Staff physical therapist vs child life therapist

The differences between staff physical therapists and child life therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff physical therapist has an average salary of $73,174, which is higher than the $50,768 average annual salary of a child life therapist.

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

Staff physical therapist vs child life therapist overview

	Staff Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Yearly salary	$73,174	$50,768
Hourly rate	$35.18	$24.41
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	148,908	78,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Staff physical therapist vs child life therapist salary

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

	Staff Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Average salary	$73,174	$50,768
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $95,000	Between $37,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Parkway	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between staff physical therapist and child life therapist education

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

	Staff Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Psychology
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Staff physical therapist vs child life therapist demographics

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

	Staff Physical Therapist	Child Life Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.7% 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 staff physical therapist and child life therapist duties and responsibilities

Staff physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Provide inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services for adult and geriatric patients and establish appropriate individual treatment plans for optimal patient care.
Perform physical therapy evaluations and treatments in sub-acute and long-term setting with patients of various neurological, med-surgical, orthopedic diagnoses.
Provide direct outpatient orthopedic/sports medicine rehabilitation services
Facilitate open communication with members of interdisciplinary rehabilitation team.
Facilitate open communication with members of interdisciplinary rehabilitation team.

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.

Staff physical therapist vs child life therapist skills

Common staff physical therapist skills

Patients, 31%
Rehabilitation, 11%
Occupational Therapy, 10%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 6%
Direct Patient Care, 4%
Acute Care, 3%

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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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Physical Therapist
Staff Physical Therapist vs Child Life Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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