Career Summary

Physical therapist assistants assist with physical therapy sessions. They assist by providing services that help improve the mobility of inured individuals and in an effort to relieve pain, and prevent or limited permanent physical disabilities. Injured patients that seek physical therapy usually include accident victims, those inured on the job and individuals suffering from arthritis, heart disease and cerebral palsy.

Physical therapist assistants work under the direction and supervision of physical therapists assist with exercises, massages, electrical stimulation, paraffin baths, hot and cold packs, traction, and ultrasound. They may also record the patient’s responses to treatment and report the outcome of each treatment to the physical therapist.

They usually are responsible for keeping the treatment area clean and organized and for preparing for each patient’s therapy. When patients need assistance moving to or from a treatment area, aides push them in a wheelchair or provide them with a shoulder to lean on.

The duties of Physical therapist assistants also include some clerical tasks, such as ordering supplies, answering phones, and filling out insurance forms and other paperwork.