Physical Therapy Assistant Salary – Your Earning Potential
Physical therapy assistant salary is usually between $30,000 and $54,000 annually. The range varies depending on your educational background, experience, industry of practice and the location where you work. Knowing these factors at the beginning of your career will help you position yourself to receive the maximum salary that a physical therapy assistant can get.
Physical therapists require assistants to help them execute the therapeutic programs that they have created so that their patients can regain their normal motor skills. Whether it is because of an illness or injury, people may sometimes need to be given a series of exercises to rehabilitate themselves to regain their normal limb movements. Assistants also help with the examination and documentation of the patient’s progress. They help operate the equipment needed for therapy and teach patients how to use crutches and other support materials.
Given this job description, a physical therapy assistant salary is neither too low nor too high. In fact, an entry level assistant is expected to earn between $30,000 and $40,000. If you have an associate’s degree from a prestigious institution with a recommendation from a credible professor or any medical professional, your chances of getting a high salary are better. Some employers require only a high school diploma and provide their own training for physical therapy assistants. This is a good chance for people who have no or limited means to finance their studies.
A physical therapy assistant salary is also affected by your experience. As you stay longer in the career, for instance, 5 to 9 years, you can earn as much as $52,000. Longer years in the profession will allow you to earn between $35,000 and $54,000.
Location is another factor in getting a relatively high salary in this profession. Florida gives as much as $56,000. Texas follows shortly with $55,000 annual wages for physical therapy assistants. Their ability to give a high salary is also affected by the high population in their areas. Smaller scale states that have less people to treat so the chances of a high physical therapy assistant salary are unlikely.
The place where a physical therapist assistant chooses to practice could affect their salaries plus the benefits that they will receive. Private clinics of physical therapists may not be as generous in health benefits compared to hospitals. In the same manner, public health care centers will pay lower fees.
Working as a physical therapy assistant is just a step for you to earn more in the future. If you are not happy with the salary that an assistant makes, feel free to explore on a physical therapy education. Your career as an assistant is a valid degree to admit you to a physical therapy program. The hours you worked can also be credited as part of the clinical practice that is required to complete the program. Some states require a physical therapist to be an assistant first before qualifying for a license.
Physical therapy assistant salary according to statistics is likely to rise. According to some studies the demand for physical therapist assistants will be higher in the coming years. Between 2006 and 2010 alone, the growth of the demand for physical therapy assistants rose to 30%.