Staff physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist

The differences between staff physical therapists and per diem physical therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a per diem physical therapist has an average salary of $74,590, which is higher than the $73,174 average annual salary of a staff physical therapist.

The top three skills for a staff physical therapist include patients, rehabilitation and occupational therapy. The most important skills for a per diem physical therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and per diem.

Staff physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist overview

	Staff Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Yearly salary	$73,174	$74,590
Hourly rate	$35.18	$35.86
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	148,908	87,365
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	-	-

Staff physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist salary

Staff physical therapists and per diem physical therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Staff Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Average salary	$73,174	$74,590
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $95,000	Between $51,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Parkway	Alameda Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between staff physical therapist and per diem physical therapist education

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

	Staff Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Physical Therapy	Physical Therapy
Most common college	Duke University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Staff physical therapist vs per diem physical therapist demographics

Here are the differences between staff physical therapists' and per diem physical therapists' demographics:

	Staff Physical Therapist	Per Diem Physical Therapist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%	Male, 30.2% Female, 69.8%
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, 7.9% Asian, 11.3% White, 72.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between staff physical therapist and per diem physical 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.

Per diem physical therapist example responsibilities.

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Help patients adapt to the use of braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devices as needed.
Assist patients to adapt to the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches and prosthetic/orthotic devises.
Provide patient care in a SNF setting with the primary emphasis on transitioning patients from hospital to home.
Provide assessments and documentation for adaptive equipment.
Supervise PTAs and physical therapy aides in direct patient-relate activities.

Staff physical therapist vs per diem physical 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 per diem physical therapist skills

Patients, 26%
Rehabilitation, 16%
Per Diem, 14%
Home Health, 10%
Treatment Programs, 6%
Physical Therapy Assistants, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Staff Physical Therapist
Staff Physical Therapist vs Per Diem Physical Therapist

Updated January 8, 2025

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