Factors That Affect a Physical Therapist Assistant Salary

Despite recessions, economic downturns and layoffs; the swiftly rising health-care industry has seen continuous increases in physical therapist assistant salary. The wellbeing of others is in a PTA's hand, which alone makes it a challenging and highly demanding job; the remuneration of whose is commensurate to the responsibilities and duties this caregiver has to fulfill.

Factors that affect a physical therapist assistant salary

Various factors such as qualification, certification and a few others given below, determine the compensation you can get as a physical therapist assistant.

Experience:
If you are a newcomer, then you can make $31,000 up to $40,000 annually in the United States. This is the starting range and gradually goes up as your career progresses. A physical therapist assistant salary in the mid level is expected to be around $38,000 up to $51,000 per annum. These figures are only for guidance; actual numbers have obviously increased, considering the continuous rise in wages.

If you have been practicing physical therapy for over 5 years, which means that you have the knowledge, skills and well trained to handle all sorts of relevant cases, in this scenario you are likely to draw up to $60,000 or even more.

Geography:
Another factor that determines the salary drawn by a PTA is his job location. Some states in the United States offer higher compensation as compared to others. For instance, the average annual physical therapist assistant salary in Texas and Florida ranges between $32,000 up to $56,000. Florida, Texas, New York, California, Georgia and Pennsylvania are known to be highest paying states in this profession.

Similarly, average salaries drawn by these professionals are different in every part of the world and depend on their respective factors.

Type of employer:
Salary also depends on the fact if you are a self employed individual, working for a private firm, working in a hospital or working in a government institution.

As per the data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics; Management, Scientific and Technical Consulting Services were found to be the highest paying with annual mean wage of $75,680 among top paying industries, followed by Home Healthcare Services, $60,090 as the annual mean wage, in May 2011.

If you choose to be part of the healthcare industry, the physical therapist assistant salary is and is expected to be most competitive in future. As per statistics, employment of physical therapists is expected to grow by 45% until 2020, which is much faster than average for all occupations. This positive employment outlook would eventually result in more job opportunities and better remuneration in this field. So, prepare yourself and be part of this challenging yet rewarding career!