How To Become a Physical Therapy Technician
Summary. We reviewed real candidate profiles to learn the best path to become a physical therapy technician. We'll guide you through the education, experiences, and skills hiring managers look for in a physical therapy technician.
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Most companies require a physical therapy technician to have a bachelor's degree degree in a related field, such as kinesiology or physical therapy.
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The Physical Therapist Assistant license requirements vary by state. 40 states require barbers to have licensure for their work.
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Common job titles before becoming a physical therapy technician include internship, sales associate, and volunteer.
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Hiring managers expect a physical therapy technician to have soft skills such as time-management skills, dexterity, and physical stamina.
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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 therapy technician.
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Getting a certification as a Massage Therapy Certification (MT) will help you to earn more as a physical therapy technician.
We found that 67.5% of physical therapy technicians have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 4.0% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most physical therapy technicians 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 seven physical therapy technicians were not college graduates.
Those physical therapy technicians who do attend college, typically earn either a kinesiology degree or a physical therapy degree. Less commonly earned degrees for physical therapy technicians include a biology degree or a medical assisting services degree.
How to become a Physical Therapy Technician in 6 steps:
- Step 1: Explore physical therapy technician education
- Step 2: Develop physical therapy technician skills
- Step 3: Complete relevent training/internship
- Step 4: Obtain the necessary licensing
- Step 5: Research physical therapy technician duties
- Step 6: Prepare your resume
Key Steps To Become a Physical Therapy Technician
Explore Physical Therapy Technician Education
If you're interested in becoming a physical therapy technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 67.5% of physical therapy technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of physical therapy technicians have master's degrees. Even though most physical therapy technicians 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 therapy technician. When we researched the most common majors for a physical therapy technician, we found that they most commonly have kinesiology, physical therapy and biology.
Physical Therapy Technician Major Percentages Kinesiology 35.30% Physical Therapy 10.00% Biology 8.10% Medical Assisting Services 6.50% Other Degrees 40.10% Develop Physical Therapy Technician Skills
It'll be a good idea to develop physical therapy technician skills before applying for a job. Here are some skills commonly requested in physical therapy technician job descriptions:
Skills Percentages Patients 42.70% Patient Care 13.12% Rehabilitation 7.37% Customer Service 6.29% Occupational Therapy 3.20% Complete Relevent Training/Internship
Physical therapy technicians spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. During this time, new physical therapy technicians 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 therapy technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physical therapy technician resumes.
Average Amount Of Time At Training
Obtain The Necessary Licensing
Becoming a licensed physical therapy technician usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed physical therapy technician in most of states. 40 states require physical therapy technicians 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 Therapy Technician Duties
When you decide to become a physical therapy technician, It's important to know what duties and responsibilities are required for this position. Some common responsibilities are a part of most physical therapy technician jobs. Here is a list of the main duties that define the role:
- Manage flexible schedule at various company facilities categorize as ILF, ALF, and SNF.
- Assist patients in performing ADL tasks and the use of prescribe adaptive equipment.
- Help with ADL's for each patient to make sure they make it to the therapy gym.
- Schedule rehab sessions, transport patients to sessions, maintain the cleanliness of treatment area and order supplies.
- Administer therapeutic ultrasound and prepare patients for mechanical traction.
- Assist patients in performing rehabilitation exercises on the equipment; ensure safety and equipment use guidelines are follow.
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 Therapy Technician Resume templates
Build a professional Physical Therapy Technician 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 Therapy Technician resume.Apply For a Physical Therapy Technician Job
Physical Therapy Technician Jobs
