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What is a staff therapist and how to become one
Therapy is a broad profession, and it could be referring to physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy, or even counseling. In this description, we'll focus on a staff therapist's duties in a physical therapy career path.
As a staff therapist, you're expected to evaluate and diagnose individuals with physical limitations that affect their ability to perform daily functions. Staff therapists are also involved in treating patients using exercise, electrical stimulation, and other electrotherapy means.
As a staff therapist, your job is primarily rehabilitation. Unlike what you have with drug addicts, physical rehabilitation is the process where you help patients regain all or most of their bodily functions and return them to near-normal function.
To become a staff therapist, you need to complete a physical therapy program and enroll in a Doctor of Physical Therapy program. These usually last about three years.
Avg. Salary $52,147
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 14%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%
Asian 6.36%
Black or African American 10.31%
Hispanic or Latino 14.65%
Unknown 4.16%
White 64.23%
Genderfemale 62.67%
male 37.33%
Age - 47American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 47Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Staff therapist career paths
Key steps to become a staff therapist
Explore staff therapist education requirements
Start to develop specific staff therapist skills
Skills Percentages Patients 16.59% Individual Therapy 16.38% Mental Health 7.09% Group Therapy 5.41% Crisis Intervention 4.00% Complete relevant staff therapist training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff therapists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff therapist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff therapist resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed staff therapist usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed staff therapist in most of states. 41 states require staff therapists to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License url Alabama - - Licensed Respiratory Therapist Arkansas Degree required State exam required Respiratory Therapist California Degree required Third-party exam required Respiratory Care Practitioner Colorado Degree required Third-party exam required Respiratory Therapist Connecticut Degree required Third-party exam required Respiratory Care Practitioner Research staff therapist duties and responsibilities
- Manage ventilator care, intubation, arterial line placement, mechanical ventilation, BIPAP, and CPAP.
- Lead RRT position involves direct resident care such as ventilator set up, changes, weaning, and maintaining.
- Provide high-quality patient care in all areas of the facility including ICU, CCU, PACU, NICU and ER.
- Chart record of patient therapy; teach patients proper use and administration of respiratory medication such as MDI s and spacers.
Prepare your staff therapist resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff therapist resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a staff therapist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable staff therapist resume templates
Build a professional staff therapist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your staff therapist resume.
Apply for staff therapist jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a staff therapist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first staff therapist job
Are you a staff therapist?
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Average staff therapist salary
The average staff therapist salary in the United States is $52,147 per year or $25 per hour. Staff therapist salaries range between $35,000 and $77,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do staff therapists rate their job?
Staff therapist reviews
Helping people, utilizing your specialized training, schedule flexibility
Burnout, many in the healthcare system don't take you seriously despite your critical care experience, often in this field supervisors are not strong advocates for your field and bow to the administrators rather than enforce safety policies.
Helping make a difference in someone’s life.
Our field not offering compact license.
Watching a patient improve and sometimes come back for a visit that was once on the brink of death.
The red tape, the disconnect between nursing and respiratory.
Updated January 8, 2025
