Physical Therapist Assistants
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.
112,430 people do this job in the US. $68,380 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 11%
- 3%
- 86%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 3%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 10%. Today's estimate: 11%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 21 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 16% | 25 min13 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 21 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Administer active or passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, or heat, light, sound, or electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 5% | 8 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Clean work area and check and store equipment after treatment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 8 min4 min to 17 min | Stays with people | |
| Communicate with or instruct caregivers or family members on patient therapeutic activities or treatment plans.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 7 min3 min to 13 min | Stays with people | |
| Confer with physical therapy staff or others to discuss and evaluate patient information for planning, modifying, or coordinating treatment.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Prepare treatment areas and electrotherapy equipment for use by physiotherapists.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people | |
| Train patients in the use of orthopedic braces, prostheses, or supportive devices.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 21 min13 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Transport patients to and from treatment areas, lifting and transferring them according to positioning requirements.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 3% | 10 min4 min to 21 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).