Physical Therapist Aides: Schools and Careers

About Physical Therapist Aides

A physical therapist aide works under the direct supervision or direction of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant to support physical therapy treatment. Physical therapy treatment entails helping patients that may be accident victims or persons with disabling conditions. Physical therapist aides perform a variety of functions that may include:

• Keeping physical therapy areas clean and organized
• Preparing physical therapy areas for incoming patients
• Preparing for each patients therapy
• Assisting patients, who are mobility challenged, to or from treatment areas
• Performing minor clerical tasks such as ordering supplies, answering the phone, and filling out paperwork

Job Characteristics

Physical therapist aides are entry level positions that do not require formal training. Most physical therapist aides receive on-the-job training and clinical training. During job training the physical therapist aide will work with experienced employees from three months to a year. Basic requirements are typically a high school diploma and a desire to work with people. Other skills that are helpful in pursuing a physical therapist aide position include good organizational skills, keen listening skills, reading and writing skills, strong interpersonal skills, the ability to communicate effectively, a detailed orientation as well as a service orientation. While physical therapist assistants may require licensure, it is not required for physical therapist aides.

Approximately 71% of physical therapist aides work in physical therapy facilities or within hospitals. The remainder work in other areas such as nursing facilities, physicians offices, home health care services or outpatient care centers. Approximately 23% of physical therapist aides and assistants work part time and often physical therapy facilities offer weekend and evening hours to accomodate the needs of their patients.

The physical therapist aide position requires some strength due to the responsibilities of the job. The need to assist and sometimes even lift patients requires the physical therapist aide to have moderate strength. In addition, the physical therapist job is a physical one where the majority of the time is spent standing, stooping, bending, and kneeling.

Job Outlook

Employment opportunities in the physical therapy field are growing and at a faster rate than that of many other occupations. However, given the large pool of qualified applicants for physical therapy aide positions, persons pursuing this career may have greater competition for the jobs available. Forecasted growth for 2006-2016 decade, in physical therapy, is 29%. This growth is projected based on a number of factors. First, the elderly population is growing and will continue to do so as baby boomers age and are more likely to experience ailments that require physical therapy. Moreover, as technology advances and better medical treatments become available more trauma patients will survive increasing the need for physical therapy services.

The income for physical therapist aides averaged between $18,000 and $27,000 annually in 2006 and the median annual income for this group was approximately $22,000. The nursing care facilities provided the highest incomes for physical therapy aides while the offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists offered the least compensation in May of 2006. The projected need for physical therapist aides in the 2006-2016 timeframe is 17,000 additional employees.

Job advancement for physical therapist aides is often to become a physical therapist assistant. This may be achieved by gaining experience within an organization as well as by seeking further education.

Job Tools

• Clinical hydraulic ifts or accessories
• Electronic Blood pressure units
• Mercury Blood pressure units
• Theraputic heating or cooling pads or compresses or packs
• Vascular compression apparel or supports
• Wheelchairs

Job Technologies

• Calendar and scheduling software
• Medical software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software

Additional Sources of Information

Schools for Physical Therapist Aides are listed in the column to the left.

The Top Cities tab shows employment statistics for Physical Therapist Aides by major metro area.

The Top Industries tab shows which industries have the most jobs for Physical Therapist Aides, along with salary data by industry.

The Find Schools tab lets you search for schools by field of study, degree level, and location.