Physical Therapy Aide job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

13

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Physical Therapist Aides

O*NET-SOC 31-2022.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$35,240

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Physical Therapist Aides (O*NET-SOC 31-2022.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Physical Therapy Aide” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Employment and Training Administration and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff. importance 4.4 of 5
4. Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist. importance 4.2 of 5
6. Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound. importance 4.2 of 5
8. Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support. importance 4.2 of 5
9. Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Arrange treatment supplies to keep them in order. importance 3.9 of 5
12. Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings. importance 3.6 of 5
13. Maintain equipment or furniture to keep it in good working condition, including performing the assembly or disassembly of equipment or accessories. importance 3.6 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Assisting and Caring for Others, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information and Handling and Moving Objects.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Record treatment given and equipment used.
• Measure patient's range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations.
• Train patients to use orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.
• Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment.
• Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, adjusting fit as needed.
• Participate in patient care tasks, such as assisting with passing food trays, feeding residents, or bathing residents on bed rest.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Computers and Electronics and Therapy and Counseling.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Epic Systems, MEDITECH software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among physical therapy aides surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (34%).

Job title: Physical Therapy Aide
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Physical Therapy Aide.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
- Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.
- Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
- Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.
- Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases.
- Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
- Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, service orientation and monitoring
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Epic Systems or MEDITECH software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Physical Therapist Aides, the median annual wage was $35,240 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $16.94. BLS estimates about 48,150 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Physical Therapist Aides to grow 4.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,400 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real physical therapy aide posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only physical therapy aide work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and service orientation): a real situation, what you did and what changed.