Activities	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.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$23,680 per year in May 2010
Work Context & Conditions	The hours and days that physical therapist assistants and aides work vary with the facility and with whether they are full- or part-time employees.
Minimum Education Requirements	General High School Program
Skills	Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Time Management
Abilities	Speech Recognition, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension

Job Category		Healthcare Support
Job Description		Physical therapist aides help make therapy sessions productive, under the direct supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant. They usually are responsible for keeping the treatment area clean and organized and for preparing for each patient’s therapy. When patients need assistance moving to or from a treatment area, aides push them in a wheelchair or provide them with a shoulder to lean on. Because they are not licensed, aides do not perform the clinical tasks of a physical therapist assistant. The duties of aides include some clerical tasks, such as ordering depleted supplies, answering the phone, and filling out insurance forms and other paperwork. The extent to which an aide or an assistant performs clerical tasks depends on the size and location of the facility.
Working Conditions		The hours and days that physical therapist assistants and aides work vary with the facility and with whether they are full- or part-time employees. Many outpatient physical therapy offices and clinics have evening and weekend hours, to help coincide with patients’ personal schedules. About 28 percent of all physical therapist assistants and aides work part time. Physical therapist assistants and aides need a moderate degree of strength because of the physical exertion required in assisting patients with their treatment. In some cases, assistants and aides need to lift patients. Constant kneeling, stooping, and standing for long periods also are part of the job.
Salary Range		Median annual earnings of physical therapist aides were $23,680 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $17,270, and the top 10 percent earned more than $34,670.

Education Required		Physical therapist aides are trained on the job. Employers typically require physical therapist aides to have a high school diploma, strong interpersonal skills, and a desire to assist people in need. Most employers provide clinical on-the-job training.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, Mathematics, English
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		English Language, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		None

Interest Area		Social Involves working and communicating with, helping, and teaching people.
Work Values		Moral Values Never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment.
Skills		Social Perceptiveness Be aware of others' reactions and understand why they react the way they do. Monitoring Assess how well someone is doing when learning or doing something. Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Service Orientation Actively look for ways to help people. Time Management Manage one's own time and the time of others.
Abilities		Speech Recognition Identify and understand the speech of another person Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Aide, Occupational Therapist, Trainer, Athletic, Technician, Pharmacy, Therapist, Respiratory, Aide, Pharmacy
Job Outlook		Employment of physical therapist assistants and aides is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2020. The impact of proposed Federal legislation imposing limits on reimbursement for therapy services may adversely affect the short-term job outlook for physical therapist assistants and aides. However, over the long run, demand for physical therapist assistants and aides will continue to rise, in accordance with the increasing number of individuals with disabilities or limited function. The growing elderly population is particularly vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions that require therapeutic services. These patients often need additional assistance in their treatment, making the roles of assistants and aides vital. The large baby-boom generation is entering the prime age for heart attacks and strokes, further increasing the demand for cardiac and physical rehabilitation. In addition, future medical developments should permit an increased percentage of trauma victims to survive, creating added demand for therapy services. Physical therapist assistants and aides with prior experience working in a physical therapy office or other health care setting will have the best job opportunities. Physical therapist aides may face keen competition from the large pool of qualified individuals with a high school diploma. Physical therapist aides approximately 47,000 jobs in 2010. They work with physical therapists in a variety of settings. About 55 percent worked in ambulatory health care services, others worked primarily in hospitals or in offices of physical therapists, nursing care facilities, offices of physicians, home health care services, and outpatient care centers.
More Information		American Physical Therapy Association, American Medical Association - Health Care Careers
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapist-assistants-and-aides.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/31-2022.00