Therapy aide vs physical therapist assistant

The differences between therapy aides and physical therapist assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapist assistant has an average salary of $53,035, which is higher than the $29,312 average annual salary of a therapy aide.

The top three skills for a therapy aide include patients, patient care and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a physical therapist assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Therapy aide vs physical therapist assistant overview

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapist Assistant
Yearly salary	$29,312	$53,035
Hourly rate	$14.09	$25.50
Growth rate	25%	24%
Number of jobs	50,598	80,018
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 67%
Average age	41	39
Years of experience	-	-

What does a therapy aide do?

A therapy aide is responsible for monitoring and stabilizing the patients' condition by leading therapy sessions and recording the patients' progress for the doctor's reference. Therapy aides administer quality care plans according to the patients' medical findings and treatment options. They also operate various therapy equipment and machinery, requiring them to inspect the tools regularly to avoid potential hazards and therapy operations delays. A therapy aide must have an excellent understanding of the medical industry to discuss therapy procedures and respond to the patients' inquiries and concerns accurately.

What does a physical therapist assistant do?

A physical therapist assistant's role is to provide treatments that will help a patient improve physical movements while under a physical therapist's supervision. Their responsibilities revolve around regularly observing a patient's reaction and progress to the treatment, operating various machines such as treadmills and trainers, and giving instructions to families on how to take care of the patient while at home. Furthermore, they must coordinate with a physical therapist to meet all of the patient's needs and give the best treatment possible.

Therapy aide vs physical therapist assistant salary

Therapy aides and physical therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapist Assistant
Average salary	$29,312	$53,035
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $37,000	Between $40,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Montana	Alaska
Best paying company	State Bar of Michigan	Children's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between therapy aide and physical therapist assistant education

There are a few differences between a therapy aide and a physical therapist assistant in terms of educational background:

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapist Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 67%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Physical Therapy
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Northwestern University

Therapy aide vs physical therapist assistant demographics

Here are the differences between therapy aides' and physical therapist assistants' demographics:

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapist Assistant
Average age	41	39
Gender ratio	Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between therapy aide and physical therapist assistant duties and responsibilities

Therapy aide example responsibilities.

Assist in implementing clinical treatment programs using ABA (apply behavior analysis).
Prepare patients for physical therapy treatment by welcoming, comforting, providing and/or assisting patient into physical therapy apparel.
Require the physical ability and training to conduct CPR.
Fabricate and modify splints according to Dr. Gupta's specifications.
Perform wound care, remove sutures, and help the therapists in fabricating custom make orthotic splints.
Collect data on client's achievements for the purpose of documenting activities, preparing reports and/or updating IEP logs.

Physical therapist assistant example responsibilities.

Manage a diverse caseload including, but not limit to CVA's, cardiac care, Alzheimer's and sub acute orthopedics
Provide patients at a SNF with ROM exercises, transfer and gait training as well as balance and bed mobility exercises.
Provide physical therapy treatment as directed by physical therapist as PRN PTA for inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation and community hospital settings.
Care of patients in acute and ICU settings.
Work with adult, geriatrics, burns, ulcers and ICU patients
Prepare iontophoresis patches, give cervical and/or lumbar hot packs to clients.

Therapy aide vs physical therapist assistant skills

Common therapy aide skills

Patients, 28%
Patient Care, 16%
Rehabilitation, 16%
BARS, 10%
Physical Therapy, 5%
Occupational Therapy, 3%

Common physical therapist assistant skills

Patients, 26%
Rehabilitation, 15%
Home Health, 11%
PTA, 7%
Physical Therapy Treatment, 5%
Quality Care, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Therapy Aide
Therapy Aide vs Physical Therapist Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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