Music Therapists vs Physical Therapist Assistants AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

medium risk

Music Therapists

56 shared · 28 different

core competencies

low risk

Physical Therapist Assistants

Side-by-Side Comparison

Physical Therapist Assistants leads 5–0

Metric	Music Therapists	Physical Therapist Assistants
Risk Score	25.5%	22.5%
Risk Tier	Medium Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	21th	12th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	5 / 15	1 / 15
Median Salary	$60,280	$65,510
Employment	15K	108K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Therapy and Counseling

Psychology

Thinking Creatively

Sociology and Anthropology

Developing Objectives and Strategies

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Originality

Performing Administrative Activities

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization

Education and Training

Trunk Strength

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Music Therapists

38%

total discount

Physical Therapist Assistants

34%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Music Therapists

5 of 15 at risk

86%Document evaluations, treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.

74%Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to music therapy.

51%Design music therapy experiences, using various musical elements to meet client's goals or objectives.

51%Plan or structure music therapy sessions to achieve appropriate transitions, pacing, sequencing, energy level, or intensity in accordance with treatment plans.

51%Integrate behavioral, developmental, improvisational, medical, or neurological approaches into music therapy treatments.

Physical Therapist Assistants

1 of 15 at risk

86%Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.

43%Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.

43%Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.

42%Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.

39%Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.

Wage Comparison

Physical Therapist Assistants earns +$5,230(+9%) vs Music Therapists

Music TherapistsPhysical Therapist Assistants

10th

$39,520$46,020

25th

$48,230$58,240

Median

$60,280$65,510

75th

$77,680$77,270

90th

$96,600$87,630

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Music Therapists2028–2035

Physical Therapist Assistants2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Physical Therapist Assistants has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Music Therapists.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Music Therapists

$44,915

from $60,280

Physical Therapist Assistants

$50,757

from $65,510

After adjusting for AI risk, Physical Therapist Assistants offers $5,843 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Music

Unique to Physical

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Creativity

Social Intelligence

Regulatory Barriers

Decision Complexity

Music TherapistsPhysical Therapist Assistants

Find transitions from Music Therapists Find transitions from Physical Therapist Assistants