what does a physical therapist assistant do?This career is about movement. The work of physical therapist assistants (PTAs) centers upon helping patients regain their mobility through the use of exercise, stretches, massages, and other physical therapy techniques. Theirs is also a fast-paced environment in which the PTAs themselves are active and as movement-oriented as their patients.

In recent years, physical therapy treatments have become increasingly popular, particularly among patients seeking alternative treatments for lower back pain, arthritis, injuries suffered in accidents and heart disease. PTAs work with the physical therapist to help patients recover from their injuries, illnesses, and surgical procedures with the goals of managing their pain and regaining their mobility.

Here are seven of the more important tasks a physical therapy assistant will perform during the course of their day:

1. Work with the physical therapist to identify patient care issues.

This includes providing information and commentary necessary in determining the most effective options and physical therapy directives for a patient. While the physical therapist is always the person in charge of performing the initial examination and evaluation, the PTA should be on hand to collect data during the initial consultation. Once treatment begins, the PTA records the patient's progress and can request a reexamination if/when needed. Their role is to offer suggestions, provide feedback, carry-out agreed upon activities, and voice constructive concerns in a collaborative manner with the physical therapist. 

2. Interview new and returning patients to assess their health and rate of recovery.

This also includes performing physical examination and obtaining, updating, and studying therapy histories to ensure that each patient is on the appropriate physical therapy track. PTAs then document these patient care services by way of charting patient and the department records.

3. Help patients perform their required therapeutic procedures by administering manual exercises. 

This ranges from simply instructing and encouraging a patient through their exercises to physically helping them complete a difficult (for them) routine. If a patient needs assistance moving to or from a treatment area or office space, it's the PTA's job to help them along the way. This includes being familiar with assistive devices that might be used during treatment and ambulatory assistive devices, like canes and walkers, that some patients may require for walking. 

4. Treat patients with a variety of physical therapy techniques. 

Massaging sore muscles and pushing injured ones into deeper stretches are a couple of the more popular physical therapy techniques PTAs perform on their patients.

5. Foster relationships with patients and their families. 

While the physical therapist will be the one to decide upon the individual patient's treatment plan, it is the PTA who will spend the most time with both the patient and their family. That means it's the PTAs job to educate patients and families about what to do during sessions, what to do at home, and what they should expect after treatment ends. 

6. Identify environmental needs. 

Because PTAs are expected to work closely with their patients, they are tasked with monitoring each patient's environment in order to identify any needs or barriers that might negatively impact the patient's therapy and recovery. Their job is to observe and make recommendations for better, more comfortable accommodations to the physical therapist and enact those recommendations where and when possible.

7. Know the documents. 

From scheduling patient-therapy dates to recording billable treatment times to providing documentation for Medicaid and Medicare patients, PTAs are expected to juggle much of the paperwork involved in a physical therapy practice. 

Becoming a Physical Therapy Assistant

physical therapist assistant salaryThe education required to become a physical therapy assistant includes an associate’s degree from an accredited college or university, and any certifications specific to desired areas of expertise (such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation). After graduating, PTAs must obtain the appropriate licensing by passing the National Physical therapy Exam (NPTE) and state-specific testing.

Once employed, the median annual salary for PTAs is $52,160, with the top ten percent earning more than $72,000 and the bottom 10 percent earning less than $32,420, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This makes this career one of the most lucrative wages in terms of careers or positions obtained with an associate's degree. Plus, with employment of this career expected to increase 41 percent from 2012 to 2022, this is considered a very financially secure field of study to pursue. 

If you're interested in becoming a physical therapy assistant, then you should consider earning an Associate of Applied Science degree in Physical Therapist Assisting at ECPI University’s College of Health Science. ECPI University offers an accelerated, hands-on education environment in which you could earn this degree in just 1.5 years. So why wait? Contact us today to learn more and take the first big step towards your future career. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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