What does a physical therapy technician do?
A physical therapy technician supports both the physical therapists and their physical therapy assistants in planning and implementing patient care. You are expected to perform varied duties and responsibilities that include responding to patients' requests for assistance, assisting with patient preparation before treatment, and maintaining the equipment used by the physical therapist during treatment sessions. In addition, you will be responsible for maintaining patient satisfaction and patient confidentiality. A physical therapy technician will also perform some administrative tasks such as overseeing inventory and scheduling appointments and treatments.
Physical therapy technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real physical therapy technician resumes:
- 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.
- Motivate patients to succeed by overseeing rehabilitation exercises/routines
- Perform ROM in restorative patients.
- Work with patients during ROM exercises.
- Assist OTR with treatment implementation and support staff functions.
- Perform PMAB among clients and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
- Take actions to assess compliance with HUD regulations and PHA policy.
- Conduct basic preventative maintenance and repairs on wheelchairs, gait trainers and adaptive equipment.
- Complete training in patient transfers, ADL's (activities of daily living).
- Assist patients to put on and remove supportive devices such as braces, splints, and slings
Physical therapy technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 43% of Physical Therapy Technicians are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Rehabilitation. They’re also known for soft skills such as Time-management skills, Dexterity, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Physical Therapy Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 43%
Assisted patients in performing rehabilitation exercises on the equipment; ensured safety and equipment use guidelines are followed.
- Patient Care, 13%
Provided indirect patient care and aided in directing therapeutic exercises and stretches under the direct supervision of a licensed Physical Therapist.
- Rehabilitation, 7%
Worked with and directed patients in their rehabilitation and essential activities, coordinating with large professional therapy team.
- Customer Service, 6%
Provide warm and cold therapy-Perform low frequency ultrasounds-Implement electronic stimulation treatments-Excellent customer service and interaction with patients.
- Occupational Therapy, 3%
Assisted professional staff with Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy treatments to a varied age population.
- Treatment Rooms, 2%
Ensured equipment, gym area, and treatment rooms were clean and maintained under clinical guidelines and OSHA standards.
"patients," "patient care," and "rehabilitation" are among the most common skills that physical therapy technicians use at work. You can find even more physical therapy technician responsibilities below, including:
Dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling physical therapy technician duties is dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "physical therapist assistants should be comfortable using their hands to provide manual therapy and therapeutic exercises." According to a physical therapy technician resume, here's how physical therapy technicians can utilize dexterity in their job responsibilities: "lift physical therapy equipments and patients. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of physical therapy technicians is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday physical therapy technician duties, as "physical therapist assistants and aides are frequently on their feet and moving as they work with their patients." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assist patients with physical therapy, administrative responsibilities (answering phones, taking payments, scheduling appointments, etic. "
Compassion. For certain physical therapy technician responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "compassion." The day-to-day duties of a physical therapy technician rely on this skill, as "physical therapist assistants and aides should enjoy helping people." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what physical therapy technicians do: "provide excellent patient care; ensure patients and families receive the highest quality of service in a caring and compassionate atmosphere. "
Detail oriented. A commonly-found skill in physical therapy technician job descriptions, "detail oriented" is essential to what physical therapy technicians do. Physical therapy technician responsibilities rely on this skill because "physical therapist assistants and aides should be organized, keep accurate records, and follow written and verbal instructions carefully to ensure quality care." You can also see how physical therapy technician duties rely on detail oriented in this resume example: "trained and oriented new physical therapy technicians. "
Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what a physical therapy technician does. Physical therapy technician responsibilities require this skill because "physical therapist assistants and aides spend much of their time interacting with patients, their families, and other healthcare practitioners; therefore, they should be courteous and friendly." This resume example highlights how physical therapy technician duties rely on this skill: "used interpersonal skills to build professional relationships with physicians, therapists and patients. "
The three companies that hire the most physical therapy technicians are:
- U.S. Physical Therapy23 physical therapy technicians jobs
- Select Medical7 physical therapy technicians jobs
- Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics7 physical therapy technicians jobs
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Compare different physical therapy technicians
Physical therapy technician vs. 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. They also prepare treatment rooms, including the materials and equipment for the medical procedures, and discuss the process with the patients. A rehabilitation aide must be highly organizational, especially in attending to different patients' needs and ensuring the safety and security of all facilities and assets.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, physical therapy technician responsibilities require skills like "patient care," "customer service," "physical therapy equipment," and "patient scheduling." Meanwhile a typical rehabilitation aide has skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "data entry," "restraints," and "compassion." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Rehabilitation aides tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $29,100. In contrast, physical therapy technicians make the biggest average salary, $32,442, in the health care industry.On average, rehabilitation aides reach similar levels of education than physical therapy technicians. Rehabilitation aides are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Physical therapy technician vs. Certified occupational therapy assistant
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants are professionals who work with licensed occupational therapists in providing therapy to patients. This therapy is usually related to the physical or mobility challenges of a patient. Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants help patients retain their skills, improve on their challenges, and eventually recover. They record the patient's progress after every therapy session. They may also help out in creating treatment plans for the patient. Since they spend a lot of time with patients, their inputs and recommendations are valuable in crafting and adjusting the treatment plan.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that physical therapy technician responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "treatment rooms," "traction," and "cpr." But a certified occupational therapy assistant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "home health," "occupational therapy treatments," "snf," and "adaptive."
Certified occupational therapy assistants earn a higher average salary than physical therapy technicians. But certified occupational therapy assistants earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $51,821. Additionally, physical therapy technicians earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $32,442 annually.certified occupational therapy assistants earn similar levels of education than physical therapy technicians in general. They're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Physical therapy technician vs. Occupational therapy assistant
An occupational therapy assistant is primarily responsible for assisting an occupational therapist when handling patients at a clinic or similar setting. Their duties revolve around gathering patient information and medical history, treating patients using the therapist's care plan, monitoring a patient's progress, and maintaining an accurate and extensive record. There are also instances when an assistant must discuss the conditions and extent of treatment to patients and families, as well as monitor supplies and inventory.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a physical therapy technician is likely to be skilled in "customer service," "treatment rooms," "traction," and "cpr," while a typical occupational therapy assistant is skilled in "home health," "therapy programs," "acute care," and "occupational therapy treatments."
Occupational therapy assistants make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $52,020. On the other hand, physical therapy technicians are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $32,442.occupational therapy assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to physical therapy technicians. Specifically, they're 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Physical therapy technician vs. 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. They may also perform administrative and clerical duties such as updating patients' information on the database, writing reports, processing payments for medical procedures, and maintaining medical charts for reference.
Types of physical therapy technician
Updated January 8, 2025
