What does a staff physical therapy assistant do?
A staff physical therapy assistant's role is to provide treatments while under the supervision and directives of a physical therapist. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around assisting patients and therapists, documenting all treatment processes, providing care advice to patients and their families, and monitoring a patient's progress, alerting the physician should there be any concerns or unusual behavior. Furthermore, a staff physical therapy assistant may perform clerical duties such as gathering patient information, managing schedules, arranging appointments, answering calls and inquiries, and maintaining records.
Staff physical therapy assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real staff physical therapy assistant resumes:
- Perform ultrasound massage on patients and effectively manage pain level of patient using heat therapy.
- Train patients on the use of braces, canes, crutches, walkers and prosthetic/orthotic devices.
- Provide outpatient physical therapy rehabilitation services to patients with orthopedic, post-surgical problems, chronic pain issues.
- Teach patients how to use and care for wheelchairs, walkers, braces and artificial limbs.
- Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, such as crutches or wheelchairs.
- Provide treatments such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and hot/cold packs, infrare, UVR, tens and traction.
- Monitor exercises, massages, electrical stimulation, paraffin baths, hot and cold packs, traction, and ultrasound.
- Support therapists with the rehabilitation of patients through the demonstration and assistance of various exercises and therapeutic activities.
- Prepare cervical and lumbar hot and cold packs per treatment plan.
- Attend family meeting and deliver ADL training to the family members and the patients.
- Work closely with OT and case management in the process of ordering necessary equipment for a patient's home.
- Treat patients in a sub-acute setting with CVA, central cord syndrome, balance deficiencies, and total joint replacements.
- Instruct, motivate and assist patient in the use of assistant and supportive devices such as crutches, canes and prostheses.
- Participate in the helping patients adapt to the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, walker, and orthotic devices.
- Treat patients using cryotherapy and thermotherapy.
Staff physical therapy assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Staff Physical Therapy Assistants are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Dexterity, Physical stamina, and Compassion.
We break down the percentage of Staff Physical Therapy Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 27%
Assessed patients' functional mobility and provided instructions for proper body mechanics to reduce probability of injury and increase independence.
- Rehabilitation, 14%
Provided treatments to 12-16 patients/day including administering Physical Therapist approved treatment and therapeutic exercise programs, specializing in post-op rehabilitation.
- CPR, 12%
Completed Dementia training, Oasis training, and CPR certified.
- Home Health, 10%
Provide skilled therapeutic services for a medically diverse home health patient population.
- Customer Service, 4%
Delivered awesome customer service to residents, family, and administration.
- Acute Care, 4%
Participated patients in wound-care treatment and helped patients in an acute care regional hospital
"patients," "rehabilitation," and "cpr" are among the most common skills that staff physical therapy assistants use at work. You can find even more staff physical therapy assistant responsibilities below, including:
Dexterity. The most essential soft skill for a staff physical therapy assistant to carry out their responsibilities is dexterity. This skill is important for the role because "physical therapist assistants should be comfortable using their hands to provide manual therapy and therapeutic exercises." Additionally, a staff physical therapy assistant resume shows how their duties depend on dexterity: "time management proficiency excellent customer service knowledgeable in therapy procedures skilled with hands"
Physical stamina. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling staff physical therapy assistant duties is physical stamina. The role rewards competence in this skill because "physical therapist assistants and aides are frequently on their feet and moving as they work with their patients." According to a staff physical therapy assistant resume, here's how staff physical therapy assistants can utilize physical stamina in their job responsibilities: "administered all physical therapy treatments under the supervision of a physical therapist. "
Compassion. This is an important skill for staff physical therapy assistants to perform their duties. For an example of how staff physical therapy assistant responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "physical therapist assistants and aides should enjoy helping people." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a staff physical therapy assistant: "assisted physical therapist to reach patient goals maintained good patient treatment with consistent compassionate care".
Detail oriented. For certain staff physical therapy assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of a staff physical therapy assistant rely on this skill, as "physical therapist assistants and aides should be organized, keep accurate records, and follow written and verbal instructions carefully to ensure quality care." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what staff physical therapy assistants do: "assisted physical therapist with rehabilitative treatment of residents facilitated residents with walking and mobility maintained detailed records of patient treatments. "
Interpersonal skills. A commonly-found skill in staff physical therapy assistant job descriptions, "interpersonal skills" is essential to what staff physical therapy assistants do. Staff physical therapy assistant responsibilities rely on 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." You can also see how staff physical therapy assistant duties rely on interpersonal skills in this resume example: "used superior interpersonal skills to provide direct patient care to geriatric population. "
The three companies that hire the most staff physical therapy assistants are:
- Aegis Therapies128 staff physical therapy assistants jobs
- Trilogy Health Services103 staff physical therapy assistants jobs
- MAS Medical Staffing95 staff physical therapy assistants jobs
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Compare different staff physical therapy assistants
Staff physical therapy assistant 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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a staff physical therapy assistant are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "acute care," "physical therapy," and "treatment programs." On the other hand, a job as a rehabilitation aide requires skills like "cleanliness," "data entry," "occupational therapy," and "restraints." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Rehabilitation aides really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $29,100. Comparatively, staff physical therapy assistants tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $50,971.On average, rehabilitation aides reach similar levels of education than staff physical therapy assistants. Rehabilitation aides are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Staff physical therapy assistant vs. Rehab technician
A rehab technician's role is to assist physical therapists and patients in a hospital or similar facility. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around gathering a patient's personal information and medical history, escorting them to corresponding rooms, and conducting initial tests and assessments. It is also essential to maintain records of all transactions, updating medical accounts promptly and accurately. Furthermore, a rehab technician may also perform basic treatments under the supervision of a physical therapist. There are also instances when they have to sanitize and clean therapy equipment, all in adherence to the facility's safety regulations and policies.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, staff physical therapy assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "treatment programs," "restore function," "pathogens," and "crutches." Meanwhile, a rehab technician has duties that require skills in areas such as "cleanliness," "taking care," "therapy sessions," and "occupational therapy." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Rehab technicians may earn a lower salary than staff physical therapy assistants, but rehab technicians earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $29,851. On the other hand, staff physical therapy assistants receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,971.rehab technicians earn similar levels of education than staff physical therapy assistants in general. They're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Staff physical therapy assistant 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.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a staff physical therapy assistant is likely to be skilled in "cpr," "customer service," "restore function," and "traction," while a typical certified occupational therapy assistant is skilled in "patient care," "occupational therapy," "occupational therapy treatments," and "adaptive equipment."
Certified occupational therapy assistants earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $51,821. Staff physical therapy assistants earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $50,971.certified occupational therapy assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to staff physical therapy assistants. Specifically, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Staff physical therapy assistant vs. Physical therapy technician
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.
Types of staff physical therapy assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
