Therapy aide vs staff physical therapy assistant

The differences between therapy aides and staff physical therapy assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a staff physical therapy assistant has an average salary of $51,881, 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 staff physical therapy assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and CPR.

Therapy aide vs staff physical therapy assistant overview

	Therapy Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Yearly salary	$29,312	$51,881
Hourly rate	$14.09	$24.94
Growth rate	25%	24%
Number of jobs	50,598	127,104
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 47%
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 staff physical therapy assistant do?

A staff physical therapy assistant's role is to provide treatments while under the supervision and directives of a physical therapist. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around assisting patients and therapists, documenting all treatment processes, providing care advice to patients and their families, and monitoring a patient's progress, alerting the physician should there be any concerns or unusual behavior. Furthermore, a staff physical therapy assistant may perform clerical duties such as gathering patient information, managing schedules, arranging appointments, answering calls and inquiries, and maintaining records.

Therapy aide vs staff physical therapy assistant salary

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

	Therapy Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Average salary	$29,312	$51,881
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $37,000	Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	Montana	Alaska
Best paying company	State Bar of Michigan	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between therapy aide and staff physical therapy assistant education

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

	Therapy Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Associate Degree, 47%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Physical Therapy
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Virginia

Therapy aide vs staff physical therapy assistant demographics

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

	Therapy Aide	Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
Average age	41	39
Gender ratio	Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9%	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.9% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between therapy aide and staff physical therapy 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.

Staff physical therapy assistant example responsibilities.

Perform ultrasound massage on patients and effectively manage pain level of patient using heat therapy.
Train patients on the use of braces, canes, crutches, walkers and prosthetic/orthotic devices.
Provide outpatient physical therapy rehabilitation services to patients with orthopedic, post-surgical problems, chronic pain issues.
Teach patients how to use and care for wheelchairs, walkers, braces and artificial limbs.
Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, such as crutches or wheelchairs.
Provide treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and hot/cold packs, infrare, UVR, tens and traction.

Therapy aide vs staff physical therapy assistant skills

Common therapy aide skills

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

Common staff physical therapy assistant skills

Patients, 27%
Rehabilitation, 14%
CPR, 12%
Home Health, 10%
Customer Service, 4%
Acute Care, 4%

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Healthcare Support Industry
Therapy Aide
Therapy Aide vs Staff Physical Therapy Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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