Physical Therapist Aides

Also Called:

Physical Therapist Aide (PTA),

Physical Therapy Aide (PTA),

PT Tech (Physical Therapy Technician),

Rehabilitation Technician (Rehabilitation Tech)

What they do: 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.

icon

Health Science

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • 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.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.

Concern for Others

Cooperation

Dependability

Integrity

Attention to Detail

Adaptability/Flexibility

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

See Related Jobs

Social

See Related Jobs

Realistic

See Related Jobs

Conventional

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Business

  • Customer service

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Engineering and Technology

  • Computers and electronics

Health

  • Therapy and counseling

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Verbal

  • Listen and understand what people say

  • Communicate by speaking

Hand and Finger Use

  • Keep your arm or hand steady

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements

Social

  • Looking for ways to help people

  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

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.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop