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Physical therapy aide skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical physical therapy aide skills. We ranked the top skills for physical therapy aides based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 42.2% of physical therapy aide resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a physical therapy aide needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 physical therapy aide skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how physical therapy aides use patients:
  • Worked full-time at this rehabilitation organization; scheduled patients, maintained and organized the documentation of patient files.
  • Participated in the physical rehabilitation of numerous patients under the supervision of the attending Physical Therapist.

2. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how physical therapy aides use patient care:
  • Provide direct patient care by assisting physical therapists and occupational therapists during inpatient, acute rehabilitation, and outpatient sessions.
  • Provided supervision of patient care and transfers, including coordinating post-surgical movement in collaboration with local hospitals.

3. Rehabilitation

Here's how physical therapy aides use rehabilitation:
  • Supervised patients performing rehabilitation exercises.
  • Assisted Physical Therapists planning and implementation of rehabilitation programs * Administered ultrasonic, ice, whirlpool, and massage therapies to patients

4. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how physical therapy aides use customer service:
  • Provide a high level of customer service to patients, referring providers and other community stakeholders through punctual and professional communication.
  • Developed customer service and communication skills through answering telephones, patient registration, collecting payments, and patient scheduling.

5. Ultrasound

Ultrasound refers to an imaging method that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of structures within your body.

Here's how physical therapy aides use ultrasound:
  • Assist Physical Therapist with treatment using heat packs, electronic stimulus, ultrasound therapy, and demonstrating/supervising exercises.
  • Assisted Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants with administering ultrasound, electrical stimulation with heat or ice.

6. Direct Supervision

Direct supervision is a term used to indicate that a person is supervising a certain task or a certain person while being physically present or in close proximity. It refers to the presence of a person and the availability of their supervision in something if it is needed.

Here's how physical therapy aides use direct supervision:
  • License and Certification Physical Therapist Assistant- Indirect Supervision, Pennsylvania #TE1001043, licensed through 12/31/16 Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, certified through 5/8/15
  • Worked under direct supervision of Physical Therapist and assisted in all aspects of patient rehabilitation and clinic operations.

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7. Front Desk

Here's how physical therapy aides use front desk:
  • Assisted physical therapists- Managed front desk- Aided and instructed patients on rehab and injury prevention
  • Front desk position included completing intakes, verification of insurances and scheduling.

8. HIPAA

Here's how physical therapy aides use hipaa:
  • Educated on and compliant with HIPAA regulations; maintains strict confidentiality of client information.
  • Analyzed clinical documentation, injury coding and patient records while acquainting myself with HIPAA.

9. Electrical Stimulation

Electrical stimulation, also known as ESTIM, is a painless procedure that a physical therapy technician facilitates in order to help patients recover faster from different injuries, stroke, and any soft tissue conditions. This kind of physical treatment sends electric pulses into a patient's body to mimic signals from the nervous system, helping train the muscles to perform actions and relieve pain in the process. Electrical stimulation is widely used in many rehabilitation programs all over the world.

Here's how physical therapy aides use electrical stimulation:
  • Administered ultrasound, electrical stimulation, monitored and tracked progress of acutely injured patient's progress, and performed patient assessments.
  • Administered therapeutic moist hot packs, cold packs and personally handled various electrical stimulation treatments.

10. Patient Treatment

Here's how physical therapy aides use patient treatment:
  • Gained unique insight into patient treatment paradigm of patients requiring physical therapy.
  • Collaborated with Physical Therapist to discuss and evaluate patient treatment plan.

11. Traction

Here's how physical therapy aides use traction:
  • Administer traction using intermittent and static traction such as Lumbar decompression and cervical traction.
  • Administered ultrasonic/ High-volt/ Micro Therapy/ E-stem/ Traction therapy.

12. Appointment Scheduling

Here's how physical therapy aides use appointment scheduling:
  • Managed appointment scheduling, verified and authorized medical insurance coverage, professional medical correspondence.
  • Answered phones, appointment scheduling, data entry, collected co-pays, and generated patient charts.

13. Patient Scheduling

Here's how physical therapy aides use patient scheduling:
  • Aided office staff with secretarial duties including billing, physical therapy documentation & patient scheduling.
  • Maintained expanded patient electronic records including insurance billing, patient scheduling and co-pays.

14. Treatment Tables

Here's how physical therapy aides use treatment tables:
  • Maintained appropriate cleanliness of treatment tables, therapy equipment and therapy facility.
  • Maintained the treatment tables and exercise equipment clean and organized, prepared each patient for therapy, organized charts.

15. Patient Charts

Here's how physical therapy aides use patient charts:
  • Assisted physical therapists by preparing patients for exercises including review of individual patient charts for the necessary equipment set-up.
  • Transcribed notes from the physical therapist into patient charts using proper medical terminology.
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List of physical therapy aide skills to add to your resume

Physical therapy aide skills

The most important skills for a physical therapy aide resume and required skills for a physical therapy aide to have include:

  • Patients
  • Patient Care
  • Rehabilitation
  • Customer Service
  • Ultrasound
  • Direct Supervision
  • Front Desk
  • HIPAA
  • Electrical Stimulation
  • Patient Treatment
  • Traction
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Patient Scheduling
  • Treatment Tables
  • Patient Charts
  • Physical Therapy Treatment
  • Patient Appointments
  • Patient Flow
  • Therapy Sessions
  • Therapeutic Modalities
  • Vital Signs
  • Ice Packs
  • Insurance Benefits
  • Insurance Verification
  • Splints
  • Patient Education
  • Gait Training
  • Resuscitation
  • Physical Therapy Equipment
  • Disinfect Equipment
  • Cervical
  • E-stim
  • Patient Exercises
  • Administrative Tasks
  • Manual Therapeutic Exercises
  • Walkers
  • Slings
  • Patient Rooms
  • Treatment Rooms
  • Cryotherapy
  • Clean Environment
  • Rehabilitation Programs
  • Therapeutic Massage
  • Iontophoresis
  • Physical Therapy Exercises
  • ROM
  • Crutches
  • Supportive Devices
  • Taking Inventory

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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