Therapy aide vs physical therapy technician

The differences between therapy aides and physical therapy technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a physical therapy technician has an average salary of $35,161, 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 therapy technician are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.

Therapy aide vs physical therapy technician overview

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Yearly salary	$29,312	$35,161
Hourly rate	$14.09	$16.90
Growth rate	25%	24%
Number of jobs	50,598	66,670
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
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 therapy technician do?

A physical therapy technician supports both the physical therapists and their physical therapy assistants in planning and implementing patient care. You are expected to perform varied duties and responsibilities that include responding to patients' requests for assistance, assisting with patient preparation before treatment, and maintaining the equipment used by the physical therapist during treatment sessions. In addition, you will be responsible for maintaining patient satisfaction and patient confidentiality. A physical therapy technician will also perform some administrative tasks such as overseeing inventory and scheduling appointments and treatments.

Therapy aide vs physical therapy technician salary

Therapy aides and physical therapy technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Average salary	$29,312	$35,161
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $37,000	Between $20,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Montana	New York
Best paying company	State Bar of Michigan	St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between therapy aide and physical therapy technician education

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

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Virginia

Therapy aide vs physical therapy technician demographics

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

	Therapy Aide	Physical Therapy Technician
Average age	41	39
Gender ratio	Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9%	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
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, 7.1% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between therapy aide and physical therapy technician 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 therapy technician example responsibilities.

Manage flexible schedule at various company facilities categorize as ILF, ALF, and SNF.
Assist patients in performing ADL tasks and the use of prescribe adaptive equipment.
Help with ADL's for each patient to make sure they make it to the therapy gym.
Schedule rehab sessions, transport patients to sessions, maintain the cleanliness of treatment area and order supplies.
Administer therapeutic ultrasound and prepare patients for mechanical traction.
Assist patients in performing rehabilitation exercises on the equipment; ensure safety and equipment use guidelines are follow.

Therapy aide vs physical therapy technician skills

Common therapy aide skills

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

Common physical therapy technician skills

Patients, 43%
Patient Care, 13%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Occupational Therapy, 3%
Treatment Rooms, 2%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Therapy Aide
Therapy Aide vs Physical Therapy Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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