Will “Physical Therapist Assistants” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures. 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.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 31-2021.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 56,850.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 27.00
• Currently, there are 85,580 people on this job

Also Known As…

• Staff Physical Therapy Assistant
• Physical Therapy Technician (Physical Therapy Tech)
• Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA)
• Physical Therapist Assistant and Nurse Aide
• Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA)
• Per Diem Physical Therapist Assistant (Per Diem PTA)
• Outpatient Physical Therapist Assistant
• Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (LPTA)
• Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant
• Certified Physical Therapist Assistant (CPTA)
• Rehabilitation Assistant
• Rehabilitation Aide
• Physiotherapy Assistant

Tasks for “Physical Therapist Assistants”

• Communicate with or instruct caregivers or family members on patient therapeutic activities or treatment plans.
• 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.
• Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Monitor operation of equipment and record use of equipment and administration of treatment.
• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
• Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Perform postural drainage, percussions, or vibrations or teach deep breathing exercises to treat respiratory conditions.
• Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Prepare treatment areas and electrotherapy equipment for use by physiotherapists.
• Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms.
• Train patients in the use of orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.
• Measure patients' range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.
• Attend or conduct continuing education courses, seminars, or in-service activities.
• Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, such as crutches.
• Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.

Related Technology & Tools

• Pick-up walkers
• Balance boards
• Medical nasal cannulae
• Standing cages
• Arm prosthetics
• Swiss exercise balls
• Cold packs
• Whirlpool therapy baths
• Reachers
• Tilt tables
• Massage equipment
• Lower-body isokinetic machines
• Surgical masks
• Resistive exercise bands
• Balance beams
• Portable oxygen equipment
• Hydrotherapy pools
• Ergometers
• Posture grids
• Notebook computers
• Mechanical percussors
• Ultraviolet UV phototherapy lamps
• Digital cameras
• Interferential electrical stimulation machines
• Mechanical stethoscopes
• Therapeutic treadmill exercisers
• Medicine balls
• Blood pressure cuffs
• Plumb lines
• Sacro-illiac joint lumbar corsets
• Below-the-knee prosthetics
• Parallel bars
• Exercise trampolines
• Back braces
• Sequential compression devices
• Stationary bicycles
• Electromyographs EMG
• Single point canes
• Body-fat calipers
• Upper-body isokinetic machines
• Inclinometers
• Sliding boards
• Crutches
• Stretchers
• Digital video cameras
• Wrist splints
• Free weights
• Reflex hammers
• Patient positioning devices
• Therapeutic hot packs
• Goniometers
• Slings
• Hemi walkers
• Above-the-knee prosthetics
• Desktop computers
• Safety goggles
• Powder boards
• Cardiac monitors
• Personal computers
• Tablet computers
• Pelvic traction equipment
• Wheelchairs
• Iontopheresis equipment
• Standing tables
• Paraffin baths
• Lavage hydrotherapy equipment
• Hand grips
• Platform walkers
• Protective gowns
• High-voltage Galvanic stimulation machines
• Functional electrical stimulation FES equipment
• Intermittent compression units
• Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation TENS equipment
• Rotating bed
• Front-wheel walkers
• Ultrasound machines
• Gait belts
• Total lift chairs
• Ankle-foot orthotics
• Splints
• Quad canes
• Continuous passive motion CPM equipment
• Hi-lo manipulation tables
• Pulse oximeters
• Reciprocating walkers
• Short wave diathermy devices
• Knee braces
• Safety gloves
• Hoyer lifts
• Cervical traction equipment
• Automated external defibrillators AED

• Bookkeeping software
• SpectraSoft AppointmentsPRO
• Summit Software CarePoint
• dBASE
• BioEx Systems Exercise Pro
• Accounting software
• Knees Software PT DocTools
• Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Windows
• Eazy Application Systems QuickEMR
• Microsoft Outlook
• Video game software
• Client caseload management software
• Word processing software
• SpectraSoft DocuPRO
• Microsoft Office
• FileMaker Pro
• Spreadsheet software
• PhysioGraphic
• Virtual reality game software
• Microsoft Access
• Arena Health Systems Phys-X
• Beaver Creek Software The THERAPIST
• Billing software
• TherAssist
• Email software
• Laboratory information system LIS
• PhysioTools Tools RG
• Scheduling software