Education:
34%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
25%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Physical Therapist Aides
This is a sub-career of
Physical Therapist Assistant or Aide
More sub-careers
Select a specialized sub-career for more details.
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Job Outlook:
Much faster than average
Education:
High school diploma or equivalent
Salary
High:
$41,320.00
Average:
$33,210.00
Hourly
Average:
$15.97
What they do:
Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing the patient and the treatment area.
On the job, you would:
- Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
- Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.
Important Qualities
Compassion. Physical therapist assistants and aides should enjoy helping people. They work with people who are in pain and must have empathy to help their patients.
Detail oriented. Physical therapist assistants and aides should be organized, keep accurate records, and follow written and verbal instructions carefully to ensure quality care.
Dexterity. Physical therapist assistants should be comfortable using their hands to provide manual therapy and therapeutic exercises. Aides should also be comfortable working with their hands to set up equipment and prepare treatment areas.
Interpersonal skills. Physical therapist assistants and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients, their families, and other healthcare practitioners; therefore, they should be courteous and friendly.
Physical stamina. Physical therapist assistants and aides are frequently on their feet and moving as they work with their patients. They must often kneel, stoop, bend, and stand for long periods.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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93% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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90% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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90% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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89% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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87% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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85% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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79% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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75% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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69% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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69% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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68% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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67% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities. | |
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78% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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61% | Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. | |
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61% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
Clean medical equipment.
Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
Engage patients in exercises or activities.
Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.
Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
Move patients to or from treatment areas.
Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
Maintain medical records.
Perform clerical work in medical settings.
Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
Assist patients with daily activities.
Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
Fit patients for assistive devices.
Assist patients with daily activities.
Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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92% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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89% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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87% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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78% | Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job? | |
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78% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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77% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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77% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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72% | Spend Time Walking and Running - How much does this job require walking and running? | |
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71% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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71% | Exposed to Disease or Infections - How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections? | |
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70% | Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job? | |
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69% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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67% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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66% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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100% | Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. | |
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88% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. | |
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86% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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82% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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77% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. | |
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75% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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75% | Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. | |
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75% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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74% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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72% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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72% | Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. | |
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69% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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67% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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66% | Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
What Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides Do
Physical therapist assistants help patients do specific exercises as part of the plan of care.
Physical therapist assistants, sometimes called PTAs, and physical therapist aides work under the direction and supervision of physical therapists. They help patients who are recovering from injuries and illnesses to regain movement and manage pain.
Physical therapist assistants are involved in the direct care of patients.
Physical therapist aides often have tasks that are indirectly related to patient care, such as cleaning and setting up the treatment area, moving patients, and doing clerical duties.
Duties
Physical therapist assistants typically do the following:
- Observe patients before, during, and after therapy, noting the patient’s status and reporting it to a physical therapist
- Help patients do specific exercises as part of the plan of care
- Treat patients using a variety of techniques, such as massage and stretching
- Use devices and equipment, such as walkers, to help patients
- Educate patients and family members about what to do after treatment
Under the direction and supervision of physical therapists, physical therapist assistants treat patients through exercise, massage, gait and balance training, and other therapeutic interventions. They record patients’ progress and report the results of each treatment to the physical therapist.
Physical therapist aides typically do the following:
- Clean treatment areas and set up therapy equipment
- Wash linens
- Help patients move to or from a therapy area
- Do clerical tasks, such as answering phones and scheduling patients
Physical therapist aides are supervised by physical therapists or physical therapist assistants. The tasks that physical therapist aides are allowed to do vary by state. They usually are responsible for keeping the treatment area clean and organized, preparing for each patient’s therapy, and helping patients as needed in moving to or from a treatment area. In addition, aides do a variety of clerical tasks, such as ordering supplies, scheduling treatment sessions, and completing insurance forms.
Work Environment
Physical therapist aides held about 44,500 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of physical therapist aides were as follows:
| Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists | 64% |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 18 |
| Offices of physicians | 10 |
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | 2 |
| Government | 2 |
Physical therapist assistants held about 100,700 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of physical therapist assistants were as follows:
| Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists | 45% |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 22 |
| Home healthcare services | 12 |
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | 9 |
| Offices of physicians | 5 |
Physical therapist assistants and aides are frequently on their feet and moving as they set up equipment and help and treat patients. Because they must often lift and move patients, they are vulnerable to back injuries. Assistants and aides can limit these risks by using proper techniques when they work with patients.
Work Schedules
Most physical therapist assistants and aides work full time, although part time work is common. Some work nights and weekends because many physical therapy offices and clinics have extended hours to accommodate patients’ schedules.
Getting Started
How to Become a Physical Therapist Assistant or Aide
Physical therapist assistants gain hands-on experience during supervised clinical work.
Physical therapist assistants entering the occupation typically need an associate’s degree from an accredited program and a license or certification. Physical therapist aides usually need a high school diploma or equivalent and on-the-job training.
Education and Training
All states require physical therapist assistants to have an associate’s degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. Programs typically last about 2 years and include coursework in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. Assistants also gain hands-on experience during supervised clinical work.
Physical therapist aides typically need a high school diploma or equivalent. They also usually need on-the-job training that can last from about one week to one month.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
All states require physical therapist assistants to be licensed or certified. Licensure typically requires graduation from an accredited physical therapist assistant program and passing the National Physical Therapy Exam for physical therapist assistants. The exam is administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Some states require that applicants pass an exam on the state’s laws regulating the practice of physical therapy assistants, undergo a criminal background check, and be at least 18 years old. Physical therapist assistants also may need to take continuing education courses to keep their license. Check with your state board for specific licensing requirements.
Additionally, physical therapy assistants may earn certifications in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic life support (BLS), or other first-aid skills.
States do not require physical therapist aides to be licensed.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of physical therapist assistants and aides is projected to grow 19 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 24,300 openings for physical therapist assistants and aides are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Demand for physical therapy is expected to increase in response to the health needs of an aging population, particularly the large baby-boom generation. This group is staying more active later in life than previous generations did. However, many baby boomers also are entering the prime age for heart attacks, strokes, and mobility-related injuries, increasing the demand for physical therapy in rehabilitation.
In addition, more physical therapist assistants and aides will be needed to help patients maintain their mobility and manage the effects of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity.
Physical therapists are expected to rely on physical therapist assistants, particularly in long-term care environments, in order to reduce the cost of physical therapy services. This should contribute to employment growth of physical therapist assistants. However, restrictions in insurance reimbursement for services provided by physical therapist aides may constrain demand for this occupation.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about physical therapist assistants, visit
American Physical Therapy Association
For a list of schools offering accredited programs, visit
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
For more information about state licensing requirements and about the National Physical Therapy Exam, visit
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of physical therapist assistants and aides.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Medical Assistants |
Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks, such as scheduling appointments and taking patients’ vital signs. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $38,270 |
|
Nursing Assistants and Orderlies |
Nursing assistants provide basic care and help patients with activities of daily living. Orderlies transport patients and clean treatment areas. |
See How to Become One | $35,740 |
|
Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides |
Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working. |
See How to Become One | $63,450 |
|
Pharmacy Technicians |
Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists dispense prescription medication to customers or health professionals. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $37,790 |
|
Physical Therapists |
Physical therapists help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain. |
Doctoral or professional degree | $97,720 |
|
Psychiatric Technicians and Aides |
Psychiatric technicians and aides care for people who have mental conditions or developmental disabilities. |
See How to Become One | $37,330 |
|
Dental Assistants |
Dental assistants provide patient care, take x rays, keep records, and schedule appointments. |
Postsecondary nondegree award | $44,820 |