Physical therapists are an important part of the health care industry. However, their job would be much more difficult without the help of physical therapist assistants, also known as PTAs. These professionals provide assistance to physical therapists before, during, and after therapy sessions. They sometimes perform treatments on patients under the supervision of a licensed PT. Their work in a health care setting is invaluable to providing quality, effective treatments for patients suffering from injuries or other debilitating conditions.
There is a wide range of duties with which PTAs are qualified to help during a physical therapy session. Depending on the type of injury or condition being treated, the physical therapist will assign the PTA a task to help the treatment move along. This may involve simple assistance such as positioning a patient, helping the patient to stand, recording observations, or tracking patient progress.
However, a PTA can also become actively involved with the direct therapy itself. This can include operating equipment, electrical stimulation, ultrasounds, massages or balance training. Sometimes, a physical therapy assistant will lead the patient in a controlled exercise, providing instruction and assistance along the way.
All of the duties of a physical therapy assistant help the patient to rehabilitate an injury or learn to adapt to a condition that affects them physically. They can also help relieve pain and increase mobility for patients who are recovering from major surgery. The conditions they help to treat can include everything from arthritis and back pain to strokes and cerebral palsy.
Depending on where they are employed, they may work with the same physical therapist on a regular basis. Otherwise, they work with whichever physical therapist needs their assistance during their shift. They may also work with the same patients on a regular basis depending on what types of conditions they help to treat.
Physical therapy assistants should be great at both teachings and taking direction. They need to be organized and detail-oriented in order to properly track patient progress and express data meaningfully. It's important for PTAs to have an empathetic and caring nature which allows them to help patients feel comfortable and confident about their treatment.
PTAs generally work during normal work-week hours. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that about 28% of all PTAs work part-time. In some cases, nights and weekends are required, especially when a PTA works at an outpatient physical therapy clinic that needs to coordinate with patients' work schedules.
As for an average annual salary, most physical therapy assistants earn somewhere between $37,170 and $54,900 per year. The highest earners in this fieldwork for home health care services and nursing homes. Job opportunities in this field are expected to increase dramatically in the coming years as more elderly citizens from the Baby Boom generation are in need of physical therapy services.