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The differences between therapy technicians and exercise physiologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an exercise physiologist has an average salary of $49,399, which is higher than the $28,943 average annual salary of a therapy technician.
The top three skills for a therapy technician include patients, rehabilitation and CPR. The most important skills for an exercise physiologist are patients, rehabilitation, and cardiac rehabilitation.
| Therapy Technician | Exercise Physiologist | |
| Yearly salary | $28,943 | $49,399 |
| Hourly rate | $13.91 | $23.75 |
| Growth rate | 24% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 36,360 | 38,633 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 43 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
A therapy technician is responsible for supporting therapists in providing the highest quality care services for the patients, administering treatment plans, and guiding patients to full recovery. Therapy technicians also perform administrative duties, such as updating patients' information on the database, monitoring patients' condition, reviewing medical charts, processing payments for therapy procedures, and performing medical examinations under the supervision of medical professionals. They operate various therapy equipment, inspect the performance of the machinery, and ask for maintenance support for repairs or replacement as needed.
An exercise physiologist is a health professional who analyzes the fitness of patients to help them improve their health or maintain good health. Exercise physiologists are required to help patients with heart diseases and other chronic conditions such as diabetes or pulmonary disease to regain their health. Certified exercise physiologists must administer exercise stress tests in health and unhealthy populations. They also assist both amateur and professional athletes in helping them boost their performance in sports.
Therapy technicians and exercise physiologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapy Technician | Exercise Physiologist | |
| Average salary | $28,943 | $49,399 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $37,000 | Between $29,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Fairfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Seattle Cancer Care Alliance | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a therapy technician and an exercise physiologist in terms of educational background:
| Therapy Technician | Exercise Physiologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between therapy technicians' and exercise physiologists' demographics:
| Therapy Technician | Exercise Physiologist | |
| Average age | 43 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4% | Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 13% |