The Physical Therapy Tech position will have responsibility for assisting the Physical Therapist (PT) or Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) with daily patient physical therapy treatment. Will provide assistance with patient care based on instructions by the PT or PTA. Will assist the PT or PTA in patient education services performed by the PT or PTA. Will assist with maintenance and updating of patient case files. Will assist the Business Office in assigned patient care related tasks including scheduling, filing, copying and patient authorizations.
Minimum Qualifications
* Current CPR certification recommended
* Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate in a friendly and professional manner with both patients and physicians
* Must have strong organizational skills and the ability to accurately document information for billing purposes
* Computer experience in windows, spreadsheets, and word processing preferred
Essential Functions
* Assist PT with daily patient therapy treatment utilizing skills which have been certified or trained by the PT and are not considered PT skilled activities as defined by the state licensing agency
* Maintains linen supply in facility
* Organizes equipment and supplies needed for treatments.
* Straightens and maintains physical order in department
* Provide exceptional customer service when interacting with patients and physicians
* Monitors supply inventory and reports reorder needs to supervisor
* Reports need for equipment repairs to supervisor
* Provides necessary educational services and participates in facility in-service activities
* Works to ensure a safe and clean facility including physical plant and equipment maintenance and supply inventory upkeep
* Assumes any other responsibilities that may be assigned by the Clinic Manager
* Assist with clinical business office assignments as requested
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job the employee is frequently required to sit, converse, and listen; use hands to touch, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; and to reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee must be able to lift and/or carry over 50 pounds on a regular basis and be able to push/pull over 50 pounds on a regular basis. The employee must be able to stand and/or walk at least five hours per day.
How To Hire A Physical Therapy Technician
Research Summary. Some key points about hiring a physical therapy technicians in the United States include:
- HR departments typically spend 15% of their expenses on recruitment.
- It usually takes about 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
- It typically takes 36-42 days to fill a job opening.
- The median cost to hire a physical therapy technician is $1,633.
- Small businesses spend an average of $1,105 per physical therapy technician on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
- There are currently 66,087 physical therapy technicians in the US and 66,670 job openings.
- Carrollton, TX, has the highest demand for physical therapy technicians, with 5 job openings.
- Phoenix, AZ has the highest concentration of physical therapy technicians.
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How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Physical Therapy Technician
Before you start to hire physical therapy technicians, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire physical therapy technicians pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.
The median annual salary for physical therapy technicians is $35,161 in the US. However, the cost of physical therapy technician hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a physical therapy technician for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $9 and $28 an hour.
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How to hire a Physical Therapy Technician, step by step
To hire a physical therapy technician, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a physical therapy technician:
- Step 1: Identify your needs
- Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
- Step 3: Make a budget
- Step 4: Writing a physical therapy technician job description
- Step 5: Post the job
- Step 6: Interview process
- Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new physical therapy technician
- Step 8: Go through the checklist for the hiring process
1 . Identify Your Needs
The first step to find physical therapy technicians for hire is determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.
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A physical therapy technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, physical therapy technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.
The list breaks down common physical therapy technician roles and compares their salaries.
| Type Of Physical Therapy Technician | Description | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Therapy Technician | Physical therapist assistants, sometimes called PTAs, and physical therapist aides work under the direction and supervision of physical therapists. They help patients who are recovering from injuries and illnesses regain movement and manage pain. | $9-28 |
| Rehabilitation Aide | A rehabilitation aide is responsible for assisting patients with injuries, mental disorders, and illnesses in their treatment plans and medications. Rehabilitation aides monitor the patients' progress and update attending physicians regarding their conditions... Show More | $10-16 |
| Rehabilitation Technician | A rehabilitation technician is responsible for assisting therapists and other medical personnel on supporting the patients in their daily activities and physical therapy sessions. Rehabilitation technicians provide high-quality care services for the patients by administering medications, accompanying them on medical appointments, and ensuring the cleanliness and orderliness of all equipment and facilities to prevent hazards within the premises... Show More | $11-17 |
2 . Create An Ideal Candidate Profile
Ideally, you should have the perfect candidate profile in mind before you write a physical therapy technician job description. This means you should have a clear idea of the skill set they need to be proficient in, what their main responsibilities will be, and what kind of background they'll have.
Physical therapy technicians typically have the following skills:
Common Skills:
- Patients
- Patient Care
- Rehabilitation
- Customer Service
- Occupational Therapy
- Treatment Rooms
- Electrical Stimulation
- Traction
- CPR
- Scheduling Appointments
- Front Desk
- Direct Supervision
- Physical Therapy Equipment
- Patient Charts
Here are the responsibilities that most physical therapy technicians perform:
Responsibilities:
- 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.
Beyond the nuts and bolts, cultural fit is an important factor. It might help to ask yourself how your ideal physical therapy technician will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place. Clearly communicating this vision in your physical therapy technician job description will help attract candidates who are better suited for the role.
Most Common States For Physical Therapy Technicians In The US
| Rank # | State | # Of Jobs | % of Population | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 1,269 | 18% | $48,220 |
| 2 | Virginia | 959 | 11% | $40,654 |
| 3 | Arizona | 744 | 11% | $36,364 |
| 4 | Colorado | 718 | 13% | $34,153 |
| 5 | Missouri | 708 | 12% | $27,763 |
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3 . Make A Budget
Including a salary range in the job description is a good way to get more applicants. A physical therapy technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, their level of experience, education and certifications, and the prestige of the employer. For example, the average salary for a physical therapy technician in Ohio may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level physical therapy technician. Additionally, a physical therapy technician with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.
Updated March 16, 2023
Physical Therapy Technician Salary Estimate
$35,161
$16.90 hourly
Entry level Salary
$20,000 yearlyPhysical Therapy Technician Average Salary By Location
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $53,530 | $26 | |
| 2 | Maryland | $47,818 | $23 | 2 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $47,253 | $23 | |
| 4 | Virginia | $42,255 | $20 | 3 |
| 5 | Washington | $40,834 | $20 | 1 |
Physical Therapy Technician Average Salary By Company
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Tammany Health System | $91,522 | $44.00 | 5 |
| 2 | Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital | $64,069 | $30.80 | 53 |
| 3 | Methodist Hospital for Surgery | $62,544 | $30.07 | 10 |
| 4 | West Tennessee Healthcare | $59,855 | $28.78 | 10 |
| 5 | Peachtree Orthopedics | $59,712 | $28.71 | 4 |
| 6 | Erlanger Health System | $55,645 | $26.75 | |
| 7 | Premier Medical Group | $50,590 | $24.32 | 4 |
| 8 | Mission Regional Medical Center | $50,408 | $24.23 | 28 |
| 9 | Norman Regional Health System | $48,794 | $23.46 | 7 |
| 10 | Methodist Health System | $48,633 | $23.38 | 16 |
| 11 | Medical University of South Carolina | $45,058 | $21.66 | |
| 12 | Coffee Regional Medical Center | $41,292 | $19.85 | |
| 13 | LifePoint Health | $41,179 | $19.80 | 450 |
| 14 | Bond Clinic, P.A. | $40,690 | $19.56 | 3 |
| 15 | Preferred Therapy Solutions | $39,889 | $19.18 | |
| 16 | UofL Hospital | $39,546 | $19.01 | 8 |
| 17 | University of Washington | $38,579 | $18.55 | 4 |
| 18 | Plumas District Hospital | $38,182 | $18.36 | 2 |
| 19 | White Plains Hospital | $37,706 | $18.13 | 1 |
| 20 | Lake Charles Memorial Health System | $37,505 | $18.03 | 2 |
4 . Writing a Physical Therapy Technician Job Description
A good physical therapy technician job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Example of Full Job Description
5 . Post A Job
To find physical therapy technicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any physical therapy technicians they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level physical therapy technicians with the right educational background.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your physical therapy technician job on Zippia to find and recruit physical therapy technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
- Post a job on free websites.
6 . Interview Process
Recruiting physical therapy technicians involves bringing your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they introduce their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
Don't forget to include a few questions that give a candidate chance to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their special skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, candidates who are good enough can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
7 . Send A Job Offer And Onboard Your New Physical Therapy Technician
Once you've found the physical therapy technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary, as well as the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer needs to be competitive if you really like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.
8 . Go Through The Checklist For The Hiring Process
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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Hiring Physical Therapy Technicians FAQs
How Much Does A Good Physical Therapy Technician Cost?
A good physical therapy technician costs $16.9 an hour in the US. However, it can vary based on factors such as the physical therapy technician experience, abilities, industry, and the specific requirements of your business.
What Are The Duties Of A Physical Therapy Technician?
The duties of a physical therapy technician are:
- 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.
Should I Hire A Physical Therapy Technician With No Experience?
Yes, you should hire a physical therapy technician with no experience. Hiring an entry-level physical therapy technician with no experience offers versatility for your team. They may lack some qualifications, but are adaptable and have not yet formed problematic habits. However, more training may be required compared to experienced.
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Updated March 16, 2023