Week 5 Open Post

Physical Therapist vs Physical Therapist Assistant

 

What is the difference between a physical therapist and a physical therapist assistant (beside the name of course)? That's the question that I've been asking myself for a while. I've been doing a lot of research on physical therapy and physical therapists on the job, and while I've been looking for things I've also seen a lot about physical therapist assistant's. I've just kind of scrolled over it or flipped to the next page because that's not what I've been looking for. But this week, I want to look at the differences between the two positions.

 

The first thing that I noticed was that there are a lot of similarities between a PT and a PTA. They both work in the same work setting/environment (hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, schools, fitness centers, etc.), they both deal with patients and help people with their movement. They do so many of the same things, so what could be different?

 

Well, one of the biggest differences between the two is the role that they play. The physical therapist is the one who diagnoses movement disablilites and manages it, the physical therapist assistant works under the supervision of a physical therapist to help patients/clients to regain mobility.

 

The schooling between a PT and a PTA is different as well. As I've learned in previous weeks, a physical therapist goes to graduate school to get a masters in a phyiscal therapy program, some continue on with school to get a doctorate of physical therapy, and some continue on to be specialized in a specific area of physical therapy. However, a physical therapist assistant doesn't have the same kind of schooling or requirements of schooling. A PTA has to complete a CAPTE-accredited PTA program to get an associate degree and a licensure or certfication.

 

This difference may be obvious, but pay for a PT and a PTA differentiates. An assistant's salary is about half of what a phyiscal therapist's is. Physical therapists have a median salary of $80,000 and PTA's have a median salary of $46,000. For both, the salary depends on the position, years of experience, location, and practice setting.

 

From what I have learned about the two positions, I'm just curious about one thing. If a physical therapist assistant wanted to become a physical therapist could they do it without having to go through all the schooling for a physical therapist? If not, what would they have to do to recieve physical therapist status?

 

 

 

 

 

CITATIONS

 

"Who Are Physical Therapist Assistants?" APTA. American Physical Therapy Association, 2014. Web. 13 Feb 2014.