Healthcare industry is one of the best-paid occupations in today’s fast-paced world and you not over look the physical therapist salary. So let us first understand what this physical therapist is. When people are injured due to an accident or fall or maybe the person is just having some problems with movement after an illness the doctor or specialist refers them to a physical therapist who helps the patient get back on to his feet and walk around normally. This is a generous paying field with the physical therapy salaries ranging around 54,000$ at the start up stage itself. As the therapist gains experience, the physical therapist salary would also gradually increase.
There are many factors determining the physical therapist salary like location of the healthcare unit whether it is situated in a small town or big city. The physical therapist salary would be low for the therapists working on smaller cities compared to the physical therapists employed in bigger cities. Another deciding factor is the type of medical organization if it is small or big. A smaller organization would pay a lesser physical therapist salary compared to a bigger medical care unit.
The physical therapists also receive a wide array of benefits in the form of perquisites adding on to the already high physical therapist salary. They are entitled to free medical treatment, dental checkups, paid holidays, good insurance just to name a few. This makes it even more encouraging for the individuals to choose this field of work along with a good physical therapist salary.
Physical Therapist Salary Data
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 Physical Therapist Salary
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Average Physical Therapy Salaries:
Physical Therapist Salary Data by BLS.gov(2008). |
The physical therapist salary mainly depends on his type of employer. If the hospital he is working in were a big private medical centre, his remuneration would be higher when compared to a physical therapist working in a college, voluntary medical facility, or smaller healthcare unit. But the fact remains that when the physical therapist is practicing on his own he would be able to earn a physical therapist salary of around a whooping 46$ per hour. This shows that the physical therapist salary can be the highest when he works on his own in his private setup. The returns would naturally be higher as the amount of work he does he gets his remuneration accordingly without having to share his profit with anyone. He can also hire a few aides and assistants to help him with his patients’ therapy and in the process; they are paid a competitive physical therapist salary.
But it is not possible for everyone to just stand up one day and say ‘yes I want to become a physical therapist’ there are many procedures relating to education, training etc to be followed first before actually becoming a full fledged physical therapist. In fact, students aspiring to become physical therapists first work as physical therapist assistants to get first hand experience in the job. These aides work directly under the supervision of the physical therapist or doctor, help the patient walk, and move his limbs. These aides need not be students aspiring to become physical therapists but they can also be individuals who have a certification to practice as an assistant physical therapist and they can make a career for themselves as an assistant itself and earn good physical therapy salaries.
The physical therapist assistant salary would be anywhere around 49,000$ per year and gradually over the years of experience the salaries for physical therapist assistance can go up to 20$ to 25$ per hour and around 60,000$ annually. The figures sure are big giving a lot of room and scope for growth in the physical therapist salary. The physical therapist aide salary is also based on a number of factors like for example his experience in the field and his knowledge about the intricate details of the therapy. The physical therapist aide works under the physical therapist or physical therapist assistant and the physical therapy assistant salary ranges around 24,000$ annually.
Licensed Physical Therapist Salary
Some states require the physical therapy assistance to hold a license to work as an aide or assistant with physical therapists. The physical therapist assistants who have an associate degree can qualify for the license by sitting for the examination conducted by the accredited board. The physical therapist aide to become a lic physical therapist aide needs to have a minimum experience of three years as an aide working with a licensed physical therapist.
The salaries for lic physical therapist assistance would generally be higher than the ordinary physical therapy assistant due to his expertise and knowledge in the filed enabling him to be more well versed and confident on the job. The physical therapist salary can reach high scales depending on his experience and expertise in the latest changing knowledge in the research and treatment of physical therapy. This because of the fact that patients would be eager to get well and be back on their feet faster and they would prefer to visit a knowledgeable and good physical therapist for this purpose.
The physical therapists as discussed above also enjoy a number of fringe benefits on the job along with a well-paid physical therapist salary encouraging more number of people to choose this field of work as a career choice. Going in hand with the physical therapist, his assistants and aides play a very important role in determining the success of the physical therapist. Hence it is an important that the average salaries for lic physical therapist assistance also be on the higher pay scale as it would be a huge motivation factor for them also to perform well and leading to the overall growth of the healthcare unit along with providing good service to the patients who are in need.
Having spent the last few minutes reading about the physical therapist salary would surely have given you an idea regarding the huge benefits and entices associated with the physical therapist salary wooing you to choose this career path armed with a huge sense of satisfaction of serving mankind along with a fat pay package. So all that is desired is beautifully packaged in physical therapist salary.
