Physical Therapist Assistant: A Hands-On Healthcare Career

by Jane Smallman
jane.smallman@careerschoolguide.com
Career School Guide Columnist

Physical therapy is a worthwhile and satisfying field, but qualifying as a therapist involves long years of study. If you haven’t got the time or resources to invest, you can still enjoy a rewarding career by becoming a physical therapist assistant.

The Physical Therapist Assistant’s Job

An elderly person suffering from arthritis, a pregnant woman with back or neck pain, a road accident survivor learning to walk again: all of these are potential patients for physical therapy and are the sort of people you would work with as a physical therapist assistant. Under the supervision of a therapist, you would be responsible for administering the wide range of treatments that are part of modern physical therapy, like

• deep tissue massage
• electrical stimulation
• paraffin baths
• ultrasound
• therapeutic exercises

The physical therapist assistant’s work is very “hands-on”, and brings you into close contact with patients. You need to be physically fit to cope with the lifting that is part of the job, and mentally strong too, since patients may be in great pain or badly disabled, and will turn to their physical therapy team for emotional as well as bodily help and support.

Training To Be a Physical Therapist Assistant

Unlike physical therapists—who need a master’s or doctoral degree to become licensed—assistants can work legally (or be eligible for a license in states that require one) after graduating from an accredited physical therapist assistant associate degree program. This should only take around two years of full-time study, making it a much more accessible career path, although the financial rewards are less.

Physical Therapist Assistant Career Expectations

While therapists can expect salaries in excess of $62,000 after five years, assistants earn around $38,000, with the top 10% rising to $44,000. The job outlook for assistants, however, is excellent, with employment expected to grow much faster than the average for all other occupations for the next seven years.

If you want a career that revolves around helping people, relies on your aptitude for science, and your practical and interpersonal skills, becoming a physical therapist assistant would be an excellent choice.

Sources

U.S. Dept Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics
The American Physical Therapy Association

About the Author

Jane Smallman combines free-lance writing with running a mountain guiding business with her husband. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in the Social Sciences.