Therapy technician vs physical therapy technician

The differences between therapy technicians 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 $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 therapy technician are patients, patient care, and rehabilitation.

Therapy technician vs physical therapy technician overview

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Technician
Yearly salary	$28,943	$35,161
Hourly rate	$13.91	$16.90
Growth rate	24%	24%
Number of jobs	36,360	66,670
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
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 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 technician vs physical therapy technician salary

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

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Technician
Average salary	$28,943	$35,161
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $37,000	Between $20,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	St. Tammany Health System
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between therapy technician and physical therapy technician education

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

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	University of Virginia

Therapy technician vs physical therapy technician demographics

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

	Therapy Technician	Physical Therapy Technician
Average age	43	39
Gender ratio	Male, 28.6% Female, 71.4%	Male, 37.8% Female, 62.2%
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, 7.1% 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 technician and physical therapy technician 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 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 technician vs physical therapy technician skills

Common therapy technician skills

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

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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