Therapy technician vs physical therapist assistant

The differences between therapy technicians 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 $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 a physical therapist assistant are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.

Therapy technician vs physical therapist assistant overview

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapist Assistant
Yearly salary	$28,943	$53,035
Hourly rate	$13.91	$25.50
Growth rate	24%	24%
Number of jobs	36,360	80,018
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Associate Degree, 67%
Average age	43	39
Years of experience	-	-

What does a therapy technician do?

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.

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 technician vs physical therapist assistant salary

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

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapist Assistant
Average salary	$28,943	$53,035
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $40,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Alaska
Best paying company	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	Children's Hospital Colorado
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between therapy technician and physical therapist assistant education

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

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapist Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Associate Degree, 67%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Physical Therapy
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Northwestern University

Therapy technician vs physical therapist assistant demographics

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

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapist Assistant
Average age	43	39
Gender ratio	Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4%	Male, 33.7% Female, 66.3%
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, 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 technician and physical therapist assistant duties and responsibilities

Therapy technician example responsibilities.

Perform basic living care for patients and assist with exercises under supervision of a rehabilitation team member.
Provide patient assistance with rehabilitation protocol with appropriate education and technique while monitoring vital signs and effects of treatment.
Direct patients to need areas with crutches, wheel chairs, walkers, canes etc.
Work with the physical and occupational therapists to guide patients through prescribe exercise program efficiently and safely.
Prepare materials for assessments and provide assistance to individuals through hands-on methods and direct contact observations by assisting the rehabilitation supervisor.
Attend professional development workshops in augmentative communication devices, sign language, and skill integration.

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 technician vs physical therapist assistant skills

Common therapy technician skills

Patients, 23%
Rehabilitation, 14%
CPR, 8%
Patient Safety, 6%
Occupational Therapy, 5%
Physical Therapy, 5%

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 Practitioner and Technical Industry
Therapy Technician
Therapy Technician vs Physical Therapist Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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