Physiotherapist Assistant Job Description
A physiotherapist assistant--better known as a physical therapist assistant--is a health care professional who helps physiotherapists (or physical therapists) in rehabilitating patients who have physical impairments. Physiotherapist assistants contribute to improving the mobility of patients.
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Role
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When physiotherapists develop treatment plans tailored to the patients' needs, they rely on their assistants to help implement them. Under the physiotherapists' supervision, the assistants treat patients with a variety of methods that include massage, electrical stimulation and ultrasound; instruct them on how to use and care for devices that aid mobility such as wheelchairs, braces and artificial limbs; and record their response to treatment and/or progress. In some cases, physiotherapist assistants might handle non-medical tasks such as answering phones, setting appointments or filling out insurance forms.
Type of Patients
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The patients that physiotherapist assistants take care of suffer from medical conditions that disable them. It could be from injuries from accidents or diseases such as arthritis, cerebral palsy or a heart ailment. Physiotherapist assistants provide health care to patients of all ages--from children to the elderly.
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Work Environment and Conditions
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Most physiotherapist assistants can be found in physiotherapists' offices. Hospitals, nursing care facilities and residential care centers are also major employers. Since they do a substantial amount of physical exertion to assist patients with their treatments, physiotherapist assistants need a significant amount of strength. Most of them work the traditional 40-hour work week, although some evening and weekend hours might be demanded depending on the manner of workplace.
Education and Training
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The minimum educational requirement for entry into the physiotherapist assistant field is a high school diploma. Employers, however, prefer candidates with associate's degrees from a program accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association's Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. The degree can be obtained in two years from a community college or technical school.
Salary and Job Outlook
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average physiotherapist assistant made an annual salary of around $48,000 in 2009. The BLS expects a 35 percent job increase in the field between 2008 and 2018, which it estimates to be a much faster rate than the average for all U.S. occupations during that period.
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References
- Photo Credit physio therapy - helping hands image by Wingnut Designs from Fotolia.com
