Physical Therapist Aides
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.
Sample of reported job titles:
Physical Therapist Aide (PTA), Physical Therapy Aide (PTA), Physical Therapy Attendant, Rehabilitation Aide, Rehabilitation Attendant, Restorative Aide (RA)
Occupation-Specific Information
Tasks
- Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
- Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.
- Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
- Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.
Technology Skills
- Calendar and scheduling software:Scheduling software
- Electronic mail software:Microsoft Outlook
- Medical software:Epic Systems,Medical procedure coding software,MEDITECH software,Patient record maintenance software
- Office suite software:Microsoft Office
- Spreadsheet software:Microsoft Excel
Occupational Requirements
Work Activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others:Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates:Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Performing General Physical Activities:Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
- Getting Information:Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Handling and Moving Objects:Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Detailed Work Activities
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
- Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
- Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Clean medical equipment.
Work Context
- Face-to-Face Discussions:98% responded"Every day"
- Contact With Others:92% responded"Constant contact with others"
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled:85% responded"Every day"
- Physical Proximity:84% responded"Very close (near touching)"
- Work With Work Group or Team:68% responded"Extremely important"
Worker Requirements
Skills
- Active Listening: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.
- Social Perceptiveness:Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination:Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring:Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Service Orientation:Actively looking for ways to help people.
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service: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.
- Therapy and Counseling:Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- Education and Training:Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- English Language:Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Medicine and Dentistry:Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Education
How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:
- 42%High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
- 22%Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
- 15%Some College Courses
- 8%Bachelor's Degree
- 8%Less than a High School Diploma
Worker Characteristics
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension:The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression:The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity: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:The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness:The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Interests
- Social:Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
- Realistic:Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Work Values
- Relationships: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: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:Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Work Styles
- Dependability:Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
- Cooperation:Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
- Integrity:Job requires being honest and ethical.
- Concern for Others:Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
- Self-Control:Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
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