Physical Therapist Assistants
Certified Physical Therapist Assistant (CPTA),
Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (LPTA),
Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA),
Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA)
What they do: 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.
- DemandHigh
- state Avg. Salary $$$$$$59,660Download Career Flyer
What do they typically do on the job?
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
- Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
- 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.
Personality
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
Abilities
Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.
Verbal
Communicate by speaking
Listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
Notice when problems happen
Make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted
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
Problem Solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Social
Understanding people's reactions
Looking for ways to help people
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
- Talk to your college and career counselor or school admissions staff
- Visit Idaho Launch
- Search for available Physical Therapist Assistants jobs on Idaho Works
Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop