# Physical Therapist Aides

> Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing the patient and the treatment area.
- **Entity Type:** role
- **Schema Version:** role.v1
- **Soc Code:** 31-2022.00
- **Summary:** Under close supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant, perform only delegated, selected, or routine tasks in specific situations. These duties include preparing the patient and the treatment area.

## Aliases

- PT Tech (Physical Therapy Technician)
- Physical Therapist Aide (PTA)
- Physical Therapy Aide (PTA)
- Rehabilitation Technician (Rehabilitation Tech)
- PT Attendant (Physical Therapy Attendant)
- PT Tech (Physical Therapist Technician)
- Rehabilitation Aide
- Rehabilitation Attendant
- Restorative Aide (RA)
- Therapy Aide
- Aide
- Outpatient Aide

## Tasks

| Text | Type | Iwa |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment. | Core | 4.A.4.a.5.k |
| Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff. | Core | 4.A.4.b.2.a |
| Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment. | Core | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist. | Core | 4.A.1.a.2.e |
| Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound. | Core | 4.A.4.a.5.b |
| Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Record treatment given and equipment used. | Supplemental | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support. | Core | 4.A.3.a.1.m |
| Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations. | Supplemental | 4.A.2.a.1.f |
| Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms. | Core | 4.A.4.c.1.a |
| Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules. | Core | 4.A.2.b.5.c |

## Emerging Tasks


## Activities

| Name | Iwa |
| --- | --- |
| Schedule patient procedures or appointments. | 4.A.2.b.5.c |
| Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms. | 4.A.3.a.1.c |
| Clean medical equipment. | 4.A.3.a.1.i |
| Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments. | 4.A.1.a.2.e |
| Encourage patients during therapeutic activities. | 4.A.4.b.2.a |
| Engage patients in exercises or activities. | 4.A.4.b.3.f |
| Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety. | 4.A.4.a.5.k |
| Move patients to or from treatment areas. | 4.A.3.a.1.m |
| Confer with other professionals to plan patient care. | 4.A.4.a.2.d |
| Maintain medical records. | 4.A.3.b.6.k |
| Perform clerical work in medical settings. | 4.A.4.c.1.a |
| Inventory medical supplies or equipment. | 4.A.4.c.3.g |
| Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use. | 4.A.3.a.2.k |
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments. | 4.A.3.b.4.f |
| Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids. | 4.A.4.a.5.b |
| Assist patients with daily activities. | 4.A.4.a.5.i |
| Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment. | 4.A.2.a.1.f |
| Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients. | 4.A.4.b.3.f |
| Fit patients for assistive devices. | 4.A.4.a.5.f |
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments. | 4.A.4.a.5.c |

## Capabilities

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customer and Personal Service | knowledge | 4.48 |
| English Language | knowledge | 4.03 |
| Active Listening | essential_skill | 3.62 |
| Computers and Electronics | knowledge | 3.49 |
| Oral Comprehension | ability | 3.38 |
| Therapy and Counseling | knowledge | 3.33 |
| Monitoring | essential_skill | 3.25 |
| Service Orientation | transferable_skill | 3.25 |
| Problem Sensitivity | ability | 3.25 |
| Speech Recognition | ability | 3.25 |
| Reading Comprehension | essential_skill | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | transferable_skill | 3.12 |
| Coordination | transferable_skill | 3.12 |
| Oral Expression | ability | 3.12 |
| Near Vision | ability | 3.12 |
| Writing | essential_skill | 3 |
| Speaking | essential_skill | 3 |
| Critical Thinking | essential_skill | 3 |
| Active Learning | essential_skill | 3 |
| Instructing | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Time Management | transferable_skill | 3 |
| Written Comprehension | ability | 3 |
| Written Expression | ability | 3 |
| Inductive Reasoning | ability | 3 |
| Information Ordering | ability | 3 |
| Selective Attention | ability | 3 |
| Trunk Strength | ability | 3 |
| Speech Clarity | ability | 3 |
| Psychology | knowledge | 2.98 |
| Public Safety and Security | knowledge | 2.89 |
| Persuasion | transferable_skill | 2.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | transferable_skill | 2.88 |
| Deductive Reasoning | ability | 2.88 |
| Category Flexibility | ability | 2.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | ability | 2.88 |
| Finger Dexterity | ability | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | ability | 2.88 |
| Static Strength | ability | 2.88 |
| Administrative | knowledge | 2.82 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | transferable_skill | 2.75 |

