Kinesiologist vs Physical Therapist

A kinesiologist is a medical professional who works with athletes, while a physical therapist is a medical professional who works with all kinds of patients. A kinesiologist often helps athletes to recover from injuries. They also aim to maximize an athlete's physical abilities by improving their strength through athletic conditioning and endurance exercises.

How To Become A Kinesiologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a kinesiologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Gavin Colquitt

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a kinesiologist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $26.37 an hour? That's $54,843 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 17% and produce 40,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Kinesiologist?

Gavin Colquitt

Professor, Georgia Southern University

The job market for teachers is fantastic. Many school districts have faced teacher shortages. Opportunity and demand vary from community to section, and most districts have their application system. Apply to several neighborhoods to increase chances.

ScoreKinesiologistUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,843

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.2

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.46%

Asian 12.12%

Black or African American 2.58%

Hispanic or Latino 5.66%

Unknown 3.51%

White 75.67%

Gender

female 50.00%

male 50.00%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a kinesiologist

Explore kinesiologist education requirements

Most common kinesiologist degrees

Bachelor's

78.9 %

Master's

13.2 %

High School Diploma

2.6 %

Start to develop specific kinesiologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Rehabilitation	84.73%
Patient Care	15.27%

Complete relevant kinesiologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New kinesiologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a kinesiologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real kinesiologist resumes.

Research kinesiologist duties and responsibilities

Achieve high level of patients satisfaction due to sound clinical management, quality of care and compassion.
Assist patient with training on DME's design for their protocols.
Perform evaluations and interventions to enhance strength, endurance, and mobility of veterans with impair movement or extensive deconditioning.
Employ at an out-patient orthopedic clinic with primary goal for patient return to work, ADL, or sports/recreation activities.

Prepare your kinesiologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your kinesiologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a kinesiologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Kinesiologist Resume templates

Build a professional Kinesiologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Kinesiologist resume.

Apply for kinesiologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a kinesiologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do kinesiologists rate their job?