Physical Therapy Assistant
Types of Degrees Physical Therapy Assistant Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many physical therapy assistant graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Associate Degree | 5,655 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 211 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 89 |
Basic Certificate | 37 |
Master’s Degree | 1 |
What Physical Therapy Assistant Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to physical therapy assistant were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Physical Therapy Assistant Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Skills for Physical Therapy Assistant Majors
physical therapy assistant majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Abilities for Physical Therapy Assistant Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a physical therapy assistant student include the following:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
What Can You Do With a Physical Therapy Assistant Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with physical therapy assistant:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Physical Therapist Assistants | 31.1% | $58,040 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Therapy Assistant?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of physical therapy assistant majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 7 |
Black or African American | 5 |
Hispanic or Latino | 10 |
White | 60 |
International Students | 0 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 7 |
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Physical Therapy Assistant
Some careers associated with physical therapy assistant require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
Find out what the typical degree level is for physical therapy assistant careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 99.8% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0.2% |
Online Physical Therapy Assistant Programs
The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 15 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 379 | 1 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 2 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 1 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
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Majors Related to Physical Therapy Assistant
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to physical therapy assistant.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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