How to hire physical therapist assistants

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, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
• Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
• Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.

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: Associate's degree]
• Strong active listening, monitoring, speaking, active learning, critical thinking and reading comprehension skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, therapy and counseling, English Language and education and training
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $32.88 an hour ($68,380 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 assistants

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, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, 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 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?
3. Tell me about a time you had to document patient information, such as notes on their progress. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise. 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. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
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 assistants do

• Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.
• Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
• Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
• Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
• Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
• Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
• Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningMonitoringSpeakingActive LearningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionCustomer and Personal ServiceTherapy and CounselingEnglish LanguageEducation and Training

Education, experience and outlook for physical therapist assistants

• Typical education to start: Associate's degree (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 3 to 6 months (O*NET)
• Job outlook: +23% over ten years, much faster than average · about 18,500 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay physical therapist assistants

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

See physical therapist assistants pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Physical Therapist Aides
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Occupational Therapy Aides
• Psychiatric Technicians
• Respiratory Therapists
• Recreational Therapists
• Radiation Therapists
• Psychiatric Aides
• Medical Assistants
• Surgical Assistants

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.