How To Become a Physical Therapist Assistant
Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become a physical therapist assistant. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in a physical therapist assistant.
-
Most companies require a physical therapist assistant to have a associate degree degree in a related field, such as physical therapy or medical assisting services.
-
The Physical Therapist Assistant license requirements vary by state. 40 states require barbers to have licensure for their work.
-
Common job titles before becoming a physical therapist assistant include physical therapist, student physical therapist, and staff physical therapy assistant.
-
Hiring managers expect a physical therapist assistant to have soft skills such as dexterity, compassion, and detail oriented.
-
Once you have all the required skills and experience, it takes an average of less than 1 month of job training to become a physical therapist assistant.
-
Getting a certification as a Medical Assistant will help you to earn more as a physical therapist assistant.
We found that 23.9% of physical therapist assistants have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 2.2% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While some physical therapist assistants have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every three physical therapist assistants were not college graduates.
Those physical therapist assistants who do attend college, typically earn either physical therapy degrees or medical assisting services degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for physical therapist assistants include kinesiology degrees or business degrees.
How to become a Physical Therapist Assistant in 6 steps:
- Step 1: Explore physical therapist assistant education
- Step 2: Develop physical therapist assistant skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Obtain the necessary licensing
- Step 5: Research physical therapist assistant duties
- Step 6: Prepare your resume
Key Steps To Become a Physical Therapist Assistant
Explore Physical Therapist Assistant Education
If you're interested in becoming a physical therapist assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 23.9% of physical therapist assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.2% of physical therapist assistants have master's degrees. Even though some physical therapist assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a physical therapist assistant. When we researched the most common majors for a physical therapist assistant, we found that they most commonly have physical therapy, medical assisting services and kinesiology.
Physical Therapist Assistant Major Percentages Physical Therapy 61.80% Medical Assisting Services 9.90% Kinesiology 7.30% Business 2.90% Other Degrees 18.10% Develop Physical Therapist Assistant Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop physical therapist assistant skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in physical therapist assistant job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Patients 26.14% Rehabilitation 15.07% Home Health 10.98% PTA 7.47% Physical Therapy Treatment 4.56% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Physical therapist assistants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new physical therapist assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their specific job and employer. The chart below shows how much time it takes to gain competency as a physical therapist assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physical therapist assistant resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Obtain The Necessary Licensing
Becoming a licensed physical therapist assistant usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed physical therapist assistant in most of states. 40 states require physical therapist assistants to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
State Education Exam License Url Alabama - - Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant Arkansas Specific course required State exam required Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) California Degree required Third-party exam required Physical Therapist Assistant Connecticut Specific course required Third-party exam required Physical Therapist Assistant Delaware Degree required State exam required Physical Therapist Assistant Research Physical Therapist Assistant Duties
When you decide to become a physical therapist assistant, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most physical therapist assistant jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Manage a diverse caseload including, but not limit to CVA's, cardiac care, Alzheimer's and sub acute orthopedics
- Provide patients at a SNF with ROM exercises, transfer and gait training as well as balance and bed mobility exercises.
- Provide physical therapy treatment as directed by physical therapist as PRN PTA for inpatient orthopedic rehabilitation and community hospital settings.
- Care of patients in acute and ICU settings.
- Work with adult, geriatrics, burns, ulcers and ICU patients
- Prepare iontophoresis patches, give cervical and/or lumbar hot packs to clients.
Prepare Your Resume
Finally, when you already have checked the skills and responsibilities for this role, you can start creating your resume. Everything that goes into creating a perfect resume can take hours, days, or even weeks. No worries, we created a resume builder to make this process as easy as possible with tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and a summary.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Physical Therapist Assistant Resume templates
Build a professional Physical Therapist Assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Physical Therapist Assistant resume.Apply For a Physical Therapist Assistant Job
Physical Therapist Assistant Jobs