## Skills

| Name | Type |
| --- | --- |
| English Language | Common Skill |
| Active Listening | Common Skill |
| Speech Recognition | Specialized Skill |
| Social Perceptiveness | Common Skill |
| Reading Comprehension | Common Skill |
| Writing | Common Skill |
| Time Management | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Word | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Outlook | Common Skill |
| Microsoft Excel | Common Skill |
| Instructing | Specialized Skill |
| Information Ordering | Specialized Skill |
| Inductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Critical Thinking | Common Skill |
| Active Learning | Common Skill |
| Psychology | Specialized Skill |
| Finger Dexterity | Common Skill |
| Deductive Reasoning | Common Skill |
| Complex Problem Solving | Common Skill |
| Learning Strategies | Specialized Skill |
| Telecommunications | Specialized Skill |
| Mathematics | Common Skill |
| Systems Analysis | Specialized Skill |
| Negotiation | Common Skill |
| Biology | Specialized Skill |
| Foreign Language | Common Skill |
| Visualization | Specialized Skill |
| Physics | Specialized Skill |
| Depth Perception | Common Skill |
| Chemistry | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Maintenance | Specialized Skill |
| Geography | Specialized Skill |
| Equipment Selection | Specialized Skill |
| Medical Software | Specialized Skill |
| Installation | Specialized Skill |

## Tools

| Example | Category | Hot | In Demand |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Epic Systems | Medical software | yes | no |
| MEDITECH software | Medical software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | yes | no |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | yes | no |
| Medical procedure coding software | Medical software | no | no |
| Patient record maintenance software | Medical software | no | no |
| Scheduling software | Calendar and scheduling software | no | no |

## Work Context

| Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Contact With Others | 4.8 |
| Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team | 4.69 |
| Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams | 4.55 |
| Physical Proximity | 4.49 |
| Health and Safety of Other Workers | 4.13 |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled | 4.11 |
| Spend Time Standing | 4.09 |
| Telephone Conversations | 4.07 |
| Spend Time Walking or Running | 3.89 |
| Freedom to Make Decisions | 3.85 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | 3.84 |
| E-Mail | 3.81 |
| Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results | 3.77 |
| Frequency of Decision Making | 3.68 |
| Deal With External Customers or the Public in General | 3.64 |
| Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities | 3.57 |
| Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals | 3.48 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | 3.41 |
| Importance of Being Exact or Accurate | 3.39 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | 3.36 |
| Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body | 3.33 |
| Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable | 3.25 |
| Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions | 3.21 |
| Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers | 3.09 |
| Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People | 3.09 |
| Time Pressure | 3.04 |
| Written Letters and Memos | 2.99 |
| Consequence of Error | 2.97 |
| Importance of Repeating Same Tasks | 2.82 |
| Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling | 2.55 |
| Conflict Situations | 2.53 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | 2.34 |
| Level of Competition | 2.3 |
| Exposed to Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions | 2.29 |
| Spend Time Sitting | 2.01 |
| Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance | 1.96 |
| Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings | 1.77 |
| Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures | 1.75 |
| Degree of Automation | 1.64 |
| Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People | 1.61 |

## Preparation

- **Job Zone:** 2
- **Job Zone Name:** Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- **Education:** Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- **Experience:** Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- **Svp Range:** (Below 6.0)

### Education Distribution

| Label | Percentage |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma | 34.41 |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 25.1 |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 10.09 |
| Doctoral Degree | 10.09 |
| Some College Courses | 9.61 |
| Bachelor's Degree | 8.62 |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 2.09 |

## Person Fit

| Name | Family | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Social | career_interest_type | 5.95 |
| Health Care Service | specific_interest_area | 5.81 |
| Realistic | career_interest_type | 4.74 |
| Social Service | specific_interest_area | 4.62 |
| Conventional | career_interest_type | 3.92 |
| Personal Service | specific_interest_area | 3.57 |
| Physical/Manual Labor | specific_interest_area | 3.49 |
| Dependability | work_style | 3 |
| Investigative | career_interest_type | 2.58 |
| Cooperation | work_style | 2.47 |
| Teaching/Education | specific_interest_area | 2.45 |
| Athletics | specific_interest_area | 2.29 |
| Empathy | work_style | 2.23 |
| Enterprising | career_interest_type | 2.06 |
| Medical Science | specific_interest_area | 2 |
| Attention to Detail | work_style | 2 |

## Related Roles

| Soc Code | Slug | Title | Tier |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 31-2021.00 | role-31-2021-00 | Physical Therapist Assistants | Primary-Short |
| 31-2012.00 | role-31-2012-00 | Occupational Therapy Aides | Primary-Short |
| 31-2011.00 | role-31-2011-00 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | Primary-Short |
| 29-2053.00 | role-29-2053-00 | Psychiatric Technicians | Primary-Short |
| 31-1133.00 | role-31-1133-00 | Psychiatric Aides | Primary-Short |
| 29-1122.00 | role-29-1122-00 | Occupational Therapists | Primary-Long |
| 29-1126.00 | role-29-1126-00 | Respiratory Therapists | Primary-Long |
| 31-9092.00 | role-31-9092-00 | Medical Assistants | Primary-Long |
| 31-1131.00 | role-31-1131-00 | Nursing Assistants | Primary-Long |
| 31-9011.00 | role-31-9011-00 | Massage Therapists | Primary-Long |
| 29-1123.00 | role-29-1123-00 | Physical Therapists | Supplemental |
| 29-1229.04 | role-29-1229-04 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | Supplemental |

