Physical Therapist Salary – Average Physical Therapist Salary
To be familiar with a physical therapist salary, it is important to note the scope of their job to better understand why the profession demands figures that could be higher than one would expect.
Back in the day, everything in the hospital seemed to be the nurse’s or doctor’s job. Nowadays, the physical therapists are probably of equal footing with the nurses, as they take care of patients’ post-operative rehabilitation. They are deemed necessary in hospitals, rehabilitation institutes or clinics or orthopedic centers.
Being a physical therapist is a very rewarding job these days. The physical therapist salary is relatively high. They comprise the greater part of the medical community that focus on physical and developmental rehabilitation of the injured, patients recuperating from a disease or those with inborn disabilities.
Most of the time, treatment for each patient is customized because of the divergent symptoms and need for treatment. Physical therapists basically focus on improving patients’ motor function, strength, motion and flexibility. They are in charge of providing treatment to reduce any pain or discomfort.
Now that you have a mental picture of how physically taxing a physical therapist’s job could be, you would then appreciate the figures associated with the physical therapist salary.
The competitive physical therapist salary range could be anywhere between $59,000 and $75,961, but this is just the basic. Some can command up to $90,000 or even more, and this would depend on which health sector they belong.
Total pay would be based on hourly wage or basic annual salary, profit sharing, tips or commissions, bonuses and overtime pay.
The physical therapist salary ranges per hour based on the years of experience are estimated as follows:
Less than a year $25.82 to $32.17
1 to 4 years $27.63 to $34.93
5 to 9 years $30.58 to $39.49
10 to 19 years $33.23 to $42.51
20 years and above $35.61 to $44.44
The following is a peek into the hourly rates of physical therapists in key cities:
Chicago, Illinois $28.93 to $37.65
San Diego, California $31.09 to $39.78
Denver, Colorado $25.54 to $38.41
New York, New York $28.29 to $44.72
Seattle, Washington $31.70 to $40.08
Houston, Texas $31.12 to $48.08
Los Angeles, California $31.58 to $40.24
Physical therapists employed in exclusive orthopedic rehabilitation centers usually earn higher, if not the highest. These hospital facilities are usually focused on providing orthopedic treatment, which explains for the job saturation in this particular setting. They might require the therapist to have some specialization in orthopedic training; hence, the higher physical therapy salary estimated to go anywhere between $31 and $40 per hour.
And with the hype that celebrity life entails, the profession has become much sought after in the sports and fitness arena. One with a certification to become an athletic trainer can go by the hour with about $30 to $42. These rates could even be higher for those privately employed or those providing special services for renowned names in show business and in the field of mainstream sports.
At times, it’s not just the laborious nature of the job that dictates the status of these therapists’ wallets. When Hollywood names call for certified fitness trainers with formal physical therapy background, the physical therapy salary breaks its estimated upper margin and does provide a lifestyle that could be beyond comfort.
