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The differences between rehab aides and physical therapist assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist assistant has an average salary of $53,035, which is higher than the $27,050 average annual salary of a rehab aide.
The top three skills for a rehab aide include patients, rehabilitation and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for a physical therapist assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $27,050 | $53,035 |
| Hourly rate | $13.00 | $25.50 |
| Growth rate | 24% | 24% |
| Number of jobs | 41,872 | 80,018 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A rehab aide is responsible for supporting the rehabilitation team in performing medical and therapy treatments for patients with disabilities and health conditions. Rehab aides perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, such as updating patients' information on the database, responding to patients' concerns, processing medical payments, administering medications, and assisting rehabilitation staff on medical procedures. They also monitor patients' conditions, create reports, and keep an organized medical chart for reference. A rehab aide should be highly communicative and organizational, especially on attending to each patient's needs under different circumstances with high-quality services.
A physical therapist assistant's role is to provide treatments that will help a patient improve physical movements while under a physical therapist's supervision. Their responsibilities revolve around regularly observing a patient's reaction and progress to the treatment, operating various machines such as treadmills and trainers, and giving instructions to families on how to take care of the patient while at home. Furthermore, they must coordinate with a physical therapist to meet all of the patient's needs and give the best treatment possible.
Rehab aides and physical therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Average salary | $27,050 | $53,035 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $34,000 | Between $40,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Children's Hospital Colorado |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a rehab aide and a physical therapist assistant in terms of educational background:
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Physical Therapy |
| Most common college | Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between rehab aides' and physical therapist assistants' demographics:
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6% | Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |