Physical Therapist Assistants

Representative tasks

• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
• Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
• Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
• Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.

Software and tools