Career profile Physical Therapist Assistant

Table of Contents

• What does a Physical Therapist Assistant do?
• What is a typical salary for a Physical Therapist Assistant?
• What personality traits are common among Physical Therapist Assistants?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Physical Therapist Assistants need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Physical Therapist Assistant do?

Physical Therapist Assistants assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures.

In addition, Physical Therapist Assistants

• may, in accordance with state laws, assist in the development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, document the progress of treatment, and modify specific treatments in accordance with patient status and within the scope of treatment plans established by a physical therapist,
• generally requires formal training.

What kind of tasks does a Physical Therapist Assistant perform regularly?

Physical Therapist Assistants are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
• Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
• 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.
• Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.
• Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.
• Communicate with or instruct caregivers or family members on patient therapeutic activities or treatment plans.
• Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.
• Train patients in the use of orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.
• Monitor operation of equipment and record use of equipment and administration of treatment.
• Attend or conduct continuing education courses, seminars, or in-service activities.
• Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings.
• Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed.
• Perform postural drainage, percussions, or vibrations or teach deep breathing exercises to treat respiratory conditions.
• Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.

The above responsibilities are specific to Physical Therapist Assistants. More generally, Physical Therapist Assistants are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Physical Therapist Assistant salary?

What personality traits are common among Physical Therapist Assistants?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Physical Therapist Assistant are usually higher in their Social, Realistic, and Investigative interests.

Physical Therapist Assistants typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Also, Physical Therapist Assistants typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Physical Therapist Assistants typically have moderate Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Physical Therapist Assistant tend to value Relationships, Working Conditions, and Support.

Most importantly, Physical Therapist Assistants very strongly value 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.

Second, Physical Therapist Assistants strongly value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Lastly, Physical Therapist Assistants strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Physical Therapist Assistants must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, integrity, and cooperation.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Physical Therapist Assistants, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Physical Therapist Assistants need?

Physical Therapist Assistants often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Physical Therapist Assistants usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Physical Therapist Assistants

• 1.5% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 5.3% completed high school or secondary school
• 10.4% completed some college coursework
• 50.5% earned a Associate's degree
• 28.1% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 2.6% earned a Master's degree
• 1.7% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Physical Therapist Assistants

Important Abilities needed by Physical Therapist Assistants

Physical Therapist Assistants must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Physical Therapist Assistants need abilities such as oral expression, oral comprehension, and speech recognition in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Physical Therapist Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Physical Therapist Assistants

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Physical Therapist Assistants frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and monitoring to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Physical Therapist Assistants, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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