I am going to assume that the shortened version, pta salary, is really an investigation into the wage thresholds for a physical therapy assistant salary. If your research has brought you to the point, that finding out what this profession will financially reimburse you for your services, then please read on for a thorough dissertation on the subject.
For the balance of this article, I will refer to physical therapy assistant, rather than pta, I hope you don't mind. I guess I'm being a little "old school", and being a parent, I keep getting confused by the pta meaning (parent teachers assoc.). Humor me, and we'll get through this as painlessly as possible.
Since much of this profession officially came into being around the First World War, and the subsequent polio epidemic of the thirties, we'll set our wage timeline for that period. What is known about a physical therapy assistant or nurses who comprised the original caregivers from the early 1900's, is that they were only earning approximately $30.00 per month, an income that definitely wouldn't fly today.
Many of the nurses who provided rehabilitative therapies during World War I were actually recruited from the American Red Cross. The salaries of these personnel were relatively low all the way through the thirties, with many only earning approximately a dollar an hour. Although many worked at least ten hours a day, the daily duties were exhausting for those dealing with the casualties of the First World War through the polio epidemic of the 30's.
One of the leading pioneers in Orthopedic Nursing was Dame Agnes Hunt, who in 1919 established one of the first orthopedic hospitals. She also had a convalescent facility for crippled children in the early 1900's.
Current Pay Scales
One of the best advantages of this occupation according to physicaltherapyassistant.biz, is the fact that it takes virtually little time to enter the profession, but over time, and with a history of exemplary experience, it is almost a lock to be able to attain employment and a six-figure income.
For those looking to find work in the private practices of physical therapists, the average mean hourly wage is around $24.00 (as of May 2010). If you are lucky enough to find employment in home health-care services, your mean hourly wage shoots up to almost $29.00.
If you want to avoid competition, the states that you'll want to put at the bottom of your list for regions to work are, Texas (mean hourly wage- $30.00), California (MHW- $28.00), and Connecticut (MHW- $27.00). If you want to know the cities that enjoy the highest competition levels, Chicago (MHW- $25.00), New York (MHW- $25.00), and Philadelphia (MHW- $22.00)
Future Pay Scales
According to the bureau of labor statistics, this profession is one of the fastest growing occupations with a growth rate of at least 34%. This is almost unheard of since the US economy tanked in 2008, and untold millions of Americans are out of work still.
But what continues to happen regardless of the economy, regardless of the employment outlook, and regardless gridlock in government. The baby boomers are continuing to age, and are steadily marching into their senior years.
Because of this huge demographic, many of the health-care fields will experience growth well into the next two decades and beyond, but physical therapy is one medical discipline that will not only benefit from the boomers, but because it touches on so many different rehabilitative services, it will achieve a clinical status akin to getting a haircut. We all need one at one time or other, and this pta salary for those in this field will become very stylish indeed,