Physical Therapy Assistant Salary - Why Physical Therapists Need You

It's really a no-brainer on the part of the physical therapist when he decides to hire one or two assistants. Physical therapy assistants are great help for the therapist and even though he will be paying out a competitive physical therapy assistant salary, the therapist will obviously be earning more income.

How is this so? Once the physical therapist has evaluated the patient and a treatment plan has been devised by the therapist, the assistant can now take over and provide many of parts of the treatment to the patient. The key here is hiring a very reliable and competent assistant and the therapist should still be always supervising the procedure. By having things set up in this way, the physical therapist can attend to other patients whilst the treatment programs of other patients are being taken care of by the physical therapist assistants. By having more patients that can be treated at the same time, the therapist can lower the cost of his physical therapy services with enough income to keep the practice going. With a lower service cost, more people who need these services can now go see the physical therapists for a consultation and treatment.

All of these benefits will be good for the assistant too, because as the practice grows, and as the assistants gain more skills and experience, they will in turn receive a higher physical therapy assistant salary. When done properly, this is a win-win situation for all parties involved. However, physical therapy assistants need to make sure they are in the position to be given these chances of career advancement and a better physical therapist assistant salary first and foremost.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for an assistant is $48,950. If you'll be working in the offices of other health practitioners, aside from that of physician, you'll be receiving $46,910 a year. Most therapist assistants tend to work in this setting. Working in physicians offices, meanwhile, will give you $44,120 in annual compensation. If you want to receive the highest therapy assistant salary possible, you should aim to work in home health care services, because assistants here receive a little bit more than $60,000 a year.

Aside from the work setting, another factor that affects your physical therapy assistant salary is the level of experience you have, the training and additional education you have, and the geographical location; as each State has its own level of salary paid to these assistants. Requirements to be a physical therapy assistant vary State by State also; although the minimum educational requirement is an associate's degree, obtained by finishing an accredited physical therapy training program. For more specific information on the requirements, you can and should call your State's licensing board immediately.