Physical therapist assistants work under the supervision of a physical therapist to provide serviced that help in improving mobility, relieving pain and preventing permanent physical damage to patients suffering from disease, injury caused by accident, back pain, heart disease, arthritis, head injuries, fractures and cerebral palsy.

Different kinds of tasks are performed by physical therapy assistants. These include conducting exercises, electrical stimulation, massages, paraffin baths, traction, hot and cold packs and ultrasound. They record the response of patients and present them to the therapist for further treatment.

Physical therapist aides help to keep treatment areas organized and clean. They do not perform any clinical tasks since they are not licensed.

Clerical tasks carried out by them are taking calls, ordering for supplies, filling insurance forms and completing other paperwork.

Work Environment

The hours worked by physical therapy assistants depends on the size of the facility they work in. work is carried out Full time or part time. They often have working weekends and evenings. The job can be tiring as a lot of manual work is done with patients which sometimes can involve lifting patients.

Educational Requirements

Usually physical therapist aides train on the job but physical therapy assistants require an associate degree from an accredited program. These programs are for 2 years. The course includes anatomy, algebra, physiology, anatomy, chemistry, biology and psychology.  In addition, online physical therapy assistant training courses are available from top accredited online colleges and career training schools.  You can train online for a physical therapy career.

Job Outlook and Salary Expectations

The future holds good prospects in this career. The growth in opportunities in this field are expected to be greater than in other careers. A growing elderly population and increasing rate of accident oriented injury both fuel the need for assistants. Those with prior work experience stand to gain most.

The salary starts at as low as less than $24,000 annually and goes up as high as more than $52,000 annually.