- Health A to Z
Physical therapist assistants and aides
Employment for physical therapist assistants and aides is expected to increase by at least 36% through the year 2008. As with the future outlook for physical therapists, the demand for physical therapist assistants and aides will continue to rise to keep pace with the increase in the number of individuals with disabilities and the rapidly growing elderly population, many of whom are particularly vulnerable to chronic and debilitating conditions that require therapeutic services. These patients often need additional assistance in their treatment, making the roles of assistants and aides vital. As the large baby-boom generation reaches the prime age for heart attacks and strokes, the demand for cardiac and physical rehabilitation will also increase. In addition, future medical developments should permit an increased percentage of trauma victims to survive, creating an additional demand for therapy services.
In 1998, physical therapist assistants and aides earned a median annual income of $21,870. The lowest 10% earned less than $13,760 while the highest 10% earned more than $39,730 a year. The middle 50% earned between $16,700 and $31,260 a year. In 1997, the median annual income earned by physical therapist assistants and aides working in the industries employing the largest number of physical therapist assistants and aides included hospitals, $21,200; health care practitioners offices, $20,700; and nursing and personal care facilities, $19,200.
Work settings
Physical therapists practice in hospitals, clinics, and private offices. They may also treat patients in the patient's home or at school.
Most physical therapists work a 40-hour week, which may include some evenings and weekends depending on their patients' schedules. The job can be physically demanding, because therapists often have to stoop, kneel, crouch, lift, or stand for long periods of time. In addition, physical therapists move heavy equipment, lift patients, or help them turn, stand, or walk.
In 1998, approximately 75% of the physical therapists employed in approximately 120,000 jobs worked full time. Approximately 10% of physical therapists held more than one job.
Over two-thirds of physical therapists are employed in either hospitals or physical therapists' offices. Other work settings include home health agencies, outpatient rehabilitation centers, physicians' offices and clinics, and nursing homes. Some physical therapists maintain a private practice and provide services to individual patients or contract to provide services in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, home health agencies, adult day-care programs, or schools. They may be engaged in individual practice or be part of a consulting group. Some physical therapists teach in academic institutions and conduct research.
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Author Info: Bill Asenjo MS, CRC, The Gale Group Inc., Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 2002 |
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