Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Physical Therapist Assistants
Occupation · SOC 31-2021.00
Assist physical therapists in providing physical therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in the development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, document the progress of treatment, and modify specific treatments in accordance with patient status and within the scope of treatment plans established by a physical therapist. Generally requires formal training.
Also called: Certified Physical Therapist Assistant (CPTA) · Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (LPTA) · Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) · Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) · Home Care Physical Therapy Assistant · Home Health Physical Therapist Assistant · Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant · Outpatient Physical Therapist Assistant · Per Diem Physical Therapist Assistant (Per Diem PTA) · Assistant · Home Health Physical Therapy Assistant (Home Health PTA) · Nursing Facility PTA (Nursing Facility Physical Therapy Assistant)
Job family: Healthcare Support Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-31-2021-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+22.0% by 2034)
- 19,800 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $65,510/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
20th-percentile task overlap — yet about 19,800 openings a year (+22% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Moderate | 34th | -0.5 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Low | 25th | 0.2 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 8th | 0.0 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.1), with simple added tooling (β 0.2), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.2). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 13th percentile among occupations · Low
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +22.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 19,800 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 111,500 → 136,000 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Physical Therapist Assistants sits at the 22nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
17% mean task exposure (2025)
22nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+0 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapy Technicians and Assistants · 3255 | 17% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 21 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Document patient information, such as notes on their progress. Core · importance 4.9
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities. Core · importance 4.9
- 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. Core · importance 4.8
- Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise. Core · importance 4.7
- Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment. Core · importance 4.6
- Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment. Core · importance 4.5
- Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound. Core · importance 4.4
- Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements. Core · importance 4.4
- Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment. Core · importance 4.3
- Communicate with or instruct caregivers or family members on patient therapeutic activities or treatment plans. Core · importance 4.3
- Measure patients' range-of-joint motion, body parts, or vital signs to determine effects of treatments or for patient evaluations. Core · importance 4.2
- Train patients in the use of orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices. Core · importance 4.2
- Monitor operation of equipment and record use of equipment and administration of treatment. Core · importance 4.0
- Prepare treatment areas and electrotherapy equipment for use by physiotherapists. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Administer traction to relieve neck or back pain, using intermittent or static traction equipment. Supplemental · importance 3.9
- Assist patients to dress, undress, or put on and remove supportive devices, such as braces, splints, or slings. Core · importance 3.9
- Attend or conduct continuing education courses, seminars, or in-service activities. Core · importance 3.9
- Fit patients for orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices, such as crutches. Core · importance 3.8
- Perform postural drainage, percussions, or vibrations or teach deep breathing exercises to treat respiratory conditions. Core · importance 3.6
- Perform clerical duties, such as taking inventory, ordering supplies, answering telephone, taking messages, or filling out forms. Core · importance 3.1
- Perform therapeutic wound care. Supplemental · importance 2.9
Work activities
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Prepare medical reports or documents.
- Communicate patient status to other health practitioners.
- Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
- Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
- Attend educational events to update medical knowledge.
- Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel.
- Encourage patients during therapeutic activities.
- Engage patients in exercises or activities.
- Confer with other professionals to plan patient care.
- Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
- Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
- Fit patients for assistive devices.
- Move patients to or from treatment areas.
- Adjust positions of patients on beds or tables.
- Monitor medical equipment to ensure proper functioning.
- Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
- Assist patients with daily activities.
- Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
- Perform clerical work in medical settings.
- Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
- Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
- Prepare patient treatment areas for use.
- Document client health or progress.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Train patients, family members, or caregivers in techniques for managing disabilities or illnesses.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.5 | |
| Therapy and Counseling | 4.2 | |
| English Language | 4.2 | |
| Education and Training | 3.9 | |
| Psychology | 3.6 | |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.5 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.4 | |
| Biology | 3.4 |
Abilities
| Oral Expression | 4.1 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.9 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.9 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.8 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Written Expression | 3.3 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.3 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.1 | |
| Static Strength | 3.1 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.0 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Writing | 3.3 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 | |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.8 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 | |
| Coordination | 3.1 | |
| Instructing | 3.1 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 42.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (6.0 to < 7.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 84.2% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 14.9% | |
| First Professional Degree | 1.0% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 7.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 6.0 | |
| Integrity | 5.0 | |
| Cooperation | 4.0 | |
| Social Orientation | 3.0 |
Interest areas
| Health Care Service | 6.4 | |
| Social Service | 5.5 | |
| Teaching/Education | 4.3 | |
| Personal Service | 3.7 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 3.6 | |
| Professional Advising | 3.3 | |
| Medical Science | 3.1 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Social | 6.4 | |
| Realistic | 4.5 | |
| Conventional | 3.8 | |
| Investigative | 3.6 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $46,020 |
| 25th percentile | $58,240 |
| Median (50th) | $65,510 |
| 75th percentile | $77,270 |
| 90th percentile | $87,630 |
| People employed | 108,010 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 105,060 | $65,510 |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 49,030 | $61,620 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 1,070 | $69,530 |
| Offices of Chiropractors · National industry | 800 | $49,900 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 790 | $62,160 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 780 | $71,300 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 550 | $70,580 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 510 | $70,740 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 170 | $61,880 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 90 | $64,810 |
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry | — | $77,890 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 146.86× | 49,030 |
| Offices of Chiropractors · National industry | 7.83× | 800 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 6.49× | 105,060 |
| Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry | 0.62× | 170 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 0.42× | 780 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 0.3× | 510 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.28× | 550 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 0.17× | 1,070 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Physical Therapist Aides · 31-2022.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapy Assistants · 31-2011.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapy Aides · 31-2012.00 Compare →
- Psychiatric Technicians · 29-2053.00 Compare →
- Respiratory Therapists · 29-1126.00 Compare →
- Recreational Therapists · 29-1125.00 Compare →
- Radiation Therapists · 29-1124.00 Compare →
- Psychiatric Aides · 31-1133.00 Compare →
- Medical Assistants · 31-9092.00 Compare →
- Surgical Assistants · 29-9093.00 Compare →
- Physical Therapists · 29-1123.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapists · 29-1122.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Physical Therapist Assistants — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Associate's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 3 — Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 22nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Physical Therapist Assistants show 20th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 19,800 annual U.S. openings
- Physical Therapist Assistants rank in the 20th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 19,800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+22%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $65,510, across about 108,010 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Physical Therapist Assistants show 20th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 19,800 annual U.S. openings • Physical Therapist Assistants rank in the 20th percentile (Low band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 19,800 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+22%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $65,510, across about 108,010 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Physical Therapist Assistants". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2021-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Physical Therapist Assistants." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2021-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Physical Therapist Assistants. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2021-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-31-2021-00,
title = {Physical Therapist Assistants},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-31-2021-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.