Sports physical therapist vs child life therapist

The differences between sports physical therapists and child life therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sports physical therapist has an average salary of $67,105, which is higher than the $50,768 average annual salary of a child life therapist.

The top three skills for a sports physical therapist include physical therapy, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a child life therapist are patients, direct care, and social work.

Sports physical therapist vs child life therapist overview

	Sports Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Yearly salary	$67,105	$50,768
Hourly rate	$32.26	$24.41
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	70,367	78,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Sports physical therapist vs child life therapist salary

Sports physical therapists and child life therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sports Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Average salary	$67,105	$50,768
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $107,000	Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between sports physical therapist and child life therapist education

There are a few differences between a sports physical therapist and a child life therapist in terms of educational background:

	Sports Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Sports physical therapist vs child life therapist demographics

Here are the differences between sports physical therapists' and child life therapists' demographics:

	Sports Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 12.4% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 11.2% White, 72.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between sports physical therapist and child life therapist duties and responsibilities

Sports physical therapist example responsibilities.

Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
Administer therapeutic hot packs, cold packs and personally handle various electrical stimulation treatments; ultrasound, electrical stimulation.
Employ at an out-patient orthopedic clinic with primary goal for patient return to work, ADL, or sports/recreation activities.

Child life therapist example responsibilities.

Train and experience at managing challenging classroom situations using CPI methods and positive behavior reinforcement practices.
Work with clinical staff to implement clients' rehabilitation plans.
Serve on interdisciplinary team responsible for the treatment of acute psychiatric and mentally-ill chemically-addict veterans on an acute unit.
Attend CFT and IEP meetings for clients; advocate for client's best interest.
Develop individual educational plans (IEP) design to promote educational, physical and social development.

Sports physical therapist vs child life therapist skills

Common sports physical therapist skills

Physical Therapy, 43%
Patient Care, 27%
Rehabilitation, 26%
Injury Prevention, 1%
PTA, 1%
Primary Care, 1%

Common child life therapist skills

Patients, 25%
Direct Care, 19%
Social Work, 17%
Physical Therapy, 12%
Therapeutic Recreation, 6%
Emotional Support, 5%

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Sports Physical Therapist
Sports Physical Therapist vs Child Life Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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