Physical Therapist Aides
Overview
SaveJob Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
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.
Yearly Salary
| High: | $40K |
| Median: | $28K |
| Low: | $20K |
Demand
Core Tasks
- 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.
- 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.
- Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases.
- Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.
- Record treatment given and equipment used.
- Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.
- Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.
- Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.
- Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules.
- Train patients to use orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.
- Arrange treatment supplies to keep them in order.
- Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment.
- Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings.
- Maintain equipment or furniture to keep it in good working condition, including performing the assembly or disassembly of equipment or accessories.
- Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed.
- Participate in patient care tasks, such as assisting with passing food trays, feeding residents, or bathing residents on bed rest.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
90%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language
81%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
Computers and Electronics
70%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Therapy and Counseling
67%
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Psychology
60%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Public Safety and Security
58%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administrative
57%
Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Education and Training
53%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Administration and Management
49%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Personnel and Human Resources
49%
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
73%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring
65%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Service Orientation
65%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Coordination
63%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension
63%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Social Perceptiveness
63%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Active Learning
60%
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Critical Thinking
60%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Instructing
60%
Teaching others how to do something.
Speaking
60%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
68%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity
65%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Speech Recognition
65%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near Vision
63%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Oral Expression
63%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Inductive Reasoning
60%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Information Ordering
60%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Selective Attention
60%
The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Speech Clarity
60%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Trunk Strength
60%
The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
Top 10 Work Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
100%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
90%
Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
89%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting Information
86%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Handling and Moving Objects
82%
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
81%
Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Working with Computers
81%
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Documenting/Recording Information
80%
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
80%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
78%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Detailed Work Activities
- Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
- Clean medical equipment.
- Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
- Engage patients in exercises or activities.
- Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.
- Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
- Move patients to or from treatment areas.
- Perform clerical work in medical settings.
- Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
- Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
- Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
- Maintain medical records.
- Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
- Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
- Fit patients for assistive devices.
Education
Interests
Social
84%
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.
Realistic
70%
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.
Conventional
56%
Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
Investigative
37%
Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
Enterprising
30%
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
Artistic
16%
Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.
Work Values
Relationships
96%
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.
Achievement
67%
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.
Support
67%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence
53%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions
50%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition
43%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.