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The differences between physical therapy technicians and staff physical therapy assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff physical therapy assistant has an average salary of $51,881, which is higher than the $35,161 average annual salary of a physical therapy technician.
The top three skills for a physical therapy technician include patients, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a staff physical therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and CPR.
| Physical Therapy Technician | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $35,161 | $51,881 |
| Hourly rate | $16.90 | $24.94 |
| Growth rate | 24% | 24% |
| Number of jobs | 66,670 | 127,104 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A physical therapy technician supports both the physical therapists and their physical therapy assistants in planning and implementing patient care. You are expected to perform varied duties and responsibilities that include responding to patients' requests for assistance, assisting with patient preparation before treatment, and maintaining the equipment used by the physical therapist during treatment sessions. In addition, you will be responsible for maintaining patient satisfaction and patient confidentiality. A physical therapy technician will also perform some administrative tasks such as overseeing inventory and scheduling appointments and treatments.
A staff physical therapy assistant's role is to provide treatments while under the supervision and directives of a physical therapist. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around assisting patients and therapists, documenting all treatment processes, providing care advice to patients and their families, and monitoring a patient's progress, alerting the physician should there be any concerns or unusual behavior. Furthermore, a staff physical therapy assistant may perform clerical duties such as gathering patient information, managing schedules, arranging appointments, answering calls and inquiries, and maintaining records.
Physical therapy technicians and staff physical therapy assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Physical Therapy Technician | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Average salary | $35,161 | $51,881 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $59,000 | Between $37,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | St. Tammany Health System | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a physical therapy technician and a staff physical therapy assistant in terms of educational background:
| Physical Therapy Technician | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Physical Therapy |
| Most common college | University of Virginia | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between physical therapy technicians' and staff physical therapy assistants' demographics:
| Physical Therapy Technician | Staff Physical Therapy Assistant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |