Registered physical therapist vs therapist

The differences between registered physical therapists and therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a registered physical therapist has an average salary of $72,910, which is higher than the $55,943 average annual salary of a therapist.

The top three skills for a registered physical therapist include patients, respiratory care and healthcare. The most important skills for a therapist are social work, patients, and group therapy sessions.

Registered physical therapist vs therapist overview

	Registered Physical Therapist	Therapist
Yearly salary	$72,910	$55,943
Hourly rate	$35.05	$26.90
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	85,771	159,770
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

What does a registered physical therapist do?

A registered physical therapist restores a patient's function, alleviates pain, and prevents disabilities by planning and administering medically prescribed physical therapy. Their main job is to diagnose and treat patients who have health conditions that limit their ability to move and perform everyday activities. Their responsibilities include consulting with patients to learn and understand their physical conditions and administering massages to help in the healing process.

What does a therapist do?

A therapist is responsible for improving the patients' health conditions by evaluating their needs and providing physical and mental support. Therapists are licensed, medical professionals who specialize in different areas to perform treatments and bring relief to patients. Some of their duties include diagnosing patient's problems, performing counseling services, monitoring medication progress, customizing therapy activities for pain management, and consulting other health professionals as needed. Therapists must have extensive knowledge with the medical industry to detect patients' conditions easily and provide effective medications.

Registered physical therapist vs therapist salary

Registered physical therapists and therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Registered Physical Therapist	Therapist
Average salary	$72,910	$55,943
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $107,000	Between $39,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	Richmond, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Functional Pathways	Childhelp
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between registered physical therapist and therapist education

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

	Registered Physical Therapist	Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Psychology
Most common college	Duke University	California State University - Long Beach

Registered physical therapist vs therapist demographics

Here are the differences between registered physical therapists' and therapists' demographics:

	Registered Physical Therapist	Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 33.8% Female, 66.2%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.3% Asian, 15.0% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between registered physical therapist and therapist duties and responsibilities

Registered physical therapist example responsibilities.

Manage rehabilitation department and coordinate the rehabilitation program to the facility.
Excel in ability to customize/adapt conventional physical therapy techniques to meet the specific needs of patients.
Place orders for appropriate assistive devices, orthotics and prosthetics as per patient need.
Administer rehabilitation therapies, which improve patient's mobility and movement.
Operate and supervise oscillating traction for patients depending on insurance qualification.
Evaluate patients and work closely with other clinicians for determining need for and obtaining specialize equipment and/or orthotic devices.

Therapist example responsibilities.

Manage ventilator and BiPAP's and create or update care plans per patient needs.
Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Provide on-call crisis intervention as well as standard treatment, rehabilitation and support services with some interventions requiring specialize therapy services.
Develop and implement an effective curriculum of DBT inform group and art therapy classes specifically tailor for chemically dependent patients.
Provide trauma-inform individual psychotherapy, TREM group treatment protocol, and EMDR.
Utilize current brain base therapeutic techniques to teach clients adaptive skills to utilize in daily lives.

Registered physical therapist vs therapist skills

Common registered physical therapist skills

Patients, 47%
Respiratory Care, 12%
Healthcare, 8%
PTA, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Home Health, 6%

Common therapist skills

Social Work, 23%
Patients, 12%
Group Therapy Sessions, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Mental Health, 4%
Patient Care, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Registered Physical Therapist
Registered Physical Therapist vs Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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