## Career Clusters

| Cluster | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Healthcare & Human Services | healthcare-human-services |

## Education Level

- **Category:** High school diploma or equivalent

## Study Programs

| Title | Slug |
| --- | --- |
| Health Professions and Related Programs | health-professions-and-related-programs |

## Market

- **Median Wage:** 34520
- **Mean Wage:** 35510
- **Pct10Wage:** 24960
- **Pct25Wage:** 29710
- **Pct75Wage:** 38240
- **Pct90Wage:** 46930
- **Employment:** 44010
- **Area Title:** U.S.

## Industries


### Top

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Median Wage | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 42910 | 34370 | 6.51 |
| 621340 | 621340 | Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | National industry | 29210 | 32640 | 214.72 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 150 | 35610 | 0.06 |
| 61 | 61 | Educational Services | Sector | 40 | 34420 |  |
| 561320 | 561320 | Temporary Help Services | National industry |  | 42230 |  |
| 621310 | 621310 | Offices of Chiropractors | National industry |  | 34580 |  |
| 624120 | 624120 | Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities | National industry |  | 46140 |  |

### Concentrated

| Naics | Slug | Title | Level | Employment | Lq |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 621340 | 621340 | Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists | National industry | 29210 | 214.72 |
| 62 | 62 | Health Care and Social Assistance | Sector | 42910 | 6.51 |
| 56 | 56 | Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | Sector | 150 | 0.06 |
- **Count:** 7

## Ai Signals

| Source | Label | Score | Scale | Release |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| frey_osborne | Computerization probability | 0.61 | 0-1 probability | 2013-baseline-2016-employment-snapshot |
| felten_aioe | AI occupational exposure | -0.8823265 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_image_generation_aioe | Image generation occupational exposure | -1.427901 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |
| felten_language_modeling_aioe | Language modeling occupational exposure | -0.6148192 | relative exposure score | 2021-plus-generative-ai-workbooks |

## Ai Outlook


### Index

- **Value:** 19
- **Percentile:** 16
- **Band:** Low
- **Version:** ai-exposure-index-v1

#### Components

| Percentile | Source |
| --- | --- |
| 22 | felten_aioe |
| 28 | openai_gpts_are_gpts |
| 7 | microsoft_working_with_ai |
- **Component Count:** 3

### Exposure

| Source | Label | Value | Percentile | Band | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| felten_aioe | Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) | -0.8823265 | 22 | Low | How much this job's abilities overlap with what AI systems can do, across many AI capabilities. A relative research score, not a forecast of job loss. |
| eloundou_gamma | LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) | 0.24242424242424243 | 28 | Low | Share of this job's tasks where a large language model plus simple tools could cut the time to do them by at least half. γ is capped at 1.0 and many jobs reach that ceiling, so treat a top score as 'in the top group', not a precise rank. |
| microsoft_applicability | AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) | 0.03762436895449374 | 7 | Low | How applicable today's AI assistants are to this job's activities, measured from real Microsoft Copilot conversations. Applicability is not the same as replacement. |

### Frey Historical

- **Source:** frey
- **Label:** Computerization probability (Frey & Osborne, 2013)
- **Value:** 0.61
- **Percentile:** 52
- **Band:** Moderate
- **Note:** A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
- **Teleworkable:** no

### Eloundou

- **Alpha:** 0.12121212121212122
- **Beta:** 0.18181818181818182
- **Gamma:** 0.24242424242424243

### Usage Tasks


### Bls

- **Growth Percent:** 2.8
- **Growth Percentile:** 50
- **Direction:** About average
- **Annual Openings Thousands:** 6.6
- **Annual Openings Percentile:** 54
- **Employment2024Thousands:** 45.6
- **Employment2034Thousands:** 46.9

### Sources

| Source | Version |
| --- | --- |
| bls_employment_projections | 2024-2034 |
| dingel_neiman | dingel-neiman-workathome |
| felten_aioe | felten-raj-seamans-aioe |
| frey_osborne | frey-osborne-automation |
| microsoft_working_with_ai | working-with-ai |
| openai_gpts_are_gpts | gpts-are-gpts |

## Counts

- **Tasks:** 19
- **Skills:** 35
- **Capabilities:** 120
- **Tools:** 9
- **Related Roles:** 20

## Source

- **Dataset:** gold.onet_role_starter_surface
- **Version:** 30.3
- **Generated At:** 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00
- **Content Hash:** ab695c77d293d45f