychiatric versus medical conditions.
Perform triage assessment, psychiatric evaluations, medication administration, psychotherapy and case management.
Provide comprehensive medical-psychiatric care to patients via assessment, planning, evaluation and supervision of therapeutic interactions.
Provide therapeutic communication and psychiatric rehabilitation with residents to assist with their recovery to return to the community.

Physical therapy nurse vs psychiatric nurse skills

Common physical therapy nurse skills

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

Common psychiatric nurse skills

Patients, 25%
Mental Illness, 11%
CPR, 7%
Therapeutic Interventions, 5%
Psychiatric Care, 4%
IV, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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