MightyRecruiterPhysical therapist aides are imperative in expediting the process of moving patients between stations, maintaining cleanliness and preparing equipment for use. Aides follow instructions and consult patient records to gather all the supplies, ready equipment and prepare for a patient’s session. They are also responsible for sanitizing treatment areas after use, including washing linens, maintaining equipment and ensuring cleanliness standards are met. Other tasks include helping navigate patients between stations and participating in scheduling management.
Because personal interaction is frequent in this profession, interpersonal communication and compassion are important skills to list in your physical therapist aide job description. Competencies like the ability to follow instructions, decipher patient needs and attention to detail are also essential.
Aides who possess dexterity and strong physical stamina are able to perform tasks more efficiently. The physical therapist aide job description below illustrates what other information you could include.
Physical Therapist Aide Job Summary
As a physical therapist aide in our outpatient facility, you will get to combine character traits like compassion and patience with skills like interpersonal communication and dexterity to facilitate treatments. Whether you are preparing equipment, sanitizing linens or scheduling patient visits, you will have a continuous chance to develop valuable skills, including organization and time management. As you interact with patients through scheduling appointments or assisting in transfers between treatment stations, you will have the opportunity to provide emotional support and encouragement to the individuals you work with. If you are looking for a job where you can help others and work as part of a hard-working team, this job could be just the one for you.
Job Responsibilities
- Prepare treatment stations according to patient needs by gathering supplies and resources, prepping equipment and ensuring all materials are clean
- Document the frequency of treatment received and improvements between sessions and record a patient’s goals to assess progress
- Organize treatment supplies for accessibility and convenience and order new inventory as needed
- Sanitize equipment after use and verify everything has been turned off if required; clean linens and prepare stations for use by other patients
- Provide assistance in administering treatments, encouraging patients, facilitating exercises and creating customized action plans
- Assist patients in moving between stations using slings, braces and other supportive devices, and preparing for treatments with help undressing if needed
- Instruct patients and family members about how to fill out required medical forms and releases and ensure each completed document is filed correctly
- Schedule treatments by working with patients over-the-phone or in person and send out a reminder no later than 48 hours preceding an appointment
Job Skills & Qualifications
Reqiured:
- High school diploma or equivalent degree
- Interpersonal communication skills, compassion and attention to detail
- Physical stamina and dexterity
Preferred:
- Clerical experience, such as answering phones, sending faxes and scheduling appointments
- Familiarity with using technical equipment
Physical Therapist Aide Job Responsibilities
You already know your physical therapist aide job description is vital for finding talented professionals to hire, but you should also know that the responsibilities section is one of the most important parts of the posting. This is the section that readers use to decide whether or not to apply. This means it should be the meatiest section and include the best information. However, if it turns into a laundry list, you may actually scare off some of the best candidates. Instead, it is a good practice to make this section a list of 6-8 bullet points.
When formatting your physical therapist aide job responsibilities section, always begin each bullet point with a strong action verb. It is important that readers be able to envision themselves in the position completing the daily tasks. The following example entries will help you write your own physical therapist aide job description.
- Diagnose patients by observing their movements, reviewing X-rays and speaking with them
- Prescribe therapy sessions to alleviate problems and help patients make recoveries from accidents or diseases
- Interact with patients and their families, explaining concepts and procedures and answering inquiries
- Demonstrate exercises and stretches to patients in order to help them understand how to correctly do them
Physical Therapist Aide Job Specifications
At the end of your physical therapist aide job description, you should have a short job qualifications and skills section that outlines the requirements to apply for the position successfully. This section should not be nearly as long as the information detailing the responsibilities, but it is still a vital part of the job description. In a big way, this is what determines how many responses you will receive for the opening. Your goal should be to use the physical therapist aide job specifications to prevent receiving an overwhelming number of applications from unqualified candidates.
By formatting the qualifications as two short bulleted lists, it is easy for readers to understand the information quickly. Categorize them as mandatory and preferred qualifications. Think carefully before you begin writing about what qualities are a deal-breaker and which are more lenient. Speaking to someone already working in this kind of position may help you better understand the essentials of creating an effective physical therapist aide job description. Here are a few good examples of required and preferred skills and qualifications.
- Bachelor’s degree in related field and completion of relevant program required
- Must be fully certified to provide healthcare services and operate standard equipment
- Excellent interpersonal and written communication abilities
- Analytically minded, strong attention to small details and evaluation skills
