If so, do you want to know how to become one? A physical therapy assistant is achieved by completing various hours of education and experience training. It combines physical therapy rehabilitation understanding, care, and treatments with an individual having up-to-date knowledge of advanced therapeutic practices such as orthopedic, pediatric, and geriatric ones.
In this post, we’ll talk about what a physical therapist assistant does and what the job is like. We’ll also talk about a few potential careers a physical therapist assistant might have. With all of this in mind, you should have a better idea of if this is a career you have a taste for.
Choose Career: Do You Like Being A Physical Therapist Assistant?
Is physical therapy assistant a good job? Chances are you ask yourself this question because you’re interested in becoming a PA, are currently studying to be one or work for one. Physical therapy assistants (PTAs) assist physical therapists by providing hands-on care, performing administrative tasks, and other duties as needed.
Physician assistants perform many of the same functions that PTAs do but focus more on providing exams rather than direct hands-on treatment. If either option sounds like the right path for you, then take some time to explore both professions thoroughly so no regrets down the road!
The Top 5 Reasons Physical Therapy Assistants Enjoy Their Profession
1. The remarkable improvements they can see every day in their patients.
2. The way it makes them feel when the patient is now able to accomplish tasks that were previously difficult, such as walking up stairs or standing without pain.
3. They get to really know the patient and understand what he/she needs for these accomplishments to happen, not just once but on a continuous basis. Every day has new challenges that are exciting and change every hour if not every minute.
4. Patients are grateful for their help and appreciate it – something they find rarely happens in any other profession.
5. They often work with people who have had but partial success with traditional methods of healing because this population has seen little relief from
What Are The Benefits Of Being A Physical Therapist Assistant?
Physical therapist assistants who work at larger healthcare facilities receive benefits, including
● Medical,
● Dental,
● Life,
● And vision insurance
● Sick time off from their jobs and vacation time.
In addition to these perks, they also get to take advantage of a retirement plan offered by the company. However, smaller physical therapy offices do not offer such great benefits so while employees there’ll still have access to paid sick leave and holidays it doesn’t include any other types of insurance or plans for saving money for later in life when you retire.
The Profession of PTA: The Fundamental Skills, Training, and Responsibilities
The profession of physical therapy assistant is achieved by completing various hours of education and experience training. A Physical therapy assistant (PTA), works closely with physical therapists who are certified physicians. To become a PTA one should have a combination of some individual skills, training, and responsibilities.
Skills:
Communication: A physical therapy assistant must be able to communicate effectively with patients, and this means they should know how to adjust their tone of voice depending on the patient’s mood. They also need good listening skills so that a therapist can accurately diagnose an illness or condition. Communication is important when it comes time for insurance companies as well; if there are any discrepancies in the documentation then the process becomes more complicated both for therapists and assistants alike. As a physical therapy assistant, you’ll be interacting with numerous patients every day. They’ll need to inform the patient of their diagnosis and explain the treatment plan. As a Physical Therapy Assistant, you’ll often need to interact with insurance companies to justify a patient’s treatment.
Computer & Technology: If you’re a physical therapy assistant, it’s important that you understand how to document your work in writing. You should also know how to access patient records and create exercise programs online using the computer. Additionally, basic word processing skills will come in handy when creating documents for patients or their families regarding goals achieved during treatment sessions.
Compassion: Patients are often uncomfortable or in pain when they come to physical therapy due to an injury, so compassionate people with the ability to empathize should be drawn toward becoming physical therapy assistants. However, some patients may need motivation and guidance on how best to perform exercises that will help them recover from their injuries. Physical therapists thus have empathy for what their patients go through but also possess knowledge of how the treatment is administered in order to provide assistance throughout recovery processes
Training:
Some employers require that candidates work as a physical therapy aide before applying for the position of Physical Therapy Assistant. They will discover how the clinic works, where the exercise equipment is, and how to interact with therapists and patients.
Some employers may also prefer that you have worked in specific settings such as working with athletes first before hiring them into their sports-related positions
Duties & Responsibilities:
Part of the role of the PTA is providing ongoing support for individuals who are recovering or rehabilitating from injuries or other conditions requiring intervention under guidance from a physician to help increase mobility and independence back into their daily lives through movement but do remember that this should never replace professional medical advice you may get from your doctor!
In addition to working alongside general practitioners, they also do a lot of other things that take place in the physical therapy office. For example, they do clerical work such as filing medical records and insurance forms to ensure all information is organized properly for both patients
Other responsibilities of the PTA include making sure that all appropriate equipment is in place for each patient’s appointment, keeping track of inventory within their department to ensure supplies do not run out unexpectedly or are too low for other appointments.
They also keep records up-to-date about various treatments and do follow-ups with patients after they leave so it doesn’t look like someone fell off the face of the earth!
One important part of this profession is working closely with individuals who have limited mobility or even paralysis because doing so requires a great deal more effort than just helping them walk again over time but rather over minutes if need be to get through an intense episode when muscles seize up from spasticity as well as being able
From the physical therapist assistant’s duties and responsibilities, one can easily understand what physical therapist assistants do.
How To Choose A Physical Therapy Assistant Program That Is Right For You
When Choose the Program: The Association of PTA Schools does not rank physical therapist assistant education programs. Programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education, which ensures quality and proper educational curriculum for students pursuing a career as a physical therapy aide or technician. When choosing your program keep these factors in mind:
Financial Factor: Graduating from a PTA college or university can be expensive, and many students graduate with student loans. Make sure that you are financially aware by researching different programs to see which one would best fit your experience and financial needs.
Getting Overview: Before deciding to invest heavily into a PTA degree, make sure you select a program that feels like home. You can do this by contacting current and recent graduates of the program or interviewing employers who hire these students so they may share their experiences with you.
When choosing the Institute: If you want to be a physical therapist assistant, it is important that your program of choice is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). CAPTE assures quality education for PTAs. There are several factors to consider when choosing an educational institution:
1) Location
2) Cost and funding availability
3) Program length/time commitment required from the student
4) Class size and structure
5) Curriculum flexibility
How To Become A Physical Therapy Assistant: 4 Steps
If you want to become a physical therapy assistant, consider these 4 steps:
First of all, make sure that this is the career for you.
After graduating from high school or college and completing your undergraduate degree in any field (except health sciences), enrolling as an entry-level student at one of more than 70 accredited programs can get started on fulfilling your training requirements.
Once enrolled, take courses such as anatomy and physiology classes; medical terminology; human growth and development; plus many clinical education opportunities offered by both private practice facilities near campus settings like hospitals clinics where students learn skills under supervision while earning credits towards their diploma.
Upon completion (typically within 2 years) graduates receive national certifications of physical therapy assistant certification programs which allow them to apply immediately upon graduation with just 1 exam.
Moreover, nowadays you can get a physical therapy assistant degree online,
The online portion of their PTA coursework is available for students to complete, but certain clinical hours must be done in facilities that have already been approved. Once completed, the student may begin clinic training and is required to submit background checks before starting.
How Much Does A Physical Therapy Assistant Make?
If you have the question of what is a physical therapist assistant’s salary? You, then (PTAs) do not make as much money as physical therapists do. This is because they usually work under the direct supervision of a therapist and do not have their patients assigned to them.
The average salary for PTAs was $55,000 or less per year in 2016, according to Simply Hired.com.
However, some experienced PTA’s who are employed by larger clinics may earn up to $70,000-80,0000 per year on average throughout the United States depending upon location and employer type. Physical therapy assistants can also choose part-time employment over full-time so they aren’t obligated to set aside 40 hours each week for work if it conflicts with other interests which allows more.
Vertex:
Do you enjoy caring for people who are recovering or rehabilitating from an injury, surgery, or illness? If so, then this blog post will help you a lot. We will discuss what PTA’s do and how they do it. This is a great career option if your passion is to help other people feel better again!
