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The differences between rehab aides and physical therapy technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapy technician has an average salary of $35,161, 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 therapy technician are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapy Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $27,050 | $35,161 |
| Hourly rate | $13.00 | $16.90 |
| Growth rate | 24% | 24% |
| Number of jobs | 41,872 | 66,670 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| 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 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.
Rehab aides and physical therapy technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapy Technician | |
| Average salary | $27,050 | $35,161 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $34,000 | Between $20,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | St. Tammany Health System |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a rehab aide and a physical therapy technician in terms of educational background:
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapy Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between rehab aides' and physical therapy technicians' demographics:
| Rehab Aide | Physical Therapy Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6% | Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2% |
| 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, 7.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |