What Is a Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant and How to Become One
What Does a Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant Do?
A home health physical therapist assistant (PTA) visits patients at their homes to perform a variety of duties as directed by a physical therapist (PT). As an assistant, you provide direct aid to your patients, such as observing them before, during, and after sessions, providing them with a variety of activities designed to improve their body, taking notes about their progress, and reporting patient progress to the physical therapist. Sometimes the PTA works directly with the PT, while at other times you work independently, only reporting to the therapist when you return to the office. You do not prescribe medicine.
How Can I Become a Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant?
To become a home health physical therapist assistant (PTA), you need to have a number of qualifications, including a degree and certification. All states in the US require PTAs to have an associate’s degree. A PTA degree program should include classroom instruction and practical training. After graduating, you need to pass the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy exam. Depending on your employer, you may need to pass a background check as well. An internship during your education can greatly improve your job prospects.
Are Home Health Physical Therapist Assistants in Demand?
There is very strong demand for physical therapist assistants (PTA) in the current economy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, work for PTAs is projected to grow by 31% in the next decade. This demand is due to the aging population in need of physical therapy solutions for a variety of issues, such as diabetes, obesity, and general mobility issues. Growth is projected to be especially strong for PTAs who work at home health facilities or who can travel to a patient’s home or long-term care facility to provide their services.
What Skills Do I Need to Be a Successful Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant?
Important skills for a home health physical therapist assistant (PTA) include patience, empathy, and a willingness to travel. You should have reliable transportation and a good driving record, as your responsibilities revolve entirely around travel. Flexibility is also an important aspect of the job, as you may be traveling at non-traditional working hours in order to accommodate your patients’ schedules. Rehab can take many months, and you should have good interpersonal skills and verbal communication so that you can connect with your patients and make them feel comfortable as you work with them.
Duties and responsibilities
A home care physical therapist assistant works under the supervision of a physical therapists who helps treating patients that are suffering from physical disability in a home care environment. These physical disabilities are often due to injury, disease or surgery. Their typical duties and responsibilities include:
- Travelling to patients homes
- Observing patients before, during and after therapy
- Noting the patient’s status and reporting it to a physical therapist
- Helping patients do specific exercises that the physical therapist has put in the plan of care
- Treating patients using a variety of techniques, such as massage and stretching
Qualifications
All states require physical therapist assistants to have an associate’s degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. These programs typically last about 2 years and include coursework in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. Assistants also gain hands-on experience during supervised clinical work. Physical therapist assistants will also need to obtain the relevant licensure for their state.
Skills and relevant work experience
As well as having the physical stamina to be on their feet all day, home care physical therapist assistants need skills such as:
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- Teamwork skills, as physical therapist assistants need to be able to work as part of a cohesive team with other healthcare professionals
- Dexterity, as home care physical therapist assistants will have to use their hands to provide manual therapy and therapeutic exercises
- Compassion and empathy, as working with those recovering from injury or illness requires a deep understanding of their needs and concerns
- Communication skills, both verbal and written, as home care physical therapist assistants will need to communicate their ideas to patients and keep written documents up to date
Hours
Home care physical therapist assistants tend to work full time. However, there are part time work opportunities available. Physical therapist assistants may also have to work nights or weekends to accommodate to their patients schedule. Generally, they will have to spend a lot of time travelling between different home healthcare settings.
Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for physical therapist assistants was $58,790 in 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,450 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $80,840. Home care physical therapist assistants can expect to earn within this region too.
Progression
The demand for physical therapy is expected to increase over the coming years, creating a huge demand for physical therapy assistants. To progress further in their career, physical therapist assistants might gather more responsibility and may be in charge of supervising other physical therapist assistants. Or, they may receive less supervision from qualified physical therapists.
This is also known as home care physical therapist. They provide therapy services meant for treatment plans in a residential setup. Employers need you to provide rehabilitation services in the confines of a home. This sort of physical therapy (PT) is usually reserved for patients who can’t leave their houses due to the risk associated with leaving their houses. You are expected to review the patient’s medical histories.
In addition, you are to outline goals clearly for patients and outline the expected outcomes of such a plan. You must learn to use exercises to manage a patient’s pain and increase mobility. Apart from this, you are also responsible for recording the progress of the patient and changing the plan of care if need be. Most importantly, you are to educate both the patient and family members about the recovery process.
Becoming a home health physical therapist requires several education qualifications. More importantly, you must major in physical therapy and bag a bachelor’s degree. Apart from educational qualifications, you must be a compassionate person with the ability to show genuine kindness to people. You must also be detailed-oriented as you have to be extremely observant. The average annual pay in the US is $113,426.
Physical Therapy Assistant
[Intro Paragraph] Start off your physical therapist assistant job description by providing some information about the company. It can be something about the company culture, a mission statement, or an impressive fact or statistic that will make job seekers take notice. Use this as a chance to show your organization’s strengths and to distinguish yourself from your competitors as an ideal employer.
Physical Therapy Assistant Job Responsibilities:
- Promotes and maintains health by providing physical therapy services under the supervision of a physical therapist.
- Contributes to a physical therapist’s effectiveness by identifying patient care issues.
- Administers treatment programs for patients.
- Assesses patient health by interviewing patients, performing physical examinations, and obtaining updating, and studying therapy histories.
- Evaluates abnormal conditions by reviewing physical therapist’s interpretations of patient evaluations and test results.
- Documents patient care services by charting in patient and department records.
- Performs therapeutic procedures by administering manual exercises and instructing, encouraging, and assisting patients in performing physical activities, such as non-manual exercises, ambulatory functional activities, and daily-living activities.
- Helps patients in using supportive devices, such as crutches, canes, and prostheses.
- Instructs and counsels patients by describing therapeutic regimens, giving normal growth and development information, and promoting wellness and health maintenance.
- Maintains safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations, and adhering to infection-control policies and protocols.
- Maintains production objectives by noting current treatment trends and monitoring actual physical therapy services rendered to production objectives.
- Maintains legal and accreditation compliance by adhering to policy positions concerning federal, state, and local regulations and JACHO standards.
- Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities, reading periodicals, maintaining personal networks, and participating in professional organizations.
- Enhances physical therapy reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests and exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
[Work Hours & Benefits] You’ve introduced your audience to your company and have provided them with job responsibilities. Next up is a conversation about working hours and benefits. Hopefully after this section, they will be interested enough to read on. Talk about working conditions or requirements, including shift work, weekend work, overtime, and break schedule. Will the assistant be working long hours at a nursing home or hospital or will they be working in a patient’s home? If your organization offers special benefits like uniform cleaning/dry cleaning services, transportation subsides, or career development opportunities, then be sure to reference them.
Physical Therapy Assistant Qualifications / Skills:
- Physiological knowledge
- Health promotion and maintenance
- Creating a safe, effective environment
- Motivating others
- Organization skills
- Bedside manner
- Patient services
- Health care administration
- Documentation skills
- Listening and verbal communication
Education and Experience Requirements:
- Associate degree for physical therapy assistant
- All states require a license or certification
- Must pass a state-administered exam or the National Physical Therapy Exam administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
[Call To Action] At the end of your physical therapy assistant job description, make sure to include a call to action. By supplying clear instructions for the job seeker concerning how they should apply, you are increasing your chances of getting a response. For instance, you can tell them to “apply on the company website” or to click on the “apply” button.
