Physician extender vs exercise physiologist

The differences between physician extenders and exercise physiologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physician extender has an average salary of $244,718, which is higher than the $49,399 average annual salary of an exercise physiologist.

The top three skills for a physician extender include patients, patient care and medical care. The most important skills for an exercise physiologist are patients, rehabilitation, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Physician extender vs exercise physiologist overview

	Physician Extender	Exercise Physiologist
Yearly salary	$244,718	$49,399
Hourly rate	$117.65	$23.75
Growth rate	28%	9%
Number of jobs	73,599	38,633
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	39	38
Years of experience	-	2

What does a physician extender do?

Physician extenders are not physicians. However, physician extenders perform a vital task in the overall care of patients. They diagnose and treat medical conditions, document and update patient records, consult patients, and perform physical exams. They may serve either as physician assistants or nurse practitioners. In becoming a physician extender, they must be a registered nurse or must have medical experience by working in the medical field even at a lower level. They need to be a regulatory agency certified and licensed instructor in their region or state.

What does an exercise physiologist do?

An exercise physiologist is a health professional who analyzes the fitness of patients to help them improve their health or maintain good health. Exercise physiologists are required to help patients with heart diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes or pulmonary disease to regain their health. Certified exercise physiologists must administer exercise stress tests in health and unhealthy populations. They also assist both amateur and professional athletes in helping them boost their performance in sports.

Physician extender vs exercise physiologist salary

Physician extenders and exercise physiologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Physician Extender	Exercise Physiologist
Average salary	$244,718	$49,399
Salary range	Between $125,000 And $476,000	Between $29,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	Des Moines, IA	Fairfield, CA
Highest paying state	New Mexico	Alaska
Best paying company	UnitedHealth Group	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Best paying industry	Professional	Health Care

Differences between physician extender and exercise physiologist education

There are a few differences between a physician extender and an exercise physiologist in terms of educational background:

	Physician Extender	Exercise Physiologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Athletic Training	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Physician extender vs exercise physiologist demographics

Here are the differences between physician extenders' and exercise physiologists' demographics:

	Physician Extender	Exercise Physiologist
Average age	39	38
Gender ratio	Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	13%

Differences between physician extender and exercise physiologist duties and responsibilities

Physician extender example responsibilities.

Work closely with patients to manage their depression and anxiety beginning with initial diagnosis to med-initiation and follow-up care.
Render emergency medical treatment and transport patients.
Initial reading of EKG's.
Assess patients' symptoms while conducting initial injury evaluation.
Work in an outpatient orthopedic clinic with emphasis on physical medicine, rehabilitation of both chronic and acute orthopedic conditions.
Perform wound care.perform laceration repair including suturing.

Exercise physiologist example responsibilities.

Manage overall time off processing and reporting as it relates to FMLA and disability programs.
Evaluate acutely-ill cardiac patients after cardiovascular events/procedures for their physician-ordered cardiac rehabilitation.
Keep current certifications in BLS and ACLS as well as attending advance ECG courses.
Deliver key contributions to development of written materials bolstering diabetes prevention program for patients and other MTF s/practitioners.
Instruct adult and infant CPR classes.
Perform risk assessments on individuals with coronary artery disease and COPD patients.

Physician extender vs exercise physiologist skills

Common physician extender skills

Patients, 43%
Patient Care, 15%
Medical Care, 5%
Rehabilitation, 4%
Physical Therapy, 3%
Clinical Care, 3%

Common exercise physiologist skills

Patients, 22%
Rehabilitation, 13%
Cardiac Rehabilitation, 6%
Acls, 6%
Patient Care, 6%
EKG, 5%

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Physician Extender
Physician Extender vs Exercise Physiologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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