Physical Therapist Assistants
On the Job
Physical Therapists Assistants work under the direction of physical therapists. They help patients who are recovering from illness, injury, or surgery to regain movement or manage pain.
Physical Demands 
This career requires time standing, walking, or running.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Adjust positions of patients on beds or tables.
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
- Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Fit patients for assistive devices.
- Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
- Prepare medical reports or documents.
- Communicate patient status to other health practitioners.
- Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
- Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
Typical Working Conditions
- Frequent contact with others.
- Working with a group or team.
- Close physical proximity with other people.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Exposure to disease or infections.
- Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
- Standing.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
