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What is a Physical Therapist Assistant?
Patients of all ages are referred to physical therapists and their assistants following an injury or accident to help them with the rehabilitation process. Some patients face long and arduous roads to recovery, including having to learn to walk again, while others recover from fairly minor sports- or work-related injuries. Physical therapy is a team effort towards a patient's recovery and can also include pain management, surgery, advanced diagnostic services and any other medical services deemed necessary by the patient's primary physician.
Physical therapy assistants can find employment in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers and physical therapy centers. They may also provide in-home services to home-bound patients.
What Does a Physical Therapy Assistant Do?
Physical therapy assistants (PTAs) provide support services to physical therapists (PTs). They work closely with PTs to help improve a patient's physical condition. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, PTAs help patients with medical problems or other health-related conditions that limit their ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives.
A PTA's specific duties might include:
What Are the Steps to Becoming a Physical Therapist Assistant?
Becoming a physical therapist assistant includes a combination of formal schooling and on-the-job training. For most positions, an associate degree in physical therapy assistance from an accredited program is required by law. The American Physical Therapy Association's Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education has given accreditation to more than 200 programs nationwide, including vocational schools, community colleges and universities.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), you should take the following steps to start your career in the field:
How to Become a Great Physical Therapy Assistant
As with all health care professions, a true desire to help patients get better is key. To succeed as a physical therapy assistant, you must also enjoy working with people, even when they are in pain. You should be able to work well in a team, be able to take direction, remain highly organized and pay attention to detail.
Other ways to advance your career include:
Physical Therapy Assistant Career Outlook
Employment for physical therapist assistants and aides is expected to grow much faster than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 35 percent growth rate between 2008 and 2018. The median annual wage for physical therapy assistants as of May 2009 was $48,290, or $23.22 per hour. The range of salaries for PTAs in 2009 was $30,400 for the lowest 10 percent of earners and $66,460 for the top 10 percent. The highest-paying states for physical therapy assistants were Texas, California and Nevada.
Professions in the health care sector are where many of the nation's best paying, steady jobs will be in the next decade. If you enjoy helping others, learning about and healing the human body, then a PTA career may be right for you. Follow the steps outlined above, attend an accredited PTA school and reach out to a local physical therapist, who wants to mentor assistants entering the field. Continue your education and watch your career opportunities grow.
Resources for Physical Therapist Assistants
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
Request info from multiple schools, by clicking the Get Info links.
| School | Locations | Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Mackie College | AZ, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, MO, NM, OH, OK, SC | Associate | |
| Carrington College | AZ | Certificate | |
| Everest College | ON | Diploma | |
| Hesser College | NH | Associate | |
| Kaplan Career Institute | PA | Associate | |
| Kaplan College KHE | CA | Diploma | |
| Keiser University Campus | FL | Associate | |
| Medical Careers Institute | VA | Associate | |
| New England Institute of Technology | RI | Associate | |
| Sanford Brown College | MO | Associate | |
| South University Campus | AL, FL, GA | Associate | |
| Stratford Career Institute | Online | Diploma |
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