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The differences between rehabilitation assistants and physical therapy aides can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a rehabilitation assistant has an average salary of $35,219, which is higher than the $31,160 average annual salary of a physical therapy aide.
The top three skills for a rehabilitation assistant include rehabilitation, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a physical therapy aide are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Physical Therapy Aide | |
| Yearly salary | $35,219 | $31,160 |
| Hourly rate | $16.93 | $14.98 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 24% |
| Number of jobs | 19,317 | 99,485 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
A rehabilitation assistant performs support tasks to assist nurses or therapists in providing care services to patients and maintaining the smooth flow of operations in clinics. Their daily tasks often include greeting patients, answering inquiries, helping patients during treatments and training, and providing personal care by assisting them in hygienic and physical tasks. They may also prepare and process documents, handle calls and correspondence, organize files, liaise with external business partners such as vendors and suppliers, maintain records, and arrange schedules.
Physical therapy aides are employed under physical therapists' direction. They typically perform non-medical tasks, including helping with patient intake, setting up treatment rooms, and assisting with patient transportation to another health care facility. They are also responsible for documenting the responses and progress of patients and communicating with hospital personnel and physicians' offices. There are several skills and competencies to become a successful physical therapy aide, which include active listening skills, attention to detail, and compassion for patients.
Rehabilitation assistants and physical therapy aides have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Physical Therapy Aide | |
| Average salary | $35,219 | $31,160 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $47,000 | Between $8,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Illinois | New York |
| Best paying company | Health Alliance | Aya Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a rehabilitation assistant and a physical therapy aide in terms of educational background:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Physical Therapy Aide | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | New York University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between rehabilitation assistants' and physical therapy aides' demographics:
| Rehabilitation Assistant | Physical Therapy Aide | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.1% Female, 73.9% | Male, 35.6% Female, 64.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 58.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |