Healthcare Support · Holland code SRC
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.
Also called: Physical Therapist Aide (PTA), Physical Therapy Aide (PTA), PT Tech (Physical Therapy Technician), Rehabilitation Technician (Rehabilitation Tech), PT Attendant (Physical Therapy Attendant), PT Tech (Physical Therapist Technician), Rehabilitation Aide, Rehabilitation Attendant.
O*NET 31-2022.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $35,240
- Middle half earn $30,410 to $38,810. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 34% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- 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.
- Record treatment given and equipment used.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening3.6 / 5
- Monitoring3.3 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
- Writing3.0 / 5
- Speaking3.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.5 / 5
- English Language4.0 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.5 / 5
- Therapy and Counseling3.3 / 5
- Psychology3.0 / 5
- Public Safety and Security2.9 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic62
- Investigative26
- Artistic1
- Social83
- Enterprising18
- Conventional49
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- homeopath · DE Homöopath/Homöopathin · FR homéopathe
- advanced physiotherapist · DE Fachphysiotherapeut/Fachphysiotherapeutin · FR expert physiothérapeute/experte physiothérapeute
- physiotherapist · DE Physiotherapeut/Physiotherapeutin · FR physiothérapeute
- chiropractor · DE Chiropraktiker/Chiropraktikerin · FR chiropracteur/chiropractrice
- kinesiologist · DE Kinesiologe/Kinesiologin · FR kinésiologue
- occupational therapist · DE Ergotherapeut/Ergotherapeutin · FR ergothérapeute
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
- Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
- Physiotherapists (2221)73,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.88. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (31-2022).
Related careers
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