Physical therapist assistants in Rhode Island earned an average salary of $49,920 as of 2014 according to the state’s Department of Labor and Training. Physical therapist assistants who were new to the profession earned an average of $41,184 that year, while those with experience earned $59,426 on average.
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training expects that the number of jobs for physical therapist assistants in the state will increase by 15.6% between 2012 and 2022. This level of growth should generate an average of 105 jobs a year for PTAs in Rhode Island.
The two healthcare sectors recognized as the top employers of physical therapist assistants in Rhode Island added a significant number of new jobs between 2012 and 2013. Nursing and residential care facilities added 253 jobs while the ambulatory care sector (including physical therapy and sports medicine clinics) added 266 new jobs over the course of that year.
How Pending Legislation Could Affect Rhode Island’s PTAs
Major changes that would affect the physical therapy profession are pending in Washington, DC. These issues were brought to the forefront on PT Day on Capital Hill in June 2015. As part of a delegation from the Rhode Island chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, PTA Lisa Dowden went to Capital Hill to call attention to issues concerning PTAs in Rhode Island, namely the Medicare Therapy Cap Repeal.
Along with two other members, Ms. Dowden met briefly with Representative David Cicilline and was able to meet with the legislative aides for all four of Rhode Island’s representatives to discuss critical legislation affecting the PT and PTA professions. All four of Rhode Island’s representatives support the Medicare Therapy Cap Repeal, which would eliminate the monetary cap currently placed on physical therapy services. Other major issues affecting PTs and PTAs include:
- PT Workforce/National Health Service Corp. Act
- Medicare Locum Tenens Bill
- Safe Play Act (concussion management)
Salaries for PTAs in Rhode Island’s Major Metropolitan Areas
The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training indicated that the salaries of physical therapist assistants in the state varied significantly between the two major metropolitan areas in the state (2014):
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a detailed analysis of salaries for physical therapist assistants in the Providence area as of 2014: