Speech therapist technician vs physical therapist

The differences between speech therapist technicians and physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist has an average salary of $73,070, which is higher than the $59,137 average annual salary of a speech therapist technician.

The top three skills for a speech therapist technician include CPR, developmental disabilities and patient care. The most important skills for a physical therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Speech therapist technician vs physical therapist overview

	Speech Therapist Technician	Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$59,137	$73,070
Hourly rate	$28.43	$35.13
Growth rate	9%	17%
Number of jobs	68,151	86,697
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	34	41
Years of experience	-	-

Speech therapist technician vs physical therapist salary

Speech therapist technicians and physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Speech Therapist Technician	Physical Therapist
Average salary	$59,137	$73,070
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $114,000	Between $56,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Parkway
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between speech therapist technician and physical therapist education

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

	Speech Therapist Technician	Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Psychology	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Speech therapist technician vs physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between speech therapist technicians' and physical therapists' demographics:

	Speech Therapist Technician	Physical Therapist
Average age	34	41
Gender ratio	Male, 29.3% Female, 70.7%	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 14.3% White, 70.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	15%	12%

Differences between speech therapist technician and physical therapist duties and responsibilities

Speech therapist technician example responsibilities.

Help students to achieve goals gear toward behavior, ADL, and safety skills.
Serve as a therapist technician assisting physical, occupational, and speech therapists treat patients during rehabilitative care.
Document medical information for Mentally/Physically impair patients.
Document medical information for Mentally/Physically impair patients.

Physical therapist example responsibilities.

Conduct in-services and train colleagues in effective techniques for safely managing the CVA patient.
Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Perform physical therapy evaluation and treatment of orthopedic patients and supervise PTAs.
Progress patients' functional mobility during treatment sessions by modifying task, intensity, and adaptive equipment utilize.
Motivate patients to participate in treatment sessions by educating them on the benefits of early mobility following cardiac and thoracic surgery.
Experience include IFSP and IEP writing and implementation

Speech therapist technician vs physical therapist skills

Common speech therapist technician skills

CPR, 20%
Developmental Disabilities, 19%
Patient Care, 15%
Patients, 14%
Individual Therapy, 10%
Crisis Intervention, 4%

Common physical therapist skills

Patients, 30%
Rehabilitation, 15%
Home Health, 13%
Quality Care, 5%
Physical Therapy, 3%
Treatment Programs, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Speech Therapist Technician
Speech Therapist Technician vs Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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