Physical Therapy Aide Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the physical therapy aide job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the physical therapy aide role by most employers/recruiters.

What Does a Physical Therapy Aide Do?

Physical therapy aides provide assistance to physical therapists or physical therapist assistants to ensure that they perform their job effectively, and that patients get the treatment they came for.

The physical therapist aides job description entails performing both treatment-related and clerical tasks, make patients’ visits to the therapist productive.

However, they are not responsible for administering treatment on patients, they only assist the therapist to do so.

They are responsible for welcoming patients; greeting and leading them to the area they will get treatment.

They ensure the treatment area is kept clean and tidy at all times, and that it meets the need of each patient.

Their role also entails working closely with physical therapists and assistants to ensure hat they get the tools and materials they need to carry out necessary treatment on patients.

They keep track of patients’ medical records and ensure relevant paperwork is well prepared and organized, thereby keeping the therapist’s operation running smoothly.

In some cases, the work description of the physical therapy aide may involve scheduling therapy appointment with clients, answering of phone, and assisting in ordering of needed supplies.

The job of physical therapy aide is crucial to the recovery of patients who are recuperating from surgery, injuries, and illnesses, as they work with them to manage pain and regain movement at the clinic or in a hospital.

Having being licensed to practice treatment and therapy on patients, physical therapy aides help patients get their lives back.

The physical therapy aide role is different from that of the physical therapy assistant even though both are entry level jobs in the physical therapy job category.

The assistant plays a higher role and handles higher responsibilities than the aide and so is often required to have a degree, certification, and licensure to practice, while a physical therapy aide may not be required to have a certification or college degree.

In fact, physical therapy aides work under the supervision of physical therapy assistants.

Their duties involve assisting the physical therapist assistant and the physical therapist in carrying out selected procedures, preparing necessary equipment for treatment, and performing housekeeping functions of the health facility.

Physical Therapy Aide Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Physical therapy aides perform various functions as they help therapists in rendering quality service to patients in a welcoming customer service environment.

The job description example below shows major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that commonly characterize the role of physical therapy aides:

• Greet and assist patients to the treatment area as instructed by the physical therapist or the therapist assistant
• Ensure the treatment room is well cleaned and prepared for each patient (taking into consideration his/her special needs)
• Study equipment cleaning logs and ensure therapeutic equipment are cleaned appropriately
• Carry out daily cleaning activities of facilities, including vacuum floors, dusting of equipment, cleaning of treatment chairs and mats, and emptying trash cans
• Wash, fold, and store linens appropriately for proper maintenance
• Stock treatment carts and refill containers to ensure regular therapeutic supplies
• Answer telephone calls and when necessary direct calls to the right person
• Responsible for handling patient scheduling/appointment when the patient care representative is absent
• Maintain accurate and current information in patient billing and file system by obtaining patient insurance and billing information
• Responsible for preparing reports/forms and conducting collection/billing activities, such as data, when the patient customer service representative is not available
• Carry out general clerical duties that may be necessary in the absence of the patient customer service representative, including transcription and copying of evaluations, filing, physician letters, discharge summaries, progress notes, and other similar correspondence
• Ensure prompt service delivery within facility by effectively coordinating patient appointments and charts.

Requirements – Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities – for Physical Therapy Aide Role

If you are seeking the role of a physical therapy aide in a health facility, here are major requirements you may be expected to meet to be able to access the job with most facilities:

• Strong oral communication skills, including telephoning, and interpersonal skills
• Strong ability to prioritize tasks to ensure steady patient flow, as well as strong organizational skills
• Ability to effectively work with physically challenged individuals
• Profound customer service skills to ensure patients/visitors to facility receive great experience
• Strong ability to apply copiers, faxes, and other relevant office equipment
• Possess high school diploma or its equivalent
• Technique and previous experience handling patients and/or therapeutic equipment at a physical therapy clinic or hospital.

Conclusion

If you are an employer hiring for the physical therapy aide job, you will need to create and publish a detailed description of the role to be able to attract the candidates you desire.

To achieve this goal, you can easily and quickly apply the job description sample for the position provided in this post.

Also, if you are a job seeker interested in the physical therapy career and want to know what the therapist aide role entails, the duties and responsibilities shown in this article will help increase your knowledge of what they do.