How to hire physical therapist aides

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases.
• Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.
• Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong active listening, monitoring, reading comprehension, active learning, critical thinking and speaking skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service and English Language
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $16.94 an hour ($35,240 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for physical therapist aides

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What physical therapist aides do

• Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, or heat, light, sound, water, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillow cases.
• Clean and organize work area and disinfect equipment after treatment.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, or assist patients practicing exercises or functional activities, under direction of medical staff.
• Observe patients during treatment to compile and evaluate data on patients' responses and progress and report to physical therapist.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, using wheelchairs or providing standing support.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningMonitoringReading ComprehensionActive LearningCritical ThinkingSpeakingCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish Language

Education, experience and outlook for physical therapist aides

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +4% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 6,400 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay physical therapist aides

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See physical therapist aides pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Occupational Therapy Aides
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Psychiatric Technicians
• Psychiatric Aides
• Occupational Therapists
• Respiratory Therapists
• Medical Assistants
• Nursing Assistants
• Massage Therapists

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.